Why are you on this site?

[purex]

This site is good to know someones in my mind and so please continue posting, at least we will learn insight from all of you out there

[Edwin]

I have an interest in the Philippines because of so many connections from family, friends, and relatives. I spend a good share of my time playing the piano, and after my wife gets tired of hearing me play it, I get on the internet and search filipino sites. I am a trombonist also, but I am concentrating on the piano for now. I have not played my trombones for a while, and I should get back to it, and I will. Before we moved I played with the Okangan Valley Orchestra, bass trombone, but I am not ready to rejoin yet. I played with them from 1982 to 1998, and it was fun. I came across this forum, and I read it a bit before I joined just to try to figure out if it was okay for me to join. We love where we live, but we are quite isolated, and I am a social person, so I though it would just be fun to read the views of others and then tell a few stories myself. I am coming to the Philipines, Negros Orient, South and Guimaras Island this coming October with friends, so I like to expose myself to information about the culture.

[m&m]

I have an interest in the Philippines because of so many connections from family, friends, and relatives. I spend a good share of my time playing the piano, and after my wife gets tired of hearing me play it, I get on the internet and search filipino sites. I am a trombonist also, but I am concentrating on the piano for now. I have not played my trombones for a while, and I should get back to it, and I will. Before we moved I played with the Okangan Valley Orchestra, bass trombone, but I am not ready to rejoin yet. I played with them from 1982 to 1998, and it was fun. I came across this forum, and I read it a bit before I joined just to try to figure out if it was okay for me to join. We love where we live, but we are quite isolated, and I am a social person, so I though it would just be fun to read the views of others and then tell a few stories myself. I am coming to the Philipines, Negros Orient, South and Guimaras Island this coming October with friends, so I like to expose myself to information about the culture.

I hope that you will enjoy when coming here in the Philippines. I am happy to hear that you love playing music instruments especially piano. I do love music and currently learning how to play piano.

[Edwin]

Yes, I'm sure I will enjoy coming to the Philippines very much. I didn't start to learn to play the piano until after I was 61 years old. I decided not to give up, and so I am still at it. I play hymns out of the church hymn song books. It is fun and uplifting. I wish you to do well playing the piano. I need to get back to my trombone playing too, and I will eventually. My granddaughter reminded me that I could play it outside. And I told her that the dogs might howl. When I played my trombone when I was in high school our dog would howl while I played.

[crisipicada]

Yes, I'm sure I will enjoy coming to the Philippines very much. I didn't start to learn to play the piano until after I was 61 years old. I decided not to give up, and so I am still at it. I play hymns out of the church hymn song books. It is fun and uplifting. I wish you to do well playing the piano. I need to get back to my trombone playing too, and I will eventually. My granddaughter reminded me that I could play it outside. And I told her that the dogs might howl. When I played my trombone when I was in high school our dog would howl while I played.

I am still on my kindergarden on my piano lesson. I must learn to play as soon as possible. Those who are fond in music instruments are also good singer, so are you one? Good to hear that lots of foreigner love to visit the country. I am looking forward that you will enjoy your stay.

[Edwin]

Yes, I'm sure I will enjoy coming to the Philippines very much. I didn't start to learn to play the piano until after I was 61 years old. I decided not to give up, and so I am still at it. I play hymns out of the church hymn song books. It is fun and uplifting. I wish you to do well playing the piano. I need to get back to my trombone playing too, and I will eventually. My granddaughter reminded me that I could play it outside. And I told her that the dogs might howl. When I played my trombone when I was in high school our dog would howl while I played.

I am still on my kindergarden on my piano lesson. I must learn to play as soon as possible. Those who are fond in music instruments are also good singer, so are you one? Good to hear that lots of foreigner love to visit the country. I am looking forward that you will enjoy your stay.

