A few weeks ago, I joined a community called My Peak Challenge, which supports research for blood cancers. Members make a donation, and in return receive workout programs, food plans and the like. Most people join because their challenge is a physical one. To get in shape. There is a wonderful global Facebook community, as well as a great local one called the ChesaPeakers.

However, a physical challenge isn’t required. Members can challenge themselves in any way they choose. Folks can learn to cook, learn a new language, write a novel…whatever they wish.

I wanted to learn to play the piano.

Growing up, I never had the opportunity to take any kind of music lesson. Rental of instruments and the lessons themselves were expensive. My folks just couldn’t afford it. After my husband and I moved into our house some 20-odd years ago, his friend had an old upright piano purchased at an estate sale. It sat in his house for a while. Then, he decided he didn’t want it. Told my husband if we didn’t take it – he was going to chop it up for firewood.

Yes. Firewood. So we hired a piano mover and brought it home. Where it sat.

My husband can play by ear, and would “plink” around on it. As time progressed, however, that poor piano’s keys started to stick. It got tinnier…and buzzier. Last year we found a company in West Chester that would restore it inside and out. I promised myself that if we made that happen, I would learn to play.

After almost a year later, we received our fully restored 1911 Kimball Upright. It was time to learn.

I wasn’t interested in lessons now, either. It was an issue of time. I wanted to learn at my own pace, on my own schedule. So like every good 21st Century citizen, I bought an iBook. I took my iPad into the living room, perched it on the piano, and proceeded to be completely overwhelmed. Keep in mind, I was beginning from, not Square One, but Square Negative Three. I knew nothing. The manual went right into reading music, staffs, clefts, where the notes sit in all of that. It was pretty painful at first. Did I give up?

Nope. I went to the My Peak Challenge Facebook page and searched the posts for “piano”. Amazed at how many people had previously chosen learning piano as their challenge, I found a post that recommended a series of books for adult learners that, the post warned, were VERY fundamental. Perfect!!

To my chagrin, this supposedly wonderful primer was not available on iBooks. Curses!!

So like every good 21st Century citizen, I went on Amazon. There it was! A day later, I took my new instruction book into my living room, perched it on the piano….and here is where things get really cool. The book said nothing about staffs, or notes on a page. It assigned a number to every finger…and showed me pictures of where to place my fingers on the keys. Then it provided little songs to play based on those numbers. First my right hand, then my left hand. Camptown Races and the like.

Every so slowly, the chapters began to assign letters with the numbers. Showing me, based on the placement of my hands, the now corresponding letters…..oh wait! Those were the notes! (I knew where Middle C was, but was always foggy on the rest.) It was starting to come together…combinations of notes based on finger placement up and down the keyboard…first my right hand, then my left hand.

I’m writing this tonight because the epiphany I had (that other piano playing musicians already know, I’m sure) is that playing the piano is not based on notes on a page. It’s based on feeling the keyboard…knowing the keyboard…and where your hands should be.

I’m fascinated…I haven’t learned something completely new in such a long time. I’m excited…to be at the beginning of this journey – learning a new skill at the ripe old age of nevermind…and being able to help our beautifully restored piano make music. Elementary music, sure, but she was silent for so long.

We’re both going to have a hell of a lot of fun this year…and neither of us is too old to learn something new.