New piano!

We’ve needed a new piano for awhile. The old one was no longer holding a tune. And my kids, no longer little kids but young adults who are pretty serious about their music, had outgrown it. Piano Teacher joined forces with the kids in convincing me that we needed to invest in a good piano. She teaches her lessons at a music store that sells pianos, and my kids and I have spent hours playing the pianos in the store. It’s hard to go home to an out-of-tune piano after you’ve practiced on a piano that sounds great.

Of course, we couldn’t afford the $25,000 Petrof that With-a-Why would have chosen. And we don’t have room in our house for a grand piano. But Piano Teacher kept a lookout for pianos as they came into the store and kept pointing out pianos that the music technician at the store recommended for us. I read The Piano Book by Larry Fine to educate myself about what kind of piano we needed. And finally, we found the piano in our price range that matched our lifestyle. It’s a 45-inch upright, a model designed for schools and libraries: a sturdy piano built for lots of use. It’s a plain wooden piano, nothing fancy, but it’s a big step up from what we’ve been using. We bought it this week.

I think Shaggy Hair is the most excited about the new piano. He told Piano Teacher first, of course. And then he told his jazz piano teacher. And then he told his other jazz piano teacher who gives him lessons up at Snowstorm University. And then the teacher of his improv class. And then his grandfather, whom he plays with every Wednesday. He spends hours playing the piano every day, and the old piano had been driving him crazy.

The piano was delivered this afternoon. Shaggy Hair Boy and Beautiful Smart Wonderful Daughter rushed home as soon as their classes were over and arrived at the same time as the truck. Shaggy Hair Boy started playing immediately, while I went to pick With-a-Why up and bring him to his Friday afternoon piano lesson. Piano Teacher was just as excited as my kids.

“How do you like it so far?” she asked. I laughed. “Shaggy Hair Boy is home – I haven’t even been able to play it yet.”

As I write this, With-a-Why is taking his turn at the new piano – playing Graceful Ghost, which is a lovely piece. The music sounds even better in our living room than it did in the store. The piano stands in the middle of our house, pushed up against the inside wall that holds the center staircase, and the music radiates out to all corners of our home.