re: I want to learn to play an instrument - get me started...

I don't dispute that whatsoever. Many of my best swimmers were great pianists and cello players. I encourage them to pick up playing the piano or a stringed instrument because it helps swimmers' dexterity and feel for the water as it sensitizes the fine motor skills of the hand. Many other positives as well.

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I played the Trombone for 10 years.

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I played trombone for 7 years in middle and high school and then stopped (mostly) for about 13 years. I was pretty good (for a high school student at least), so I decided to get back into it. I've managed to practice every day since August. Just screwing around, relearning songs and looking at others that used to be intimidating. I'm tackling the infamous Jim Snidero book again (if you aren't familiar with it, it's a jazz solo book that's commonly used for jazz band/program auditions).

Getting back into brass playing is a lot like riding a bike, if you haven't ridden a bike in over a decade and every one of your bike-riding muscles has atrophied.

I don't expect that my trombone playing will produce any income or contribute to society in any way, but playing a musical instrument is a respectable skill that I don't want to lose.