My piano playing progress is slow, and I am still working at it. When the chords are written with more than two notes I am slow reading them. When the notes are below and above the staff lines I am also slow reading them. When pieces of music are not written straight forward I am also slow reading them. I have a lot of fun with it though. The daughter we live next to is learning to play the piano also. She got interupted because of building their house, and so many chores on this place, but that is what she loves. We all help with the garden, and we do chores when they are gone, which is nice for them and us, because it is not always easy to get people to do your chores when you are gone. They watch our place and help with our things when we are gone too. My wife has a beautiful voice, and has done a lot of singing. She made a CD of her hymn singing. Her voice is low for a woman's, and she sings really well, which she has done a lot of. I have sung a quite a bit, solos, small groups, large groups, all kinds. I like singing, I have good range, but my voice doesn't have a lot of strength. I am great with the first verse, still in there with the second, fading on the third, and almost gone and struggling on the fourth. When we lived in Stehekin we sang with a community chorus, and it was fun.

You sing too, huh? Don't lose faith with your piano playing. It is a slow process, was for me anyway, and you will get there. I decided no matter how slow or how discouraging I was going to keep at it. I gave up a couple of times before because it seemed overwhelming, and now I wish I would have kept going, but this time I have. You need encouragement; someone to tell you that you are doing fine. Ever so often I would ask my wife if she thought I would ever make it, and she was always encouraging.

[crisipicada]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am so slow on my piano lesson but at least it progresses. How i wish i can play well. Still thinking and dreaming that i can play piano while singing. That was my desire ever since.

[Edwin]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am so slow on my piano lesson but at least it progresses. How i wish i can play well. Still thinking and dreaming that i can play piano while singing. That was my desire ever since.

And you will get there. It just takes time. My ex sister-in-law is accomplished on the piano. When I was in high school I used to work for her and my brother on their wheat farming. After supper I would get my trombone out and play it while she played the piano until bedtime, and it was a lot of fun. I used to sing with her also in church, and later I sang with my wife as well.

Earlier in my piano learning experience my grandson who could play the piano a lot better than I could told me that he knew music, and I was not playing those songs with the right timing, and he was correct. His mother, our daughter, was mad at him for saying that, and she told him that I was just learning, but it was okay, I didn't mind. His mother's identical twin sister, the one we live by for a while insisted that I sing while I played the piano. She told me that I had a beautiful voice, and she wanted me to sing. I did sing while I played to please her, but at that stage in my learning it was about all I could do just to play. It would be easier now because I had made progress, but I am still not accomplished enough to be able to play fluently and sing at the same time. I am dreaming about that also. I do read the verses often while I play as they are about the Lord and Heaven, and they lift my soul. I play all the hymns, but the ones I don't know I do play the notes, but I probably don't play the timing correctly. But I figure when I learn more then I will get the timing, and before that I am not going to worry about it.

[crisipicada]

Wow learning how to play piano is so hard, but i will keep on trying.

[Edwin]

Wow learning how to play piano is so hard, but i will keep on trying.

Yes, it is hard, and you will be very happy after you keep at it. It is very rewarding. I tried three times in my adult life, starting when I was a young man, and this time I decided to stay with it, and I have. I can play now fairly well, compared to most, but I can't play as well as a number of accomplished pianist, so I am still working on it. I play all hymns and church songs and it is worship to the the Lord, and it ministers to my soul. Our daughter thinks I am trying to be in competition with her, because she is learning to play also, but I am not, and she is happy that I am playing the piano. Another of our grandsons learned to play the piano, and he actually does better than I do, and he said that if he didn't get with it his mother's identical twin sister, our daughter who lives here would pass him up, and our daughter talks about that, so I think it bothers her a little, unless she is joking which may be. The granddaughter who shares a birthday with me took piano lessons, but her mother couldn't get her to practice, but now she is playing. A friend of hers showed her how to play some chords on the piano and that really helped her. It is a stuggle for all of us, and I wish I would have learned sooner, but I didn't have the determination that I do now. So keep working at it and don't be discouraged or compare yourself or your playing with anyone else's. You just be happy for any progress and keep at it, and you will get there.