Piano is Rad!

I remember the first time I felt grateful that I was a musician. I was nineteen

and working in a downtown San Diego building that belonged to what I thought was

one of the raddist skate magazines in the world. There I was hanging out with known

skaters, surfers, interns, and their friends. Cool people.

On this particular day, Jon, a twenty-one-year-old professional skater, was

taking a break from the indoor half pipe and attempting to pick out a Beatles tune on

a vintage piano that sat just behind it and not having much luck. He’d never had

piano lessons or the benefit of a piano instructor, but he had a good ear, he loved

music and was a talented guy. But no matter how hard he tried, the notes coming

from the piano were just barely close enough to allow me to recognize his attempt at

“Come Together.”

I walked over to where he sat at the piano and said, “I think I know how to play

that song.”

He stood and stepped aside waiting to see what I’d do. I put my hands on the

keys and, with ease, banged out the one measure pattern that so famously kicks off

the first track of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”                             

Jon was stunned. After repeating the riff for about fifteen seconds, five or six

more skaters and their friends walked over. It wasn’t hard to tell that they were

excited about the fact that the magazine’s shipping assistant knew how to play. I

learned something interesting that day: As much as I was obsessed with, and wanted

to be a part of the world of skating, all of those guys were obsessed with being

musicians.

Besides playing piano since the age of six, I had also picked up a few other

instruments over the years. I was surprised to learn that besides the vintage piano I

was sitting in front of, the magazine’s ‘music room’ behind the halfpipe had many of

the instruments I had learned to play. So, I picked up a bass guitar, turned on an amp

and played the famous riff from “Come Together.” Someone else jumped on the drum

set and did their best to imitate what they’d heard Ringo Starr playing on the record.

Since there was also a microphone plugged in and standing in the middle of the

room, I nonchalantly started singing the lyrics over what we were playing.

At that moment, I’m pretty sure everyone wanted to be my friend.  In hindsight,

I’m so glad I took piano lessons. I’m glad I stuck with music. I’m glad I am now a

piano teacher leading group piano lessons for kids.

Piano is rad!