Guitars strum. Pianos dance.
Oh, what a beautiful duo.
Musical instruments are like hearts. They play beautiful music when happy, sad or serene. Calling out to those who will listen and appreciate the sounds they make.
I play the guitar, piano and harmonica.
Admittedly, the harmonica is a strange instrument to play. My mother taught my nephew and I how to play when we were around 12 years old.
I play harmonica occasionally and find it easy and pleasurable, though it takes lungs for longer songs.
I started playing piano when I was in junior high. I received lessons after school from my pastor’s wife, learning basic but necessary skills for more complex pieces.
The lessons didn’t last long, but my love for piano never ceased.
I no longer play songs from books. I graduated myself from them and continue to play by ear, which I find easier, or use an online app that plays the song while showing me the correct chord to play.
I’ve been playing guitar since I was around seven years old. I still frequently play, though when I am away at college, my musical escapades are put on hold until I go back home.
I’ve memorized many songs on guitar by heart and a few on piano, which I take pride in. Even though I may not have memorized as many songs as I would like to, I feel a deep sense of accomplishment in knowing what I know.
The more I play guitar, the more my fingers gain callouses. They become tougher to the push, slide and strum of skin on steel.
I work multiple parts of my brain when playing any instrument.
According to an article by Penn Medicine, the peripheral nervous system, which controls finger movements and motor skills get used to help them work together. The brain’s executive function, which makes plans and decisions also gets used to focus on what’s coming up next. Your brain gets a workout of sensory input because visual, emotional and auditory get used all at once.
I find it hard to remember things more now than I used to when I was a kid.
We focus less on memorizing. Why memorize when you can pull out your phone, open your laptop or turn on your computer and find the answer?
When I take a break from technology and focus on playing an instrument, I feel myself fall into the music zone like reading a book.
Everything around me dissolves except for the music playing in my earbuds and the instrument I’m playing. I’m no longer in the present world, only living and breathing for the sound.
I feel my mind healing and improving during my solo performance. It’s an amazing feeling, like being reborn.
As Albert Einstein once said, “Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music, I get most joy in life out of music.”
Kim Stager can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu or on Twitter @journalismgoals.