Trying to Learn
i've been making up tunes since i was about 5 years old--and that was a *long* time ago! i have had almost no formal music training (just accordion lessons when i was 10 and being in school choirs when i was a teenager. (my voice never was particularly good, but i did all right in a group. of course, that wasn't jazz. besides, these days, i don't sing at all because my throat has been damaged by various health problems.)
when i was in high school, i traded my accordion in for a nylon-string guitar and got into the folk music/protest songs thing in the 1960s. (that really dates me, doesn't it.) i didn't learn how to play the left hand of the piano until i started taking my son to piano lessons. (i sat in on the lessons, then tried playing some pieces myself.)
for the most part, i'm self-taught.
i've always loved the sounds of blues and jazz. (heck, i was named after a jazz song.) but until about 1996, i didn't even know the basic blues scale. discovering that scale was like a revelation! it opened me up to so many more musical possibilities.
unfortunately, i don't think i can ever develop the physical skills to be able to play jazz piano, but thanks to a midi keyboard and mid software, i can and do compose and record music. (i even have an mp3 web site.) i hope the fact that i create my music using a computer doesn't put off those on this site who perform live. i have great respect for performers. (in fact, i'm in awe of all of you!) but i spend most of my time working as a public policy analyst and disability rights advocate. that's in addition to managing my own disabilities. it doesn't leave me nearly as much time as i would like to spend on music--either playing or composing.
my music is pretty eclectic in style (and varies a lot in quality!), but i want to include more jazz and blues elements in what i do. that's what brought me to this web site. i feel a little intimidated by some of what i've seen here, but i look forward to visiting this site in the future and to learning more.
--laura
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