‘There’s joy I haven’t felt for years!’ How an app finally got me hooked on the piano

Thirty years after failing his grade two exam, our writer is banging out Handel, Billie Eilish and Elton John - and he's not alone. With apps to help with learning, there's never been a better time to tinkle the ivories

Misplaced pride may have clouded my memories of learning the piano as a kid in the early 90s. I can still picture the piano itself, a knackered upright that was so old it had brass candleholders. I definitely remember my teacher, Issie, a local jazz musician. And I thought I'd done pretty well until ... what, grade three? Maybe even four?

Forgot you failed grade two!" came a recent WhatsApp message from my mother, who had excavated the marking form from a filing cabinet. That made two of us.