Fulfill that dream you always had, today!

R

Rindee

Member
How many times have you thought about learning to play a musical instrument? Perhaps piano or drums, a trumpet or violin, guitar or bass guitar or maybe a saxophone? Well now you are retired and the time is right to put that dream into action! There are so many avenues for learning; you can take lessons, or you can teach yourself via online lessons, or sites like YouTube where there are many great players who teach for free! If you aspire to learn how to read music, musictheory.net is a great site for that.
Reading music is not always necessary when learning to play, in fact some of the greatest musicians in history could not read music. Jimi Hendrix couldn't read it, and he became the greatest rock guitarist in history, so don't let that be an obstacle if you cannot read music.
Along with standard music notation, there is another form of notation which accompanies it called "tablature", which places numbers on the lines of the music sheet, showing you which string and fret to play, and is a valuable tool when learning familiar songs, but would not provide much help if trying to learn songs you don't know, for example, someone could more easily learn to play "Mary had a little lamb" using tablature, than if they tried to learn a song by Beethoven, if that makes sense.
So, get out there today and buy that instrument you always dreamed of playing, put your time in to learn it, be consistent and you will go far...and most of all, you will have a friend for life in music... friend who in its genius and utility, will never abandon you. The most wonderful thing about it, is that it is open to one and all, it will never deny you entry into its world. There are no requirements to learn how to play, all you need is a vision, a dream, a desire to learn. You can do it! Rock on! Rindee
 

Jace said:
Too old😰...it had been ..airline stewardess..
to travel
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Oh you're never too old to learn! I once taught an 73-year-old man to play basic bass guitar, he became good enough to play in open jams, songs he knew and loved. He came to me with tears in his eyes, so grateful that he was able to live his dream of playing onstage, omg, I was so proud of him, you can do it too!
 

I actually fulfilled something I hadn't even dreamed I'd do. I've studied music off and on, played organ for my mother's church in my 20s and realized for a fact that I do not like performing in public. I also attended Jazzmobile in Harlem, N.Y. After I retired in 1998 (at age 50), a serendipitous set of circumstances led to me purchasing a Yamaha Clavinova (digital piano).

A few days earlier my piano tuner was telling me that there were pianos that didn't need tuning when she came to tune my piano. She was missing a string, so had to order it and come back. The next day my alma mater sent me a letter (I'd only previously gotten flyers about concerts). The letter said they were having a piano sale and they were giving students and staff first pick during a pre-sale of used pianos. One of the instruments was the Clavinova.

I was so excited to start composing because it had several instrument "voices" and rhythms. My son showed me just how much it could do because I was clueless. I intended to "shop" the tapes of my music and let someone else perform them. Another set of circumstances led me to release the album myself. That was in 2003. The icing on the cake was that my son engineered it and my BFF, a professional pianist, accepted my impromptu invitation to play electric piano on one of the songs and she nailed it. She did it again a few years later with one of the songs I've included on my latest album.

After a long hiatus, I just released my second album not quite a month ago. I've gotten such wonderful responses to my music. One "fan" called it "Music to soothe the soul", so that's sort of become my motto for my songs. They have been played on FM and internet radio stations and are streamed and downloaded globally. One of my songs even charted on Brisbane, Australia Aussie.com's Top 100 chart. I also never dreamed that recording artists I've been a fan of for decades would become fans of my music!

So yeah, it's never too late. Sometimes there may be some trials, tribulations and disappointments along the way. But keep on pushing. If it's something you love, it will be well worth it. Good post Rindee!
 
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OneEyedDiva said:
I actually fulfilled something I hadn't even dreamed I'd do. I've studied music off and on, played organ for my mother's church in my 20s and realized for a fact that I do not like performing in public. I also attended Jazzmobile in Harlem, N.Y. After I retired in 1998 (at age 50), a serendipitous set of circumstances led to me purchasing a Yamaha Clavinova (digital piano).

A few days earlier my piano tuner was telling me that there were pianos that didn't need tuning when she came to tune my piano. She was missing a string, so had to order it come back. The next day my alma mater sent me a letter (I'd only previously gotten flyers about concerts). The letter said they were having a piano sale and they were giving students and staff first pick during a pre-sale of used pianos. One of the instruments was the Clavinova.

I was so excited to start composing because it had several instrument "voices" and rhythms. My son showed me just how much it could do because I was clueless. I intended to "shop" the tapes of my music and let someone else perform them. Another set of circumstances led me to release the album myself. That was in 2003. The icing on the cake was that my son engineered it and my BFF, a professional pianist, accepted my impromptu invitation to play electric piano on one of the songs and she nailed it. She did it again a few years later with one of the songs on my latest album.

After a long hiatus, I just released my second album not quite a month ago. I've gotten such wonderful responses to my music. One "fan" called it "Music to soothe the soul", so that's sort of become my motto for my songs. They have been played on FM and internet radio stations and are streamed and downloaded globally. One of my Latin songs even charted on Aussie.com's (Brisbane, Australia) Top 100 at #74 in 2006. I also never dreamed that recording artists I'm a fan of would become my fans!

