More Poet's Place Poems

by JCosmos

Rated: 13+ · Book · Cultural · #2327976

More Poet's Place Poems and Related Poems

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#1110817 added March 16, 2026 at 7:48pm
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ON playing the Piano at Age 70

dementia hobby music piano

On Playing the Piano Again at Age 70!

A few years ago
I decided to start
Playing the piano again

In my earlier life
I had delusions
I could become
A professional musician
A piano player
A composer
And a rock star

I flunked out of Oberlin
And realized
I would not make
In the cruel music world

But I continued playing
Occasionally as a hobby
And now that I am retired
I find playing the piano
Very day
Helps center me
Calms me down
And is a fun hobby

I know I will not be
Become professional
But that is okay

So every day
I play a bit
And get better
Rocking the blues away

Keeping dementia
And the dreaded
Alzheimer’s at bay.

On Playing the Piano Again at Age 70!

A few years ago
I decided to start
Playing the piano again

In my earlier life
I had delusions
I could become
A professional musician
A piano player
A composer
And a rock star

I flunked out of Oberlin
And realized
I would not make
In the cruel music world

But I continued playing
Occasionally as a hobby
And now that I am retired
I find playing the piano
Very day
Helps center me
Calms me down
And is a fun hobby

I know I will not be
Become professional
But that is okay

So every day
I play a bit
And get better
Rocking the blues away

Keeping dementia
And the dreaded
Alzheimer’s at bay.

Just as the conductor of a symphony orchestra controls the tempo and power of the music with a delicate nuance, a poet guides the pace and force of the poem by manipulating sounds through word selection and arrangement.

As we noted in Lesson 2, line breaks are one way to control the flow and set the mood along with the images presented. Short, staccato lines generate a sense of dramatic intensity, while longer lines produce a more composed, flowing effect.

Punctuation is another tool the poet uses to manage the pace of the poem. Commas, periods, colons, and dashes signal the reader to pause briefly and absorb the significance of an image or thought. By using punctuation, the poet can end a thought in the middle of a line (called “caesura”) or carry a thought over into the next line (called “enjambment”). The caesura is useful in breaking up the cadence of a strict metrical pattern. Enjambment is often used to create a sense of forward motion in the rhythm of the language.

The techniques introduced in Lessons 4 and 5 are also employed in designing a rhythm to complement the theme of your poem. That rhythm may be smooth or choppy, fast or slow, measured or free, depending on the effect you are trying to create. The rhythms in the language of your poetry serves the same purpose as the background music in a movie, putting the viewer/reader in the right frame of mind to receive your images with the greatest impact.

A dictionary and good thesaurus are valuable tools for any writer. The thesaurus should be used not to find exotic synonyms that you think will make your work sound more eloquent, but to retrieve the whole spectrum of common words which have the meaning and sound you need to maximize the effect you are trying to achieve.

Careful design of the word selection and arrangement, the length and density of each line, and the breakdown of stanzas provide a natural rhythm. That is, through much toil in search of precise language, experimentation with lines and stanzas in various forms, and extensive revision, the poet carefully crafts a piece of work that appears and sounds natural, authentic, and convincingly spontaneous to the reader.

https://www.writing.com/main/awardicons.php?action=show_case&award_id=134959

https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1182457-Snowflake

| Snowflake https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1182457-Snowflake (E )
...in a child's eyes
#1182457 by (1,395 ) https://www.writing.com/main/portfolio/view/drschneider https://www.writing.com/main/em/action/new/toid/100372842/in/1

ASSIGNMENT: Write 10 to 15 lines of poetry about one of your favorite pastimes. Post your work in the "~ The Poet's Place Cafe~ " https://www.writing.com/main/forums/item_id/1937709--The-Poets-Place-Cafe forum, being sure to note the name of the workshop and the lesson number in the post. |

https://www.writing.com/main/awardicons.php?action=show_case&award_id=134959

https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1182457-Snowflake

https://www.writing.com/main/awardicons.php?action=show_case&award_id=134959

https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1182457-Snowflake

How To Re-Learn How To Play The PIano

{{
Some of you might know, I have resumed playing the piano daily. I bought a Roland Electric piano a year ago. I will work my way through my basic piano books, culminating in about a year by conquering Mozart and Beethoven's Sonatas. I recently played my first Mozart Sonata and well, I did not do badly. I will return to it next year after finishing my basic piano books.

The key to resuming playing to me is to pick a series of beginning to intermediate piano books covering styles range of musical styles. Before playing each piece, analyze the piece, noting on the music itself, key signature, registry changes, sharps and flats, repetition patterns, and for me, noting the high and low register notes with letters. then I turn to YouTube and listen to the piece being performed. then, once I have my cheat sheet prepared I begin, playing three to five pieces per day for a half an hour to an hour.

For Bach's pieces, I find it is helpful to play each hand separately and then put it together. and practice the mordents and twills that are so common in Baroque-era musical pieces.

Concentrating on getting the notes right, and playing as rhythmically as I can but playing it slow for now. I am picking up the speed as I regain my skills.

Then I keep track of what I am playing in my music journal. Over time with daily practice of about an hour, you will recover your skills and or improve beyond that level.

here’s the list of what I played the last few days,
1. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Allegro
2. Joseph Hayden Adantino
3. Joseph Haydn Scherzo In F
4. Mozart Rondo in C
5. Beethoven Bagatelle in C
6. Beethoven Ecossaise in G
7. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 1
8. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 2
9. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 3
10. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 4
11. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 5
12. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 6
13. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances 7
14. Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances Coda
15. Carl Maria Von Webb Ecossaise G major
16. Jacob Schmitt Sonatina C
17. Joseph Nepumuk Hummel Bagatelle

I am pleased to report that I recently played a Mozart sonata. My goal is to be able to play Mozart and Beethoven sonatas within a year and to be able to play basic jazz pieces.

Azheimer's Prevention

I heard a long time ago that playing music, learning languages, and doing mental games like crossword puzzles every day is the best thing you can do to ward off the dreaded Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Since my mother died of Alzheimer’s I am at increased risk. I have been doing all three for almost a year now, playing the piano, studying Korean via Duolingo and watching K Dramas, doing daily writing prompts, writing three to five poems or short stories per day every day, and writing down my dreams and journal entries writing three to four hours every day, and weekly blog postings, instead of crossword puzzles.

You Can Do It

I am posting this as an encouragement to others reaching retirement who have always wanted to resume playing an instrument to just go for it. You can do it and the rewards will be immeasurable.

for more details see my web page The World According to Cosmos “on Playing Mozart Sonatas.

https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2EO

Write a story or poem about how to do something - it can be about anything, just include the steps of how to do it.

Choose Hobby/Craft as one of your genres.

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