Piano inspiration. Sometimes we need something incredible to give us a bit of a boost, and this can go for piano just like anything else in our lives.
There are times when learning how to play the piano, things can get really difficult. You might need a bit of a pickup, and these pianists and piano stories can provide you with the piano inspiration you might need to overcome the most difficult aspects of playing the piano and stick with learning on our academy, even when times get really difficult or you feel disheartened.
Michel Petrucciani – Inspiring Piano Player With Glass Bones Disease
Glass bones disease is a horrible affliction and a significant physical disability. Petrucciani always wanted to be a pianist, and as a child when his parents bought him a toy piano, he supposedly smashed it because he wanted the real thing. When he did get access to a real piano there was no stopping him.
His disease meant that the body did not cause the body to deal with calcium in the normal way, so his bones did not grow to a normal level of strength. he only weighed 60lbs in his adulthood.
Even though he only ever grew to three feet tall, and could not walk independently, he became an amazing pianist, technically talented and amazingly moving in his performances. He even had to have adapted pedals so that he could reach them.
Nicholas McCarthy – Piano Inspiration from a One-Handed Pianist
Nicholas McCarthy is a pianist with just one hand. To listen to him play, you would have no idea that he was one-handed unless you were a well-trained musician yourself, and he plays incredibly well by anyone’s standards. The fact that he has an incredible disadvantage should inspire everyone who wants to start playing.
Is it feeling like playing the piano is one of the most difficult things you’ve ever had to do? Are you struggling to get to the next level of proficiency? Think about what Mr. McCarthy has had to deal with. He has even managed to graduate from the Royal College of Music.
On top of this, he didn’t actually even start playing when he was 14. Many elite musicians don’t actually start when they are teenagers and their training often starts when they’re still learning how to do their multiplication tables!
You can read more about Nicholas McCarthy, who also now works as a motivational speaker, in this profile by the Independent in the UK.
Andrew Garrido – Learning to Play Piano Without a Piano
Andrew Garrido is another story of someone overcoming adversity in order to play the piano. Outside of his lessons, he didn’t have access to a piano to practice. So, what did he do? He learned to play the piano by drawing out the notes of a piano on paper.
This is easier in these days, our academy and online piano lessons allow you to play the piano within your browser, but this wasn’t possible when Garrido was trying. Online keyboards were very basic.
“I Googled the dimensions of a keyboard, drew the keys on to a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes on an online keyboard and “play” them back on my paper one – keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head” Garrido said in an interview with the Guardian. He studied on a scholarship at the Guildhall school in London. Imagine having to learn how to play the piano without even having access to so much as a keyboard.
Conclusion
People overcome adversity in so many aspects of life. Piano inspiration can come from all sorts of places, but when times are hard, think about these incredible stories of people who beat the odds.