Where Is Your Piano?

In the space allocation for this home, I didn't factor in space for a piano or even a digital keyboard. The flat's music room is filled with guitars hung on the wall and two huge amps and a pedalboard. Obviously the music room is more for the man's craft than mine. But I do play the guitar and my Tele isn't un-used. There's floor space in there for an upright though. It's unthinkable to place the piano in other areas where sound inconsiderately floats out to the neighbors.

I have two well-made upright pianos in storage, handed down from the both sets of grandparents. I don't know if I would ever move them into the flat. I've never moved them into any homes I've lived in. If I don't make an intentional space for a piano, I won't ever have one. This is tellingly so in 'When old pianos must go, it's a difficult parting — on so many levels' by Jura Koncius published in The Washington Post on June 12, 2019.

Although this will make music lovers cringe, the reality is that some pianos have become disposable. There are lots of them around, some not in great shape. Although memories of an instrument may spark joy, sometimes circumstances dictate that a piano be let go. Downsizing boomers often don’t have room for them; millennials can’t (or won’t) squeeze them into urban quarters; teens often learn to play on electric keyboards. 

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There are various ways to de-accession a piano. None are easy. Many an owner has envisioned a loving second home for their prized instrument — or at least a hefty sales price. Most will find neither.  Ebonized pianos by Steinway, Yamaha and Kawai are models that sell best at Weschler’s Auctioneers and Appraisers in Rockville, Md., says vice president Mark Weschler. When clearing out estates, Weschler often advises clients that old dark wood pianos are not worth auctioning and are best donated. If in bad condition, a removal service is suggested.

This is an American-centric article, so I'm not sure if it holds true for Singapore. I don't know enough young children to ascertain if they all play the piano and do ballet. What I do know is, most children play one musical instrument nowadays that isn't necessarily the piano. It can be the cello, violin or flute. Whewww. At least parents are broadening their horizons while hot-housing their children.

While I'm not averse to playing the piano, I'm not in love with it. It's one of those unenjoyable 'basic' childhood skills that the parents determined I had to acquire. As such, I never bothered to explore improvisation or jazz or whatever. Playing from a score works. I never did much justice to the Grade Eight (ABRSM) Pass with Distinction (ermmm from 1991). In fact, it took me many years before I would even willingly attend a classical recital or concert for 'leisure'.

The man and I grew up in families where people at home gathered around a piano and an acoustic guitar after dinners, and lingered for a drink and some music. But somehow, we never continued with that practice. Either homes got smaller and we don’t have friends over on a regular basis, or we simply only do so when we gather in larger groups. When it's just us, we tinkle away on the guitar for sure. But we're guilty of Netflix-ing and also, reading (articles or books for both work and leisure), and clearing emails.

There are many reasons there is an excess of pianos. A century ago, they were a must in a fashionable home, but New York design historian Emily Eerdmans says they are no longer status symbols. “Pianos started in the place of honor in the living room, and gradually they moved to the family room,” she says. “Today people don’t gather around a piano, they gather around a screen.”