By general survey, I have uncovered an interesting phrase when asking someone why they gave up on music… “My teacher was mean to me.” I have to admit that this came as quite a shock; but then…it’s never what you think it is, right? I have talked with hundreds of people on this subject and have found that almost all of us wanted to play an instrument at one time. Many of us had caring parents who were able to get us some lessons. Many of us started with a bang and quickly fizzled. Maybe we couldn’t “put in the practice time.” Maybe Mom was too insistent that we practice because she’d “spent good money” on the lessons and we no longer felt that it was our goal. Maybe the teacher was mean….What really happened?

The real reason a person gives up on a subject is that they become confused. When terms and symbols are not understood, the subject becomes confusing. In some cases, the terms and symbols have become confused and abused within the subject to the point where there is no consistent definition available. There is no finer example of this than the subject of Music. There are words and symbols in music that have been so altered that if you were to put 10 professional musicians in the same room and ask them to define them you would be lucky to get two matching answers! Music Dictionaries carry the same confusions and inconsistencies. How does this happen?

Music education is as old as civilized society. In ancient Greece everyone learned to play an instrument by the time they were 10 or 12. Yes, everyone. Now the subject can only be used by a very determined few and mastered by even fewer. You may be shocked to know that the percentage of professional musicians who can actually read music (while they are playing it) is somewhere under the 25% mark. Even the pros have a rough time of it.

What happened to the subject? How can it be made simple again? Duncan Lorien has spent his life researching the answers to these two questions. He has uncovered the truth of each significant alteration and the reasons behind it. More importantly, after stripping away the confusion, he has brought the subject back to its simplicity. In fact, the subject can be learned and understood in a weekend. That’s what I said.

So let’s not be too hard on those mean piano teachers…after all, they were probably confused too.