Seniors, Did any of you learn to play a musical instrument in your youth?

Not really, but there was an old accordion that had belonged to my older brother who took lessons as a youth. It lay in its case in my mother's closet and I used to sneak it out and try to play it when I was very little. There was a lot of sheet music in the case and the one I remember most was Tennessee Waltz with Patti Page on the cover. The accordion itself was heavy and the case was lined in velvet and smelled SO good, I still remember that. The fact that I can read a little music is mostly due to that sheet music in the case.

I did learn to play the piano when I was a kid. I was pretty good at it, and I enjoyed it, but I always wanted to have a more portable instrument, like a guitar or a flute. I recently got my wish when my daughter bought me a small Celtic harp. I haven't had access to a piano in years, so I'm really having a ball getting reacquainted with playing an instrument.

My mother basically had a lot of desires that she never got to do growing up during the depression so she imposed them on her own kids whether we liked it or not. Mom always thought it'd be so nice to go to a party and be able to sit down at the piano and play, everyone would oooo and ahhh and come stand round the piano, begin to sing if she were playing a popular song. So she sent us older kids to piano lessons, first from a lady down the block, then to the church organist. My little brother decided he'd join the school band and play the clarinet before mom got her hands on him too. My sister loved playing the piano and was quite good at it. But me older brother and I were kind of lousy at it and I know every single one of my piano teachers told mom to save her money because I was a waste. I was. I don't have whatever it is you need to play music (but I found I had other artistic skills). I kind of think that people who are good with languages tend to be good with music (and vice versa)--I think it taps into the same area in the brain or something. My sister picks up languages so easily, and now her kids too find learning languages (even Chinese) real easy and they both (the kids) play multiple instruments. Same goes for my other sister's daughter, learns languages and has played the violin-viola since she was a wee little tyke; her brother plays drums (and he's very lucky his parents set up a place in the house where he and his band could practice. But dad is good with music, was offered a Columbia Record contract back in his hippy days but he rejected it, wanted to keep his music pure and not have to perform, or produce a new song on command). I always knew I couldn't do music but I love music and am the perfect audience.

I did play several when in high school. I would not consider me to be a quality player, however. Main instruments were the trumpet, alto horn and the French horn. I was in the high school band and orchestra. I also had the honor of being in the band when they were invited to play at the World's Fair in New York. There were the weekly football games (band) - both home and away, home games for the basketball team and the annual school show. Many good times remembered. But - nothing past that point.

My mother had us 3 girls learn to play the violin.

My eldest sister stuck it out the longest and made 2nd chair in her HS.

She was so angry and upset , she knew she should of been 1st. chair so she just quit the violin.

I only took it for a year, learned to read music, have forgotten it now. I did get an A in class.

My grandfather bought a very expensive child's size violin for my sister in grade school, we all had to get use of it before my mother finally had the heart to give it away.

In HS my eldest sister took up the flute after the violin, then my 2 sisters took up drums in HS, the only girls at that time to do so. One sister played the bass guitar pretty good.

My mother bought a piano but non of us learned to play it very well.

I played the clarinet in high school band. Later in college I took piano lessons for an elective.

They were fun, but I really had no talent for them. I did get a bit of musical appreciation out of all that though.

I was playing pop organ at age 19. Now I am 79 and I can still still turn an organ any way but loose.. It has been lifetime of good clean fun.

When I was in school I used to play the violin, the school supplied the violin so when I left school the violin stayed behind. I never touched a violin again, it was just something I felt like learning at the time and later on wished I had not bothered.

i had music lessons at school and learn the theory too but could never read music. school was a recorder and percussion instruments while home life went from xylophone to zither. i would love to get my fingers on a zither again.

I so wanted to play the piano but because my sister got lessons and they had to push her every day to practice, I didn't get them. Two Christmases ago I bought myself a keyboard. Now I need to get off of here and practice. Just got a new practice book.