So yeah, it's never too late. Sometimes there may be some trials, tribulations and disappointments along the way. But keep on pushing. If it's something you love, it will be well worth it. Good post Rindee!
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A wonderful story OneEyedDiva and thank you for sharing!! You are well accomplished, and I praise you on your achievements! My rigs include (all bass guitars), a Yamaha fretless, a Gibson jazz, Epiphone, an Ibanez short scale bass, and a Washburn acoustic/electric, all driven through Peavey amps, along with the usual Wah pedals and various others. Although I never played piano in public, in school we had to learn pitch identification on it, so I can make some noise lol! I also had music on worldwide distribution years ago, (Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, CD Now,) etc., but was not happy with the lack of promotion for independent artists like me, so after a year, I pulled it.
My best years were as a back-up bassist at a blues joint in 2006-2008, in Grand Prairie, Texas, The Back Room Bar. My first jam there was on an open jam, and the drummer was Steve Howell, who had played with Chuck Berry, and John Williamson who had jammed with Eric Clapton in San Francisco in the mid 70s...so the pressure was on!! When my turn came to play, I turned to the band and said "Let's jam Tri-tones substitutions variation with rhythm changes in Bm", and away we went!!
If they had no idea what I had said, one would never know it, they played it note for note behind my bass patterns. I was asked back, and became member of the band, so when I played, John would sing, from ZZ Top, Creedence Clearwater Revival, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, we covered the great blues songs of all time! Fond memories, all created by music!
 
Rindee said:
A wonderful story OneEyedDiva and thank you for sharing!! You are well accomplished, and I praise you on your achievements! My rigs include (all bass guitars), a Yamaha fretless, a Gibson jazz, Epiphone, an Ibanez short scale bass, and a Washburn acoustic/electric, all driven through Peavey amps, along with the usual Wah pedals and various others. Although I never played piano in public, in school we had to learn pitch identification on it, so I can make some noise lol! I also had music on worldwide distribution years ago, (Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, CD Now,) etc., but was not happy with the lack of promotion for independent artists like me, so after a year, I pulled it.
My best years were as a back-up bassist at a blues joint in 2006-2008, in Grand Prairie, Texas, The Back Room Bar. My first jam there was on an open jam, and the drummer was Steve Howell, who had played with Chuck Berry, and John Williamson who had jammed with Eric Clapton in San Francisco in the mid 70s...so the pressure was on!! When my turn came to play, I turned to the band and said "Let's jam Tri-tones substitutions variation with rhythm changes in Bm", and away we went!!
If they had no idea what I had said, one would never know it, they played it note for note behind my bass patterns. I was asked back, and became member of the band, so when I played, John would sing, from ZZ Top, Creedence Clearwater Revival, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, we covered the great blues songs of all time! Fond memories, all created by music!
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Thank you for the compliments and you're welcome, of course ❣️ I think it is mega cool that you played bass in bands!! I so admire people who are able to perform! Sounds like you are proficient since you were ready to jam. How fun! My BFF, who had never heard either song I extended impromptu invitations for her to play on, did a fantastic job on each...laying down her electric piano tracks in about 10 minutes (at separate times). She has played for many famous artists including The Crystals, Lou Christie, Mary Wells, The Drifters and she did a three month tour with Tiny Tim and Miss Vickie. She's also played in back up bands for Allan Jones, Bob Hope and David Brenner.

She's toured the country as musical director and pianist for various theater groups as well. She also composed and played the score for an off Broadway play. I get the stories from her of how tiring touring can be sometimes. But to get great responses from audiences makes it worth it in the longrun.
 
Rindee said:
Oh you're never too old to learn! I once taught an 73-year-old man to play basic bass guitar, he became good enough to play in open jams, songs he knew and loved. He came to me with tears in his eyes, so grateful that he was able to live his dream of playing onstage, omg, I was so proud of him, you can do it too!
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TOTALLY agree and this is awesome! I want to learn piano. I want to go back to school, too. Again. Am a life long learner. One is NEVER too old to do anything IMHO. Well, physical issues may slow one down, but there is always something.

HINT: If you have physical issues you can ask for an occupational health consultation and therapy and insurance will pay for it. A good way to find a part time job as a senior.
 
CooCooforCoCoPuffs said:
TOTALLY agree and this is awesome! I want to learn piano. I want to go back to school, too. Again. Am a life long learner. One is NEVER too old to do anything IMHO. Well, physical issues may slow one down, but there is always something.

HINT: If you have physical issues you can ask for an occupational health consultation and therapy and insurance will pay for it. A good way to find a part time job as a senior.
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There are so many free piano courses on YouTube now including finger exercises and how to play Jazz tunes. So much more interesting than the boring book lessons! I hope you will get a keyboard (if you don't already have one) and start learning. You'll be proud of yourself for doing so and feel satisfaction, maybe even excitement, as you learn new things. 🎹 🎶 😊
 
OneEyedDiva said:
There are so many free piano courses on YouTube now including finger exercises and how to play Jazz tunes. So much more interesting than the boring book lessons! I hope you will get a keyboard (if you don't already have one) and start learning. You'll be proud of yourself for doing so and feel satisfaction, maybe even excitement, as you learn new things. 🎹 🎶 😊
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You can achieve anything your mind can conceive! Go for your dreams, and beyond!
 
imageedit_15_2157284474.jpg My Ibanez short-scale bass guitar! For many years it was my instrument of choice for jamming, mainly heavy metal rock. I dug it out last night and played it until sun-up lol!
 
imageedit_14_2347568411.gif Created this with the great song by Pink Floyd in mind, "Obscured by Clouds" :)
 

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