A Piano Player, Not a Player Piano

Ostensibly a book for piano instructors, Music Creativity Joy might have seemed an odd choice for me, a dude whose commitment to the instrument never got him much further than the opening bars of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. The book was a gift from an old friend, who (unlike me whenever seated behind 88 keys) knew what he was doing. Music Creativity Joy aspires to be much more than a collection of keyboard teaching tips.

First of all, author Forrest Kinney is teaching about teaching. His thoughts on pedagogy reflect his years of experience as an instructor, reinforcing and extending lessons I’ve learned in a similar role (albeit one in a wildly different context).

It’s not strictly a piano book, either; the music theory is applicable to Western styles played on any instrument. My favorite among the more technical essays challenges the popular conception of major and minor tonalities as “happy” and “sad,” respectively. Kinney demonstrates the depth of emotion those scales can actually convey and how they can be further attenuated into a wider spectrum of feelings. It’s convincing enough that his subsequent metaphors to seasons and spices feel not just apropos but useful.

The techniques also transcend genre and culture, including, for example, musings on how visual feedback can be a crutch. Kinney suggests that playing with your eyes closed helps you to feel and to listen, and I totally buy that.

Kinney’s insights apply to an even more fundamental level of experience–to any creative endeavor. He argues that dedication is more important than talent, that passion is more important than knowledge, that interpretation is a never-ending process¹, and (in a particularly apropos essay for the Arts in 2026) that everyone’s perspective and potential are unique and valuable.

Throughout, Kinney comes across as an endearing mentor: eminently friendly, somewhat goofy, and unabashedly enthusiastic about music and expression. It’s only fitting, then, that he chooses to end his book with an earnest display of gratitude and humility. For my part, I’m grateful for Kinney.