Tuesday, January 09, 2007
By the time I got back from work today I had missed out on all of the "fun" of it being moved into the house, but there in our dining room was the piano that Erika had tracked down and bought so that Annie could practice her music lessons on.
It's an upright grand piano made sometime early last century by the local piano manufacturer Heizmann. It is a bit beat up, with several visible dings in it, but other than cosmetically it looks impressive and apparently holds its tune well.
This all started a couple of months ago when the second electronic keyboard we got for Annie conked out. Erika then figured that the thing to do would be to get a real piano instead, instead of frittering away hundreds of dollars away on various plastic/electronic keyboards. Something that could withstand Annie, in other words. ;-)
I pointed her in the direction of the local Craigslist sales listings, and she made some enquiries with a few people. Eventually she found a fellow who was a local piano restorer and tuner. She initially had her eyes set on a smaller, Annie-sized piano, and had even put a down payment on it. But then she went back with our neighbour Dave (fellow trumpeter and long-time piano owner) to have a look at the other pianos this fellow had. They both convinced her that going for a "real" piano would be the better idea overall, so she went for the Heizmann instead of the "toy" piano she had put the deposit on.
Having it professionally moved into the house was a significant fraction of the overall cost of acquiring it, but it looks and sounds good, with a rich sound.
In addition to Annie using it, Erika can use it to ensure that she's in tune on her trumpet, and I have also vowed to take piano lessons sometime later in the year. Annie initially seems a bit daunted by this new piece of furniture, but I hope she grows into enjoying it and making her own music with it.
Labels: Craigslist, piano
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