Teaching Herself
After having two children by the time she was 14 years old, Aretha couldn’t continue school and formal education. However, this doesn’t mean that Franklin wasn’t smart. Another example of her musical brilliance is that she taught herself piano, just by listening to it. It’s tough enough to get kids to sit by the piano, let alone read music notes.
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Well, Aretha was so musically inclined that she didn’t need lessons or know how to read music to play the piano beautifully. It came naturally to Franklin. “I play by ear,” she explained. Yes, she grew up in a musical family, and her mother was a singer and pianist. Still, it takes someone very special to learn an instrument the way she has.