How I Became a Musician

My Grandma Hammond was very musical. She played the piano for her mother's movie theater in the days of the silents. One of her favorites, and one that my aunts Mary and Sally both learned to play, was "The Midnight Fire Alarm." I finally got a copy of it and sometimes I play it just for fun. That old music requires a lot of accurate bouncing around in the left hand: low note, middle range chord, low note, chord, etc. You know what I mean. I used to be able to play that kind of stuff, but it's a struggle anymore.....except that I've gotten over the weak-elbows-when-you-make-a-mistake phase. I can just keep on going.

I never questioned that I would play the piano. I just assumed it was something I was supposed to do. And then when I moved to Peoria and had NO friends or social activities (until I met the boy who became my husband in my sophomore year), the piano was my entertainment. Mother told me, "I have to do these dishes. You can either help me with them or practice." Then she would take a LONG time doing the dishes. We had a very clean kitchen then, I'll tell you. After awhile it got so I even enjoyed doing the exercises.

I do wish I had paid more attention when Miss Johnson tried to teach me the different chords and progressions. It's not as easy to learn now as it was then. At one time I debated taking guitar lessons so I could learn such things, and Jim got me a nice guitar for Christmas one year, but I never got to the point of signing up for lessons. I always thought it was so cool when someone could pick up a guitar and accompany singing. When I was young, I was too shy to do any such thing. After about age 40, I gave up being shy, but I don’t have the time or the need to learn guitar any more.