I started playing piano when I was 8 years old and not long after my grandmother gave me her piano. That piano – an upright with walnut panels – and I are good friends. We’ve been through a lot of years of practice and joy and heartbreak together. Sadly she’s not really playable any more (it happens to the best of us when we’re over a century old) but I can’t let go of her.
Having spent most of my life dreaming of having a grand piano, a few years ago I bought one. Just like that! It was time to get a new piano and a grand piano isn’t nearly as expensive as you might think. Mine is a Yamaha G1 from the early 1990s, when construction quality was at its peak, and it’s an absolute delight to play. One of the wonderful things about having a lovely instrument is that it makes you want to play all the time. So now I will have an argument with myself about whether I go to bed or play some tunes.
Here she is:
And here’s the piano movers bringing her in:
