Heart and Soul

I didn't know the song was called Heart and Soul at the time. The tune was stuck in my mind. I cannot express the sensation in my mind when I think Heart and Soul in the written word. I see Niles and Daphne, characters in Frasier singing the song (I am rewatching the television series at present). I hear the piano playing. I remember the song is foundational to my interest in playing music.

I first recall hearing Heart and Soul on an Apple advert, a video I watch every few months on YouTube. After watching the advert that features two people using Garage Band, a music-making application, on iPads to play piano, I was left with a little excitment about the iPad Mini, but more excitement about a tune. A melody. An aspiration. I wanted to be able to play the song; to be able to evoke the joy I felt when hearing the song.

I later learned the lyrics.

Heart and Soul. I fell in love with your Heart and Soul. The way a fool would do. Madly. Because you held me tight.

I hummed the tune as I wrote the previous paragraph.

I had been curious about the piano and the keyboard for some time when the advert was released. I had an X-Factor electronic keyboard. A terrific gift. I didn't fall in love with the piano until some time later, when I started to try to play Heart and Soul. The memories of how I learned the song are lost, but the feeling of being able to play the song has never been lost.

As I progressed through school, I tried adding my own twist to the song. I learned to play using more of my left hand by adding to Heart and Soul. I learned other songs, too, but none made the same impression as Heart and Soul. I could play it for an hour; time would fly by. I was immersed in the music. Each note. The possibilities of how I could add to or change the song. I learned chords. How to add some basic notes on the left hand. I made music.

Can I attribute my playing piano to Heart and Soul? By no means. Although the song lit a spark, ne that I have carried with me for years. Mye desire to play music, and the ability of music to make someone feel a certain way -- joyful, intrigued, entertained -- grew.

Now, I play vastly different pieces to Heart and Soul. The song echoes in my heart, emerging every so often as a reminder about how I got started playing the piano and getting out of my comfort zone to try something new. One tune, so many possibilities.