{"product_id":"piano-lessons-book-noah-adams-9780385314046","title":"Piano Lessons","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.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49596237381905,"sku":"GOR002745695","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50316463702289,"sku":"CIN0385314043A","price":3.92,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50349098139921,"sku":"CIN0385314043G","price":3.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51415755227409,"sku":"CIN0385314043VG","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0385314043.gif?v=1750878285","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/piano-lessons-book-noah-adams-9780385314046","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}