Think of a musical instrument

[koganbot]

Think of a musical instrument.

What was the first instrument that crossed your mind when I instructed you just now to think of a musical instrument?

(See comments.)

Comments

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I think I thought about a guitar, but that was probably because I was listening to this. (And, oddly, it was an acoustic guitar!)

Then when I read the post and "Did anyone think of..." I had a rapid succession of images -- piano, violin, and flute, I think. And then I kept reading and thought of drums, handclaps, etc.

The piano is the only instrument that I can actually play. Learned it starting from age 3, when I picked out "Winnie the Pooh" and my parents signed me up for piano lessons with a family friend (a local baker). Moved on to someone well-known in the area to learn from age 5-9, then moved when my dad remarried to a new city in Maryland and learned from a different local teacher. That teacher was concurrently getting her doctorate from U Maryland and was quickly making a name for herself in what was a very competitive piano area (basically suburbs of D.C.).

I started competing at about 7, probably about 20 competitions a year at the height of it (between 10 and 16). I had to dress up in a little grey suit. Remember going to McD's after competitions to eat a 20-piece chicken nugget meal. Was pretty good until I stopped practicing enough to keep up with my peers, sometime around late middle school. This has served as a kind of template for my life -- early success, rest on laurels, slowly fade, start new thing. Sigh.

I probably think of an acoustic guitar because it's my dad's instrument -- he spent my whole childhood playing pieces on guitar. Recently picked it up again and it's always comforting to hear him play when I'm home. Tried to make a film about it once; was only moderately successful (in that I technically finished it).

[koganbot]

This has served as a kind of template for my life -- early success, rest on laurels, slowly fade, start new thing. Sigh.

I don't buy this. Would you really rather be a concert pianist than what you actually are? Not that you can't do both, but aren't you following your genuine inclination when you broaden and grow and let some things slide in favor of others?

I say this in part because (not to oversimplify), one thing that was going on in my years of shooting to be a musician was me trying to evade my talent and my doom, which was that I'm a writer.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I got mopey/self-pitying and used "template." I should use the word fear (one of the big fears about my life, not some inevitable or even valid pattern) one that I know is actually (usually) baseless.

I'm very satisfied with not choosing "classical pianist" as a potential career route, and I also know that I can always pick up piano again if I'm so inclined. It's a talent, but not the right doom for me (which is probably also writer).