Advice

[Ron Nossaman]

> When I
> placed the works back into the old piano and played it for the first
> time..... I felt something that nothing in life has given me since I don't
> know when... It was such a rush that I have not played a piano with such
> enthusiasm as that day last week.  I had taken an old silent piece of wood
> and metal and breathed life into it.  It was such an experience and rush !
> Well I'm looking for another piano to learn it's secrets.  I hope I can meet
> new friends on this list and can share my future experiences and learn from
> yours.
> 
> Michael in Orlando


Hi Michael, welcome to the asylum.
A few basic suggestions:

Never be entirely satisfied with what you know, and what you can do. If you
live to be a thousand, there will always be levels you haven't reached.
Never stop growing. 

Remain skeptical and curious. A universally accepted truth that seems
contrary to logic and your own experiences is always suspect, regardless of
the source. Do not hesitate to modify your assumptions as better
information comes along, but submit all new information to your own tests
of logical validity before accepting it as fact. In those instances when
you find that what you believed to be the fact was wrong, update your
information.  

When you have questions to which no one seems to have reasonable answers,
find your own. Turn over a few rocks and see what's underneath. Almost
everything known about piano technology today was obtained by someone
spending their own time and money trying to learn more than they were taught.

Ask questions, argue opinions, and don't be afraid to be wrong in public.
Each of us knows something that another can use, and each of us carries
around misconceptions that another can dispel. Never stop thinking. Never
stop questioning. Never stop learning. If you think that tech over there
knows something you'd like more information about, ask him or her about it.
He'll probably talk your leg off.

Maintain enthusiasm. Join PTG, stay on the List, and attend seminars and
conventions as often as you can manage. Currently, your glass is still half
empty. Soak up as much information and experience as you can, as fast as
you can assimilate it, and before you know it, your glass will be half full.

Get as much sleep as you can manage, and eat plenty of ice cream. This is
the bonus portion of the program.

Also, don't listen to people who tell you to ignore anything I say. They're
having a bad day. It's probably just gas.   8^)


Ron N