{"product_id":"piano-lessons-music-love-and-true-adventures-9780385318211","title":"Piano Lessons: Music, Love, and True Adventures","description":"\u003ci\u003ePiano Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e is Noah Adams's delightful and moving chronicle of his fifty-second year--a year already filled with long, fast workdays and too little spare time--as he answers at last a lifelong call: to learn to play the piano. The twelve monthly chapters span from January--when after decades of growing affection for keyboard artists and artisans he finally plunges in and buys a piano--through December, when as a surprise Christmas present for his wife he dresses in a tuxedo and, in flickering candlelight, snow falling outside the windows, he attempts their favorite piece of music, a difficult third-year composition he's been struggling with in secret to get to this very moment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmong the up-tempo triumphs and unexpected setbacks, Noah Adams interweaves the rich history and folklore that surround the piano. And along the way, set between the ragtime rhythms and boogie-woogie beats, there are encounters with--and insights from--masters of the keyboard, from Glenn Gould and Leon Fleisher (\"I was a bit embarrassed,\" he writes; \"telling Leon Fleisher about my ambitions for piano lessons is like telling Julia Child about plans to make toast in the morning\") to Dr. John and Tori Amos. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a storyteller, Noah Adams has perfect pitch. In the foreground here, like a familiar melody, are the challenges of learning a complex new skill as an adult, when enthusiasm meets the necessary repetition of tedious scales at the end of a twelve-hour workday. Lingering in the background, like a subtle bass line, are the quiet concerns of how we spend our time and how our priorities shift as we proceed through life. For \u003ci\u003ePiano Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e is really an adventure story filled with obstacles to overcome and grand leaps forward, eccentric geniuses and quiet moments of pre-dawn practice, as Noah Adams travels across country and keyboard, pursuing his dream and keeping the rhythm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Noah Adams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Delta\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/10\/1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.26h x 5.10w x 0.59d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780385318211","brand":"Delta","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45463105798281,"sku":"9780385318211","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_18ebcc47-fbe7-4998-8465-4fed94fd685c.jpg?v=1774996871","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/piano-lessons-music-love-and-true-adventures-9780385318211","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}