Although unknown to most of the world, Clyde A. Rasmussen was one of the most talented, gifted, musicians I've ever known. Perhaps I'm a bit biased since I'm his daughter, but I speak the truth. Modest by nature, Dad had a great presence when he played, almost as if caressing the keys with his heart and soul. His music touched many lives along his earthly way, especially the hearts of family and friends in his neighborhood and community.
Blessed with perfect pitch, not only could Dad read and write music, but also played by ear. He could listen to a song on the radio or from an album one time, and play it as if he'd learned it from a piece of sheet music and had practiced for weeks. He played any genre of music from classical to
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No piece was too simple or complicated for Dad. His piano playing sprinkled joy across several generations, from my great grandparents all the way to my children. When his grandkids came along, he encouraged them not only on the piano, but other musical instruments as well, playing duets or accompanying them on their various instruments.
I watched my father share his music with all who thirsted after it. With strangers, his music broke the ice. People's faces would light up the moment Dad's music started. He got asked to play for baby confirmations, baptisms, school programs, church programs, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, parties, and often visited nursing homes.
Unfortunately, as the years flew by, friends and neighbors lined Dad up in advance to play for their funerals--so many funerals. Dad never turned them down for Dad and his music had been an important part of their lives, from beginning to end.
Throughout his life, my father never charged a penny for his services; instead he lined his pockets with smiles, grateful he had a pleasurable gift he could share with others. It was his way of contributing to his close-knit community. His piano was his lifeline, and his one true love--next to my mother, of
He did not have time to learn piano before he retired. His favorite songs to play are classical music. He has a Yamaha piano. He had the piano, but he never played it while working so he gave us that one. After retirement when he relieved he wanted to play so he got a new piano.
He grew up around music. There were two pianos in his house. The passion for music goes as far back as his grandparents. His father was James Edward Ellington. He was not a music reader but could catch tones by ear. His mother, Daisy Kennedy Ellington was also a vital instrument in his musical journey. She was also a pianist. She preferred hymns and Ellington enjoyed them. She was also a very spiritual person and he would often attend church with her. (Lawrence 2015)
began to play the piano as a child his mom played that piano as well.
My life would be incomplete without performing music. I’ve spent time, in concert bands, in bell choirs, in school and church choirs, and singing, playing in music festivals, and in pit bands trying not to laugh my head off at the actors’ improvisations. But the art that truly speaks to my soul does not lie in creating music, it lies in dancing to it.
I sat and listened to the beautiful yet invigorating song being played on the piano. I reminisced about the future, when I would be able to play such a complex piece of music. Six years later I sat awaiting my turn to perform this piece of music I had so long dreamed about. I felt butterflies dancing in my stomach, but at the same time I felt a sense of peace and contentment. I played this song flawlessly and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to use my knowledge and talent of playing the piano to change the world for the better. I desired to impact young, aspiring piano students just as the song that impacted my life so long ago. I long to do so by studying music in college and continue to teach piano.
what he became and did not let anything get in the way of becoming a musician. In this
Music is a passion of mine and has been for a long time (it's in my blood.) My dad played the bass guitar in a few groups, and he sings in our church's choir. His taste of music has been passed down and adopted by my brother and me.
At the young age of seven, Duke’s musical career was beginning to show its head, his parents placed him into piano lessons. He did not too much care for music at the time and would have rather played sports. He later found out that he did not desire to play the piano, often missing most of his lessons, but later on he would come to realize he loved the instrument. He did not know how to read music or write it
I came to realize that playing music can bring someone great fortune. I had no plans for the future, no goals, nor dreams before I starting my path in music. I never wondered without direction. But one day, good fortune came to me. A fortune I would have never of thought of. It was The Gracias choir and music. I was thinking to myself “I have never been so happy nor have I had so much enjoyment to live. To have an open mind to people around the world by delivering my heart threw my music. It looks like a dream!"
Louis Daniel Armstrong, “the world’s greatest trumpeter,” once said, “Music is my life and I live to play.” Armstrong dedicated half of his life trying to be the best trumpet player and vocalist he could be. When he was younger times were rough, but he fought through it by playing the cornet. As Louis got better and older he started Scat singing and creating records. By the end of his career he had changed Jazz history for the better. I think Louis Armstrong was a determined man and deserved the recognition he got. Considering that he grew up in a poverty-ridden section of New Orleans, he continued to follow his dream.
did not always like the piano. When he was a small boy he liked the drums, his father
Today I have paid tribute to my dad Mike Ferris. I absolutely love him and he is the best dad in the world. I have told you about two things that make my dad so special and why he deserves tribute; he was there for me when my life changed forever, and he has always believed in me through everything. “A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again.” Enid
The poem Piano, by D. H. Lawrence describes his memories of childhood. Hearing a woman singing takes him to the time when his mother played piano on Sunday evenings. In the present, this woman is singing and playing the piano with great passion. However, the passionate music is not affecting him, because he can only think about his childhood rather than the beauty of the music that exists in his actual space.
My life has always been tied to the piano in some shape or form. I can remember the first notes I ever produced. They came from a large Cable upright piano that had sat unused and out of tune for decades. From my early childhood and on my relationship with the piano consisted of nothing more than fleeting encounters. Some days I would sit down and simply play notes I thought sounded nice, but mostly the piano acted as a decoration in my home. It wasn 't until moving to Oklahoma to be with my mother 's family that anything serious developed concerning the piano. I had always been far away from my family, so when I met up with my grandmother we took the time to catch up. She mentioned that my mother used to play the piano quite well. Up until that point I had never given the piano much thought, but I began to think about my mother and all the old piano books she had accumulated from her adolescence. That set in motion my desire to learn how to play and an eventual reappraisal of the way I looked at music and the world around me.
In my house, we have always had a piano, but none of my family members knew how to play it. My mom taught me a very basic understanding including how to read the notes on the staff and how the notes correspond to each key on the piano, but that was all that she knew. In time, I grew to love the feeling of playing music from the heart. In continuing to play, I taught myself to play complex pieces because it made me feel satisfied and content. Now, I am able to play a vast variety of songs including jolly Christmas music, playful video game soundtracks, and beautiful melodies by Yiruma and Chopin. Throughout the years, music has evolved into an incredible stress reliever and source of enjoyment in my daily life.