Back in lockdown and losing my mind. Can tech get me back into the groove by teaching me new skills?
Annoyingly, when the clocks struck midnight on New Year’s Day, and 2020 thankfully made way for 2021, all the problems of the past year didn’t magically disappear as I’d hoped. The Covid-19 pandemic is still rampaging across the globe, and in the UK, we’re back in lockdown. That means I’m mainly confined to the same four walls that seem to get a little closer every day. It’s dispiriting and isolating, to be honest, and I need something to take my mind of the end of the world. So, I’ve decided to look into how tech can help me finally learn to play the piano. When the world first shut down last year, there was a lot of talk about people using lockdown as an excuse to learn new things, take up hobbies or get fit. I took the alternative route of getting dumber and fatter. While I don’t feel terribly bad at that choice – we all have different coping mechanisms – I did look on enviously as people better themselves. So, I want 2021’s apocalypse to be healthier and more positive than 2020’s apocalypse. Well, as healthy and as positive as an apocalypse can be. That means ditching the cookie-heavy diet and learn a new skill! So, why the piano? To be honest, I’ve always wanted to play it well, and as I type all day, I kind of think getting the hang of the piano may be a bit easier. I dabble a little bit – I know a few chords and have learned a few basic nursery rhymes to impress my 18-month daughter (didn’t work). Plus, I inherited an upright electric piano a few years ago, which I’m reasonably confident isn’t haunted. You may also be thinking, why use technology to help? After all, the greats, like Beethoven, Chopin and Elton John didn’t need to rely on tech and gadgets to learn their craft – so why should I? First, I’m not aiming for greatness. Mediocrity would be a good result. Also, I never really got on with the idea of music lessons, and with the current restrictions, I wouldn’t be able to go to them, anyway. But, there are some great tools now available that bring lessons into your own home, and let you learn at your own pace. Crucially, many apps and gadgets out there ‘gamify’ learning, helping to keep tech-obsessed people like me focused and interested. Some people may find that patronizing. Not me, though.
