Pianos of my life

I bought a piano. I know, crazy, right? I already have a beautiful grand. Well, with great reluctance and misgivings, I've decided it's time to sell the grand and plan for my eventual downsizing. I haven't actually put it up for sale yet, but I think that will happen in the coming year.

But for about a year or so, I've been looking at electronic pianos. Studying up on features, reading reviews, as I do for every purchase I make, large or small. I had already decided my next piano would be electronic instead of acoustic. But it needed to have as near a real piano feel and sound as can be had. At first I thought I wanted a portable one on a stand that I could take places. But then I realized, where do I need to take a piano?!  Haha! So I finally narrowed it down to the Yamaha CVP model, the newer, the better. I've seen a number of used ones for sale, but the ones in the price range I had set were older and had old technology. So when I ran across a 701 model which is one of the newest, for the same price as people were asking for 10+ years older models, I felt like I needed to jump on it. Problem: it was located in Wyoming, a couple hour drive from my home. And then how to get it home. It's too big for my car. I could borrow my son's truck, but even then, I'd need someone to go with me. But I contacted the seller anyway. And as luck would have it, not only did I manage to negotiate an even lower price, the guy offered to deliver it and set it up. The piano was in pristine condition--had been played maybe 15 or so hours since it was new. It was owned by a 50-something guy who late in life wanted to take up piano, but couldn't stay with it.

And you know what? I love this piano. It is so much fun to play. It has thousands of combinations of settings. It has maybe 20 different piano voices, two of which are "sampled" from live Bosendorfer and Yamaha pianos. That means the sound is taken from live recordings of the piano sounds and not synthesized. Of course, all the other pianos and instruments are synthesized. But when I want to play something classical with a big beautiful sound, I have it. And if I want a honky tonk sound, I have that, too.

Yes, I love it. But I can't quite put the grand up for sale. Yet. But I will.

So this is my fourth and probably last piano. I thought it would be fun to show all the pianos of my life in this post.

Here's this beautiful old piano I bought in my first year of marriage while living in Dover, Delaware, where my husband was stationed.

I bought this, my first piano, for $25 at Spencer's flea market and auction. And with only $6 left between my husband and I until payday, I sat and played my new old piano and hoped not to lose it. An older, somewhat inebriated black man sat down at the bench with me and asked me to play Si-a-lent Night. I played, we both sang. And when he heard my dilemma, he found someone who would deliver my piano to my house for exactly $6. We were so poor, but I so wanted a piano. I wish I still had that old piano. I sold it for just what I paid for it when we moved back to Utah.

I was without a piano of my own for a few years as we made it through two more military assignments. Once back in Utah to stay, we bought a house, and I bought my second piano. This one was $500, which was not a bad price, but a lot for me. My dad loaned me the money and I paid him back in a few months.

I had this sweet little piano for 37 years. It saw the fingers of many little piano students of mine, years ago, trying valiantly to impress their teacher with their achievements of the past week. After I bought my grand, I simply kept two pianos for awhile. But eventually, I had this piano all repaired and tuned and delivered to my daughter's house where it is still played a great deal to this day.

Finally, as life improved, I reached a point where I could obtain something I had desired my entire life: a grand piano. I have all my life loved pianos, and desired to have one that produced the loveliest sound I could afford. And finally, I was able to have that, my Yamaha C3. Expensive, but I don’t apologize for it. It is the one and only luxurious indulgence of my life. I've had it now for many years, and it has been really played -- a lot. But, I'm afraid I don't play as much as I used to. My eye sight is getting poor, I can't remember my memorized pieces as well, and I can't see the music well in order to play. I try, but give up easily.

For now, I have two pianos in my house. The new smaller piano will be ideal when I downsize to a smaller home. It makes so much sense. But that move isn't imminent. So, I will probably take my time selling the grand and try to enjoy both pianos for a little while longer.  As I told my daughter, we can play our two piano duets for awhile now!

Now, if only I could find a picture of the old upright my grandfather bought us when I was six years old. That was the piano I learned on and played until I left home. Maybe mom has a picture somewhere.