Regaining perspective

Attentive readers of this blog will have noticed that of late, I have not been nearly as enthusiastic about my piano these days as I was in the first few days (and weeks, and months) after I got the thing. The reasons are numerous and varied but it all comes down to perception and perspective, namely that, when I look at my piano, in pieces spread out around the dining room and bedroom, it just looks like so many pieces of antique junk. Repair efforts improve upon the general appearance, but nothing ever quite reaches the level of expectation generated by pictures of other restored pianos that are online.

But that changed Monday night.

I answered an ad on Craigslist selling an 1854 square grand piano. I made an appointment to go look at it after school, and it turned out the owner had another piano she was willing to part with as well, “buyer’s choice”. The first one, a J & C Fischer, was actually in pretty decent shape. But as old as it is, its structure is completely different, and since I was basically just looking for parts for my piano, it wouldn’t do as it didn’t have the same kind of parts. The other, a Chickering, was more or less exactly the same as my piano. Neither one played. Both were missing key tops and strings. Both had pedal lyres that were completely disassembled and would require extensive repair. Neither had a sustain or soft mechanism that worked. Both were disasters on the surface, making we very nervous to look too closely on the insides. One was missing the prop arms for the lid (the Fischer), the other was missing one of the lid panels with the large one split on one end. The more I looked, the more I began to realize: by comparison, my piano is a gem. It’s got almost all its original parts. It worked when I got it. The keys were intact. All the mechanical parts worked. Nothing was missing or broken on the frame or exterior. And sure, I paid a lot more than the $500 that this young lady was asking for one of her pianos, but I got a helluva lot more piano than she had on offer. When all was said and done, I felt pretty good about my piano again, even re-energized, I might say.

I already know I’m not going to buy either of those pianos, but the owner did ask me to make an offer. So I plan to explain to her quite sincerely and in a straightforward manner, I’ll buy the whole piano for a few dollars, but I’ll buy the parts I need for just a bit more than that – basically charging her more (by paying her less) if I remove one of the pianos for her. I doubt she will like that offer, but she may surprise me.

But, the C&H Stone piano that I own? It’s much more of a gem than I realized. I’m lucky to have that piano after all.