September 17, 2010

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.

New piano!

17 comments:

Unknown said...

It's gorgeous!!!

Anjali said...

It's beautiful!

Sue said...

It's beautiful!! And look at that perfect piano form (straight back, perfect arm distance from the keys...) - very impressive!!

L said...

AWESOME!!

Of course it had to be a Yamaha! (cause I know you guys probably couldn't afford a Steinway ;-)

I can't wait for the keyboard of our Yamaha Clavinova to be replaced sometime next week (Yamaha is replacing them for free, even though the electric piano is 10 years old, we're only going to have to pay the technician!!).

But, my dream was to have a "real" piano someday, to add to the electric one. I've had a good, real piano since I was six years old (a tall upright -- I never see those here in the U.S.), too bad it's nine thousand miles away in Brazil & I'm never going to bring it here. :-(

jo(e) said...

Lilian: Yeah, it's a Yamaha P22. It's used, but it's had only one owner so it's in great shape. It *is* really nice to play on a real piano.

susan said...

May you all have many, many happy musical hours with it (and each other). I have a Yamaha piano, too, btw.

mommo4.5 said...

Congratulations! I love reading about your children's excitement at this purchase. How wonderful that your family shares this love of music.

jodi said...

A beautiful piano. Love his haircut.

Tie-Dye Brother-in-law said...

What happened to the old one? We could really use a piano at camp...

:-)

Lomagirl said...

Beautiful piano! Your family certainly needs a good one.
Lilian- I grew up with the most beautiful looking, but not necessarily playing, mahogany piano in Colombia. It broke my heart when my parents sold it because it just wasn't practical to send to the US. It had gone from England to Jamaica to the wild boonies of Colombia and now it's in the capital city. If I'd had the money and the place to store it, I would have shipped it up here.

Kyla said...

Awesome! I'm sure it will be well-loved for many years to come.

L said...

Hi Lomagirl, isn't it sad to think about our "left behind" pianos? I don't think my mom will ever sell mine -- we play it when we visit them in Brazil. In any case, I hope to get a second hand piano here someday when I have the room for it.

readersguide said...

This is wonderful!

BrightenedBoy said...

Just when I thought your family couldn't be any more charming, you post this entry about piano fever.

I definitely know the need of having a reliable piano; I do vocal warm-ups on an electric keyboard that I keep in my room.

Sarah Sometimes said...

looks a little bit like my Yamaha upright from around 1967. Although not quite as old!

Anonymous said...

Oh, fun. We just bought the same "previously owned" piano (Yamaha P22) for me in January (I started lessons last October).

jo(e) said...

Henniemavis: I just started lessons in January, so I'm just a little behind you. (My kids all play really well.) It's been fun learning.