BECOMING A PIANO MAN IS POSSIBLE AT ANY AGE.(LIFE & LEISURE)

Byline: DICK BUYER Special to the Times Union

It's never too late to learn.

Intently focused on the sheet music, proud of my primitive skill, I let my fingers drift hesitantly over the piano keys, seeking the correct notes. They eventually strike their targets, after some mistakes.

Elated, I ask my wife, Diane, ``What am I playing?'' She replies, ``It's `My Country 'Tis of Thee.' '' She's right. I am stretching the definition to say I have become a musician. My rudimentary talent merely elevates me to the status of rank amateur.

Progress is slow, steady and snail-like, typical for a person with no previous musical background.

I can now coax a piano and organ to …