I love music but I am not very talented when it comes to playing an instrument.
However, I taught myself to play the clarinet many years ago with the help of a book manual on how to play the clarinet and trying to follow recordings by Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band at a time when there were no video tutorials and the internet was non-existent. Today it's a lot easier to learn the right way to play the instrument by following step-by-step coaching in the many pages and videos devoted to teaching the basics to mastering the clarinet.
I am still learning the darn thing and can actually play a few pieces of music at a very basic beginner's level. Anyway, good or bad, I've found playing a musical instrument is a very nice occupational therapy.
Playing the guitar never appealed to me but I faked it on a recent trip to the NBC Studios Tour in NYC.
I did play the clarinet on stage on a music show many years ago. The audience was very kind and actually applauded my rendering of AS TIME GOES BY and ST. LOUIS BLUES with a piano accompanist.
I once tried learning to play the piano, back in my preschool days but my lack of talent in that endeavor was appalling. Nevertheless, I sat at the piano at an art exhibit in Manhattan just for show.
At first glance, this appears to be a picture of me playing the accordion. In actuality, it is a photoshopped image of Lawrence Welk with my face pasted on.
These however, are real photos of me back in first grade when I took accordion classes from Miss Ann Pertack Raush who was the school's accordion teacher. As a soloist, I played IN THE MOOD at a school festival. The highlight of my accordion year was a performance with the complete Modern American School Accordion Band at the Manuel M. Ponce Hall of Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts. I have no recollection whatsoever of what we played at that concert.
