Piano
I took many years of piano
lessons, but did not spend too many years practicing.
In fact, it is a shame considering I have a nice Chickering
Grand Piano to play on. I am very thankful for the many years of effort
Beatrice, my piano teacher, put out despite my lack of practice. Not only
have I begun to understand many of the concepts she was pounding in to
my head, but the theory and practical application of the piano have helped me
through my musical studies.
Interestingly enough, the time when I practiced the most on the piano was while I was on my two year religious mission. There were not a lot of people that were musically inclined in Oklahoma and I was frequently called upon to play church hymns. Hence I spent a lot of time practicing and even was called as a branch pianist for awhile. It was a great period of musical development for me, in addition to really driving home the importance of music in my life. Though I consider the clarinet to be my main instrument, the time I have spent at the piano has been more enriching to my life.