My standard response to people who say "I wish I could play an instrument" is "... if you start learning today, in 5 years you will say you've been playing for 5 years ... if you don't start today, in five years you'll be saying "I wish I could play an instrument" ...


As for the scales and stuff... having never had formal piano training, I wanted to 'play better' ... nice chords, chord substitutions, etc. One night I heard this piano player ... he was great!!! I asked him if he taught and he said yes, so I went for lessons ...
The first night I told him I only wanted to learn better chords, etc. and did not want scales, exercises, etc. He wrote out some chord changes to a standard tune, showed me some stuff, and I went home to practice ... I got nowhere with the piece and when I went back 2 weeks later he simplified it and said "you don't want any scales or exercises, right?" I said no, and went home to work on the tune ... the same thing happened ... when it happened the third time and I again heard "you don't want any scales or exercises, right" I got the message ... You can't have one without putting the time in on the other ... Scales and exercises form the foundation ... and you can't build anything without a foundation ...

Unfortunately the demands of the 'day job' got too great and I had to quit the piano lessons ... but I'll get back to it one day ...
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 09-14-2004).]