Not as awful as I could have been

Today, instead of taking my usual remedial nap (I work 'til midnight or 1 a.m., then try to make it up with a nap during the day while the boys are asleep), I spent about twenty minutes trying to play the piano. And I managed to **not** wake up the boys.


Back in 2003, when we lived in Seattle, I was slowly teaching myself to play the piano: I chose two or three songs that I liked enough to not get sick of; then I would slowly, painfully work through them. ("Hmm. Second line from the top. 'Every Good Boy Does Fine.' Must be a 'D'... okay, two up from middle-C...")

I got to the point where I was... adequate... with those songs -- and then we crated up the piano, moved continents, and didn't un-crate the piano until about two years ago.


It's only been the last few months that I've shifted boxes around enough to reach the piano (because The Girl was starting piano lessons). And, although I've goofed around on it now and again, it was only today that I suddenly had the hankering to return to learning how to read sheet music.

It was pretty painful: I did the left hand for half of one song, and the right hand (separately) for one time through of both songs. And that took me --as I said -- about twenty minutes. Ouch.

But: not as sucky as a bare-bones beginner. I was pleased that I started anticipating the next notes -- that is, reaching for the correct keys, without looking, based on the notes on the page. Which **is** the point... :)


We'll see how long this inclination lasts.

For the record: the two songs are ''Fire and Rain'' (James Taylor) and ''Have You Ever Seen the Rain'' (Creedence Clearwater Revival). I had wanted to do ''After the Gold Rush'' (Neil Young) -- but danged if I can find the songbook that has it.


--GG