Mediocre band, a good piece.

Finally gave it to a friend who was actually in a band.

I learned harmonica for the same reason as you; it was the only instrument I could afford. I did become stage worthy and have made money playing. When I was 17 my sister was dating someone who had a spare horn laying around and loaned it to me, so I bought a Rubank’s elementary and taught myself that. Two years later I auditioned and made it into band in College. I’ve made a fair amount of money playing it over the decades. Well, let me correct that. I’ve played a lot of paying gigs with my horn, but there’s never been much money in it. When I got in my first blues/jazz band at the age of 21 I was very eager and gung-ho and kept getting the band paying gigs. My bandmates were all in their 30s and had been playing for years. Nice guys but they were a little annoyed at all the work I was getting them. They mainly liked to hang out in the drummer’s attic and jam. They gave me some great advice which changed my attitude; “There’s no money in this. Just do it for the enjoyment.”

Cool story.

I switched because of discomfort but I kept block printing through life just so I could read my own writing later.

Oligonicella:

Me too. The nuns weren’t happy with my cursive so I switched to block printing. I admit I was being passive-aggressive, but I also liked the look better.

In my twenties I discovered I had unconsciously copied my father’s architect handwriting.

We didn’t have the bucks for lessons of any nature so I started with a cheap guitar I bought. Then gave it to somebody. Flute? Same. Harmonica? There I stuck and became a self-taught fair player, but never stage worthy. Never driven either.

But I will sit in awe watching someone who truly understands their instrument.

Or better yet, a group of them.

I disliked accordion music until I heard Wierd Al and Flaco Jimenez. I wasn’t forced to take accordion lessons.

I’m right handed and I hate writing, cursive in particular. My hand cramps in minutes. I block print or type, typing preferred. Not forced training or anything, it’s just simpler to block print and I find cursive takes too much minute movement.

Which is kinda odd as I paint detailed realism with my hand close up, resting on a mahl instead of that hand hovering a foot away approach some do.

This was always so but once I learned typing, I bought a typewriter and never looked back.

Gringo,Are you “right” handed and, if so, is it possible your mother or a teacher might have forced you into right-handedness?

Interesting question. I am right-handed. My brother is a lefty- as was one of our grandfathers. My parents told me that when I was a toddler, they set me on the floor with a bunch of objects for me to pick up, as a test of hand preference. They informed me that while my preference was for the right hand, I was close to being equal in the choices. (60-40???)

As such, I doubt that my parents or a teacher forced me into right-handedness. After all, they let my brother be a lefty. One indication of “evenhandedness” is that early on I chose to use my left hand for my fork. After all, the fork is on the left side of the plate. I will pick up a glass or cup with either hand. In soccer, kicks to goal from my left foot were almost as good as kicks from my right foot. Though in baseball or basketball, I did as little as possible with my left hand.

Here is a possibility for the erasure/band handwriting. I was a stutterer, and in 2nd grade went to a therapist for stuttering. Stuttering resumed in junior high, but I finally conquered it by SLOWING DOWN. (Decades later, I have a low tolerance for service-reps-by-phone who speak too fast. Don’t worry, I tell them to slow down: “I’m not from New York.” )

I wonder if when writing in cursive, my bad handwriting came from my writing to keep up with my thoughts- writing too fast. Also note that as my body matured, I could write faster- which meant a greater ability for my writing to keep up with my thoughts. Which is why I got some handwriting compliments in adulthood.

Are you “right” handed and, if so, is it possible your mother or a teacher might have forced you into right-handedness?

I struggled mightily with handwriting in grammar school and my handwriting is no better as an adult. In subsequent years I’ve pieced together a lot of clues that indicate my mother almost certainly forced me into right-handedness and I would have otherwise been a natural lefty.