Thread: Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks....

I am getting dangerously close to 'retirement age'. Having retired from two careers already; that's not something too worrying ... but the thought of not doing all the things life has to offer, before kicking the bucket, does worry me a little.

There were a lot of possible paths to take when I was young and I often wonder what I would have become if I had chosen to turn left instead of right or carried straight on instead of listening to others and doing a U-turn.

I have also learnt many things later in life that if I had known before would have made me change direction and done something completely different....and I do mean different. For instance, I was scolded in a music lesson when I was about 10...for something quite innocuous like tapping my foot to music and never set foot in the class again....

...which brings me to the reason for the thread.... I want to learn to play a musical instrument, specifically a piano. Lots of reasons for this from my childhood and the fact that several Doctors have quipped: "You won't be playing a piano again" following broken bones to fingers and hand. Having rejected music at school I progressed to multiple finger breaking fielding in the slips and goalkeeping.

The main incentive for learning the piano is actually so I can teach my grand niece in Thailand. She is only 3 but I can see something in her that I never saw in the others...a real talent for getting into mischief, wanting attention and, above all, enjoying playing a laptop 'piano' with me.

Although I regard myself as tone deaf and can't play any musical instrument, I have spent a few weeks learning the basics. I can read a basic score and know the major and natural minor scales. There is a free OU course to get the music basics under the belt and up to intermediate level (it covers grades 1 - 3).

So should I get a Casio PX-150 or shouldn't I?

Anyone else with a view to learning something completely new? Share your thoughts here.