PIANO

I BOUGHT A PIANO.

It is not a new piano. It hails from 1956, in fact, assuming that the information I have on it is correct. It is a lovely piano - it's showing its' age here and there, but it has a warm tone. I found it in a local music store, sat down, felt upset when I realised I could no longer play anything from memory but plonked vaguely a bit, gawked at the price (incredibly reasonable, included free delivery and tuning), rang Tobermory and begged. He agreed that the price was reasonable*, and told me to go for it.

The store were quite surprised. I'd told them I'd have to run the purchase past my beloved; I don't think they expected me to arrive again fifteen minutes later cheerily waving my Eftpos card and demanding the exchange of funds for piano.

It appears that in the nearly three years I've been piano-less, I've not forgotten how to play. I am, somewhat worryingly, finding sight-reading difficult; I don't have my automatic "that written like that means my fingers do This" as thoroughly as I'd wish, particularly when my hands are dropping into the opposite clef. Still, practice will return that skill to me. I'm going to have to go through scales and drills again. Which I'm sure I won't enjoy, but they will be of benefit. There are little weird things I can't do right now, as I've not needed the flexibility in any other application of my hands.

Still, quibbling aside, my fingers remember what playing is like. They are rather sore right now, I suspect I've played for two hours? maybe more? since it arrived about 4.30 today.

I found moving back to a computer keyboard odd. Couldn't touch-type, had to play the old hunt'n'peck game for a couple of minutes until my fingers adjusted brain inputs again.

I knew I'd missed having a piano. But not how much. The ability to turn dry notes, dusty pages, wood and ivory, into coherent sound, into art or noise or emotion... I have missed that so much. For so many years, music was my hobby, my emotive outlet, my stress release, and I poured my soul into it. Reality dictated that living in the tinyflat, I couldn't have a piano, and I accepted that. But I missed it.

I'm heart glad to have a piano again. I can't think of a better way to put it.


* aka: realised that there may be tears if he said no

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