Getting To Know Music

The enjoyment in music is not merely through listening but through knowing how to play music. There I was, like a kid with a new toy, trying to play the piano. All it meant for me at that time was fun and enjoyment. That’s what music is about!

I was listening to all sorts of music, from Bach to the Beatles. The radio was the main source of music entertainment back then and it is still free like today. Radio gave us a lot of pop music and some of my favorite radio shows then were those on Sunday mornings. Other than that, vinyl records are the only other media but it is expensive even then. So only priced performances and recordings are selectively bought.

I do not know if classical works were aired on the radio then, as I never came across any. Besides, I am not one to surf channels looking for music. I either stick to one or a few channels only.

But listening was good for me as I began to connect the sounds I hear to what I am learning on the piano. I began by remembering the melody of a song and finding the notes on the piano to play it back. It was also the only way to learn new songs, as song sheets or song books containing the latest music is not readily available.

I was very young and did not realize that I was putting myself through some ear training by doing that. It was just a necessity at that time to do what I did.