In My Mind’s Zen Garden

I was at the music store today and I ran into a musician who used to do sound for our big band. We talked about music and performing… and he mentioned about getting serious again with playing and starting up a band. At this point he was performing once a month.

I mentioned that at one time in my life I actually gave up music, piano and drums and just went back to school to study Computer Science. And for four years all I was concerned about was computers and computer programming and just never got behind a piano or a drumset.

Then one day, a female vocalist I knew from way back when called me out-of-the-blue. She desperately needed a drummer that night! Her regular drummer had gotten the flu and just couldn’t do the gig. I told her I hadn’t played in years and she said the music was going to be really easy, and a drumset was already setup at the gig and ready to play.

So, I went down there and played like I had never quit.

And… that’s how I fell back into being a serious musician again. And I’ve been playing ever since.

Anyway, the fellow musician and I chatted a little while longer at the music store, and in my own way I encouraged him to continue persuing the music, and that one is never too old to get back into it, nor too old to begin.

But, it takes a certain amount of dedication each day to practicing the instrument, and it takes a certain amount of inspiration to want to get good at whatever musical endeavor you have in mind. You just keep doing it until it’s like walking… when it becomes second nature.