Musical Dreams and Experiments - Make it happen!

I've always been fond of music.. Fascinated by it since I was a kid that I am better memorizing lyrics of the songs rather than memorizing some of our lessons in school. I enrolled in a classical piano class when I was about 5 years old until I was 12. I did not realize then that I was already reading notes and playing great music of Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and Mozart.

In elementary days, we had rondalla class that I tried to take banduria lessons instead of the regular music class that is much related to piano. Imagine the tough time that I had adjusting strumming a "mini guitar" as I call it. After one year and having a C+ grade in rondalla, I shifted to regular music class the following year and excelled in this subject.

When I reached high school, I stopped taking piano lessons given the "busy schedule" taking away my free Saturdays supposedly alloted for piano to various extra curricular activities such as spending a lot of time with friends and exploring other sports and activities such as dancing and Tae Kwon Do.

I suddenly realized that there's a big world outside classical piano music. Though I take no offense on it, I envied other friends who were able to play music being played in the radio. I often wonder how they got to learn those music coz it wasn't taught way back in piano school!

I started to self-study musical notes of Disney Music and minimized playing Menuets. My personal Disney favorites are Little Mermaid's Part of Your World and Beauty and the Beast's Theme Song. It was only the Little Mermaid's song that I got to memorize by heart. Then I remembered trying to perfect playing the keys of Dying Young's Theme Song as well as Depeche Mode's Somebody.

Finally I got a chance to meet a classmate in high school who was willing to show me types of music played by the radio. I cannot get how chords were done though but he was so patient on how EXACTLY various types of music were played on piano keys that up to this day I could never thank him enough for teaching me those music stuff! I still master how to play U2's With or Without You and Introduction of Lisa Loeb's Stay among others. It was only then that I realize that I could experiment with music on the piano! I knew I would get scolded by my piano teacher if only she could see what I did!

I was also introduced to the great world of guitar with various sleepovers and field trips being attended in high school. Guitar was such a convenient instrument that can be easily brought in out of town trips and easily played in a whim.. I always admire people who are able to play the guitar so well and it has been my dream since high school to learn how to play the guitar.

Few weeks ago, I had a chance to enroll in 24 sessions of guitar lessons in Yamaha. Twelve years after graduating from high school, I am proud to have finally fulfilled this musical dream of mine! It is quite funny to note that my teacher is younger than me but I admire her patience in teaching me the basics.. I am doing my best and really hoping that I will learn a lot from these lessons.. After my initial lesson, I learned how to strum the guitar properly and was introduced to some few chords. I am pretty much excited in purchasing my own classical guitar and very much excited for my next guitar lessons!

Though it took me quite a while, I am very happy that I was able to make it happen!