North Point's iBand

Yet another way to play piano!  and play in ensemble.  Wow.

FREE Piano - says the ad

So I've begun my search for our piano.  I go to craigslist.  There are 3 upright pianos listed. Two are $200 and one is FREE.   I call them all.  The $200 ones are gone by morning.  The free piano is still available.

When I get to the free piano....I am surprised.  It doesn't look like I imagine it might...on the phone he said it wasn't a livingroom piano...it's a basement piano.

I imagine it looks like this!

  

But it doesn't. 

It looks more like this...but with more wear and tear, scratches and an unimpressive finish.

I like the free piano.

I play it and say I like it.  They tell me they were counselled to take it to the dump.  sigh...

Well, I think it's still playable.  Maybe not the greatest but...the dump???

It's been in their family since the early 1900's...it was the grandmother's piano and now all the grandkids have learned to play on it...obviously there is a sentimental attachment on their part...but why on mine???

They have a new piano given to them by an aunt...it's a Petrof upright...shiny black and modern "touch".

Beautiful tone.  Lovely case...a piece of living room furniture for sure.

I still like the old one though....which is funny for me because I usually have a gut reaction that steers me away from older uprights.  The keys feel loose and wiggly and the tone is unbalanced and too bright or too bassy or too something.  This old FREE piano feels kind of comfortable.

I say, don't take it to the dump.  I don't know if it's the right piano for our house but it's still playable and there has got to be a family somewhere that would love to have it...for FREE.

I go to Barkman's Pianos and talk to Glen about it.  He doesn't believe in taking pianos to the dump either....electric pianos maybe...but acoustic pianos....they can be saved.

The next day I leave a message....call Glen, I tell them.  He will keep your family piano out of the dump.

Finding the right piano

I am beginning the search for our piano.

I wonder how long it will take?  Days?  Weeks?  Months?  Years?

Now that I see the piano as a member of our family I have a feeling I may be more discriminating than I might otherwise have been.

   

I wonder if this search will be like looking for a mate?  

or an adoptive child? 

or a new friend?

Will there be many pianos I will be forced to discard for some reason?  

Wait for years to finally be bestowed a piano given up by another family? 

 Will I happen to meet the piano and find we resonate together and become like long lost friends?

Electric or Acoustic?

My husband and I have been talking about pianos.  I need one.  He's okay without one.  

This fall I realized I "needed" one in our home.  Having a piano or two at my music studio down the street is fine but my home just hasn't felt like a home without my piano.  I used to have a piano at home and two at the studio.  There have been changes in the last few years and now there are two pianos at the studio, one at my nephew's home and not one in our home.  I seemed to be coping well until this past fall. 

My wonderful husband lovingly suggested we will talk about pianos and come to some sort of consensus about having one.  He thinks we should get a digital/electronic piano.  It makes sense to him.  He didn't grow up with a piano in his house.  He grew up with books and art and conversation and philosophy and the magic of classical literature.

We live in a small house.  Having a piano would impact everyone who lives in the house because there isn't a separate room for the piano.  If it's electric then you can wear headphones when you play it and no one will hear you.  From his perspective that's perfect...what if he wants to watch soccer or hockey or football and I want to play piano at that time?  

I don't think this is a consensus issue.  I think it's a quality of life issue.  I suggested headphones for the TV and continue the rally for an acoustic piano.  

Acoustic pianos have vibrations that your entire body will absorb as you play.  I think hearing piano music in a family home is...well...awesome!  I grew up in a home where the piano was the focus and the TV lived in the basement with the spiders.  I'm okay with a piano taking over the sound space in a home.  I think it gives a home soul and love and spirit!

Now there is serious consideration for a move to a slightly bigger house with a separate room for a piano.  Until then...I'm writing a blog about the missing member of our family...the piano.