A: Uhm. The fish is a simplified version of a seabass; the animal congruent with my online identity of "GermanSeabass." The "German" I owe to my heritage and the fact that I grew up in Southern Germany (Baden-Württemberg). The "Seabass" part... I'm not too sure about. Someone in 8th grade started calling me that and the name stuck. Yay marine life.

A: I started playing when I was five due to being inspired by my parents who played at the time. I took the standard classical approach until I discovered there was more to Beethoven and Mozart, arpeggios and scales and switched to Final Fantasy and game music, all thanks to Nobuo Uematsu.

A: It's a German-made upright piano; a "Schimmel," which strangely translates to "mold." Go figure~

A: Hmm, that's not really a question...

To start learning the piano .. hm. Well, I started out with a teacher, but I know many people who taught themselves. I still take private lessons, on a bi-weekly schedule. When I started with lessons though, my teacher came once a week. It doesn't really matter what schedule you're on, but having a teacher check on your status is recommendable.

If you listen to music and have a general understanding of beats, rhythm and all those other aspects of music, you have a head start. And having time is always a plus. Money's an even bigger plus, as you'll need to invest in some kind of keyboard or piano if you don't have one.

The brand of piano really isn't important. I would love to play on a Steinway Grand piano (one of the best pianos available) but they're around $40,000 - as in, too much for a high school student. I play on an upright Schimmel piano ? a very good piano; made in Germany. But it really doesn't matter what type of piano it is you play on, as long as it's in tune. If you're considering getting a keyboard, make sure that it is touch-sensitive. Normal keyboards don't differentiate between different kinds of pressure you apply, so no matter how hard or soft you press the key, you will get the same volume level. A touch-sensitive keyboard, however, is more like an actual piano: it gives a louder sound if you press harder on the key.

About the actual piano playing part: it essentially comes down to what style of music you enjoy; what type of music you would play? There's a big difference if you're going to be a keyboardist for a band, an accompanist for an orchestra, the lead in a jazz band, or just a solo pianist. The style is different, but all of these have the same basis: a general understanding of music.

There's the theoretical approach: analyzing music and discovering what sounds fit best together to create a specific mood. This involves boring theory (which I also have to learn ... grumble) but it does actually help - especially with impro#faq0" onclick="visation and composition. And then there's the more practical approach (my preference) of sitting down and simply playing and enjoying the instrument. Sadly, this stage didn't occur to me until 2 or 3 years ago, as you need to have a strong foundation in an instrument as complex as the piano to play freely [improvise] and without sheet music.

Final thoughts... it's a cliché'd line, but "practice, practice, practice." I spend around 2-3 hours a day playing/practicing piano. For professionals, this time ranges between 8 and 10 or more. But I'm serious: the more you play, the better you become. And also: be persistent. If you want to play, you will need to keep it up, even if things come up. Never stop playing, as it will be a gift for the future. I know my talent (sorry for sounding a tad cocky) will help me in the future, and I greatly enjoy being able to perform things like the Kingdom Hearts medley and being able to share it with others.

My recommendation: dig up some numbers in the phone book or ask around for a good piano teacher (good doesn't necessarily mean expensive!). They will be able to give you a general understanding of the instrument, and help you with the skills associated with learning it. If a teacher doesn't work out, there are music stores filled with tutorial books that guide you through the same process.... there are many ways to learn, and I've only mentioned a few. I hope you'll find something that works for you.

A: I get this pretty often; and it\'s not really something you can teach online. The best answer I\'ve found to this is right here: http://library.thinkquest.org/13734/lesson/lesson1.html - this page and all subsequent lessons.

Furthermore, I recommend a piano teacher- online tutorials can only do so much.