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I have heard people say "I have no musical ability." or "I have no coordination." or "I only play the radio." These self-defeating statements are not only a psychological hindrence to progress but are also in almost all cases false. Unless you have an unusual case where there is some kind of brain damage, there is nothing stopping you from being able to learn to play music and enjoy it. If you enjoy listening to any music, this means that you have the ability to understand the musical language. Popular music and classical music both follow musical rules which allow the composer to express themselves and over the years we all have developed an understanding of this language simply by hearing it over and over. The amount of music we are exposed to today is unprecidented. It is almost a constant barrage of muzak, pop music, and other styles coming at us all from all directions. Because of this, it is almost impossible for us to not learn the language of music even though we many not have the words to express our understanding, that understanding is there because of our exposure to music. An instrument like the piano saves us from having to control the pitch that comes out of the piano, so unlike the violin, the piano has a certain advantage in terms of being able to produce a good sound for the beginning student. Assuming the piano is in tune, so are you. This frees one up from the problem of ear training in the beginning which can be a frustration added on to all the other difficulties of managing the mechanics of playing. |
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