I am playing “Moon River” on the piano – that dreamy, famous melody from the romantic classic movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
It is music that deserves to be played gracefully, unlike my halting rhythm and jagged notes. From somewhere in the Great Beyond, I swear I heard Henry Mancini groan.
I recently rekindled my piano playing after a multidecade hiatus. It has been a joy and a struggle, sort of like that of achy new exercise muscles. I am stretching my mind, my finger span, my muscle memory, and my patience.
The pleasure and pain of practice made me recall Noah Adams’s book, “Piano Lessons: Music, Love & True Adventures,” an autobiographical account of his buying an upright Steinway and starting lessons at the tender age of 51.
The book is partially a romance story, an inside peak at Adams’s romantic quest to master and perform Schumann’s beautiful “Träumerei” for his wife (Adams’s wife, not Schumann’s), and of his love of music.
This book shares the thread of another kind of love story, one that we often gives short shrift to ― the yearning to learn. That is a story that should be ageless, but when we reach a certain age, if we lack natural talent, a nagging voice inside our brain whispers, “Why continue? You are never going to be great at this.”
Yet isn’t the sheer joy of learning, or being creative, or making even tortoise-paced progress something that is worth savoring?
I am never going to teach piano or play professionally. I plan to spare myself the fate of performing in a recital, although if we happen to be close friends, you might get invited to join in Christmas carols (hint: the more eggnog you imbibe, the better I sound).
The image below is a good one to recall when we question whether it’s too late…to play the piano, learn a new language, run a marathon, dance a tango, visit Timbuktu, or start just about anything that sparks our passion.
It’s time for me to go practice. And Henry, if you are out there listening, I hope that you approve.
You can listen to my favorite rendition of “Moon River,” performed by Nancie LaMott, here.