A friend arranged for us to get an old piano that was being given away. The brand name is “Fiedler”, German for fiddler—funny that a fiddler would be making pianos. It was built in 1919 in Leipzig, Germany. Obviously it’s been through a lot, since it’s over 100 years old. It’s in decent shape, but some of the hammers are worn and a few strings have seen better days.
It has a warm sound, and the old, tan wood has mellowed in color, adding to the coziness of our living room.
I love it!
There’s something about an acoustic piano (the vibrations maybe) that even the very best electric keyboards just can’t replicate.
Even when our old piano is out of tune, it’s still a pleasure to play. Admittedly, I’m not playing any Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, or whatnot where the purity of tone is more important. But for country and rock n roll it’s great.
My old mandolin (also over 100 years old) and my harmonicas also have this soulful quality of being just slightly out of tune. So do Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash when they sing. Or a blues guitarist who bends a note ever so slightly to put it a tiny bit out of tune.
These are the Greek imperfections that carry us beyond perfection to inspiration.
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