Life is more than simply playing the piano in "Middle C".....

Hang in there with me as I explain my opening title.

If you have ever played the piano then you know what I am talking about and I'm certainly not trying to show off by acting like I know all of these piano "words" (actually I kinda am) even though I've only been taking lessons for about 5 months. But I've realized the piano and my taking lessons has become the perfect metaphor for describing my new Journey.

During my weekly lessons, I sometimes interrupt my wonderful, patient teacher, Amy Munro, and ask questions that race into my mind while I am trying to stay focused, specifically about the piano and generally about music.

 I've recently broadened my range of two octaves and 5 notes, located in the middle part of the piano keyboard, ergo Middle C, to yet another octave as well as two more keys, A and B, in addition to now sharps and flats.

We talked briefly about how the piano encompasses so many different combinations of sounds and to me it seemed like the ultimate in a musical instrument since the permutation of so many different sounds could be achieved.... 88 keys X two hands  X playing two or three of four notes at a time equals, well more than my head brain could compute.

And then she added that there are so many more instruments that exude wonderful tones and sounds some of which many of us have never heard before.

Music is like the alphabet. We have only 26 letters in the English language

but we are able to take those letters and create words, from which we create sentences, from which we create paragraphs and then stories. Notes by themselves are simply notes, but when we string them together we eventually have a melody and then finally a song. All of the stories have not been written nor have all of the songs been sung.They are waiting for you to add yours to the collection.

This caused me to realize how important it is to get out of "Middle C" and experience the entire Keyboard of Life. Sure, you can play most melodies in your safe haven, sing any song in your range, even watch TV  where your 4 or 5 channels are located and not travel through the other 200 channels. But expand your horizons. See what is around the corner. See if you can hit that high note when you are singing in the shower. And learn to play more octaves, more chords, more keys.

You can dance all night long simply doing the box step or swaying to and fro, but occasionally spin your partner around, glide across the floor as you keep beat to the music and what the heck, throw in a little free-style when you want to. Learn to play more notes, sing more songs and dance whenever you feel the need.

You don't need a piano to learn music. My niece's husband, Eugene Taylor, learned to play the harmonica while waiting in traffic. If you can simply breath you can play a harmonica.Maybe it's just a note at a time. Or a step at a time. But please, life is worth living.

I'll send you a harmonica if you promise to play it. I'll write you a story if you promise to write one yourself. And I'll sing you a song if you promise to dance to it.

Enjoy life, it's the only one we have.

Peace