rockinlibrarian | My Early Christmas Present

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Today I got a piano!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's amazing, the house feels suddenly More Like a Proper House. I didn't even realize I wasn't living in a Proper House for the past six years, but I wasn't. The piano totally fills out the living room. It feels COMPLETE now.

I hadn't seen it before I got it, but it not only is in great shape and looks perfect in my living room, it's also miraculously nearly in tune. Not perfect, but enough that you can play it without cringing.

The kids both love it too. Sam has always been an obvious music lover, but Maddie is apparently even more into MAKING music-- she was singing along even! As much as, you know, an 8 month old CAN sing.

Thank you, Bethany, Mom W, Dad, and the piano moving guys. This is absolutely the awesomest Christmas present I've gotten since, you know, that Christmas (or two days later) when I got a husband. And the piano doesn't even rant about dirty hippies!

Current Mood: ecstatic

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

that's awesome!

I'm jealous. I had a gorgeous piano as a kid. Horribly out of tune and I hadn't taken lessons for very long, but I loved it. My mom sold it when I was in college, and I'm still bitter. I was going to take it when I had a house someday. Granted, now I have a house and I'm not sure where I'd put it, but I would have figured that out if I'd had it still.

My dad has a baby grand-- he used to play for me when I was a colicky baby and it would calm me down, so I've loved pianos ever since. I don't know where I'd put the baby grand if he was handing it down! My inlaws have TWO pianos, so I always hoped we might get one of them, but strangely instead my sister-in-law got this one from a friend who was clearing out her dead parents' house, and since my sister-in-law is renting out her house, she passed THAT one on to me. Very round-about, but I'll take it!

Mine was an upright grand, which I've gathered to mean that it was taller than a standard upright or something. I really don't know. It was dark wood and we polished it regularly so at least it was fabulous on the outside. I have no idea where my parents got it from or how they ever afforded it in the first place, but I strongly suspect it wasn't much in tune when they bought it.

Ooo, I'm jealous too! I would SO buy a piano if I had a house big enough to put one in - and I'm a piano TEACHER.

Hint: to help it stay in what tune it IS in longer, find a reasonably large jar (like the kind you can get a gallon of dill pickles in) and fill it most of the way with water. Put it inside your piano (I'm assuming it's an upright or this won't work) and it will help keep the humidity more stable - less shrinking of the wood in the winter when the furnace is running.

Did I ever tell you about the time Big Larry couldn't remember what a grand piano was called and called it a "laying-down" piano?

What kind of piano is it? Just curious.

Hmm, when a piano TEACHER asks "what kind of piano is it?" my immediate response of "an upright" seems like it's not going to cover it. A Baldwin. It also has a little tab down at the end that says "Hamilton." A Hamilton Baldwin? Which sounds like a name that ought to belong to a handsome snobbish rich guy in a book. I will keep that in mind if I ever need a name for such a character. Anyway. Does that answer your question?

My parents had their baby grand in their little house in Meadville-- I don't know how that happened. Well, the house itself was about the same size as yours-- definitely not larger-- but the living room took up half the main floor, so I guess the larger ROOM made it possible!

The founder of the Baldwin Piano Company was in fact named Dwight Hamilton Baldwin. I do not know, however, if he was handsome, rich, or snobby. I think it would be better to switch the character's name around to Baldwin Hamilton, because "Baldy" is a better nickname.

Baldwins are good pianos - I'm not as familiar with the Hamilton models, but as far as I know Baldwins are among the best, especially if it's been cared for (as in, kept in a house and not left in someone's garage or basement for years). It sounds like you have a GREAT piano! I look forward to trying it out someday.