Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Heartbreaking Dilemma: Should I Sell my Beloved Bubinga Mason & Hamlin A??

Anson, don't sell the piano. Assuming you get 25k for it...I have no idea just guessing....over the 10 years of med school and training it doesn't add up to much...2500 a year. That is how I would look at it. I have loaned money to friends using some of their prized possessions as collateral. Even let them keep it in their house. Sometimes I got something for a good price, but I always gave them the opportunity to buy it back at the same price if they wanted it. Kind of a no interest loan. Got any friends like that that could help you?

On another note...my wife is a physician, I am an optometrist, both of us think that the life of a dentist would be much better. Great reimbursement...little managed care..little call...we only wish we had given this field a little more of a look.

Good luck...KEEP the piano.

Chris W1: You post:

"I may be breaking ranks when I say this, but pianos are tools for music making. I never understood the levels to which some cheerish them here. You can always get another one."

Ah...if only we could all be as pragmatic about such things.

Jeanne W

WOW!! I did not expect so many replies to my piano dilemma. This is what I love about this forum...everyone is so generous with their time to give advice and feedback. Many people brought up some very good pros and cons arguments to selling the piano. After reading through all the posts about 3 times and taking the time to consider both sides of the argument, I had concluded that it is probably way too premature to start thinking about selling the piano since I still have about 1/1/2 years to go before putting in an application to medical school. I am still in the process of getting through all the science prereqs. The one key point that stuck to me was: Am I going to starve/cannot afford housing costs keeping this piano...the answer was no.

Irving: Thanks for your insight from a dealer's perspective. By the way, I did visit your store last year while on my piano hunt and Kevin did a great job looking after me despite being so close to closing time for the store. He took the time to play Un Suspiro from one piano to another so that I can hear any potential differences.

Axtremus: Thanks for your post...very compelling arguments into reasons not to keep the piano. You gave me some definite questions to ask myself in my decision. These questions will be probably asked again when it is closer to the time that I start medical school. Despite my emotional/musical attachment to my piano, my train of thought was similar to yours. Luckily, keeping the piano will not starve me at this stage and so I'm keeping it until until that moment comes! (This reminds me of that one part in the movie "The pianist" where they were selling the piano and the saleperson asks them, " what are you going to do...eat the piano??") BY the way, what piano did you end up choosing??

RJ: Thanks for your 2 cents and for your views on the financial negatives of selling. Are you still in real estate by any chance?? Even though I did not end up buying a piano from you, if I move to Philly for UPenn I will have to contact you to help with househunting!

Fred: Great idea..I will have to keep this in mind when the time comes closer...hope you've been doing well.

David Kirkham: Wow...interesting life story! You bring up some good points about the cons of medicine...some very unfortunate facts. However I still do believe in the magic/power of medicine. It is the only profession where one is able to dramatically change people's lives in a real way eg neurosurgeon saving a life by surgery, ophthamologist saving someone's eyesight, oncologist able to help cancer patients into remission. I also just love studying the science behind medicine. On top of this, I am surrounded by the medical field...my father and many family members are MD's and I'm a pharmaceutical representative.

StevetheRagtime: Thanks for your words of encouragement! I will definitely email you sometime to gain some of your insights and experiences in being a surgeon (I am seriously considering a procedural/surgical based field eg Otolaryngology, Ophthamology, Orthopaedic Surgery
etc)

tmod: Dental field is definitely a more lifestyle friendly field...I would probably want to be in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery if I went this route. However, there are more choices if I went through medical school...I will have to be definitely sure I wanted to be in Oral & Maxillofacial surgery before I would go this route.

drdr: Sounds like you are pretty happy in your field...what area of medicine are you in?

Norbert: I agree! Thanks for your input

Everyone else: Thanks for taking moments of your time with your opinions to help a fellow pianist in need!!Unfortunately there are so many posts that I'm unable to reply to everyone!

Best Wishes,
Ansonflex

But you did reply to most!

A rare show of true class and appreciation, Sir!

Hope all will work out to your best in future!

And if given the choice....I'd be jumping at the opportunity you becoming my doctor!!

norbert

My best regards to your wife.

I sold my Knabe grand when I got married and we moved to a very small house. I didn't get another grand for 25 years. Keep the piano...

Everything in this thread revolves around acceptance to med school.

If you want to be a physician, you must be singular of purpose, because it is not a job - it is your life, from that point on out. If you are not prepared for that commitment, forget med school, because you'll be a lousy doctor.

So ditch the piano. It may be special, and it may be irreplaceable, but there will be another. I like the suggestion of the digital, yet I don't feel you'll have even much time for that. Heck, you won't even have much time for your wife.

Priorities, sir, priorities.

Teachum:

I think we are in agreement. For me, a piano is more than merely wood, metal, strings. I find it difficult to separate feelings about certain pianos. I can't be as pragmatic, as practical, as Chris W1 suggests.

In actuality, it is our own feelings we project onto the piano.

Thus, some of us fall in love with, or may "cherish" a particular piano or pianos.

Or feel a part of the piano, as though it is an extension of self.

Or feel there is a heart and soul in a piano.

When everything is just right, it is as though you are making love to the piano.

Jeanne W

I almost do believe they have souls! I love the movie "THe Red VIolin" - same philosophy!

Ansonflex,

I will always remember what my organic chemistry professor said to me during my premed interview when he asked my why I wanted to be a doctor. "I want to help people," I replied. , "Doctors are not the only ones who help people." he told me. When he said it, I didn't understand it. I do now.

I am reminded of some of the other threads which are going on right now about unethical piano dealers. I, very much, agree with many of the posts there. ALL fields have their bad apples...and unfortunately, most are bad--regardless if they are doctors, lawyers, whatever.

If you want to make a real contribution to this world you do not need to be a doctor. You need to stand up for what is right in whatever field you enter. No matter what field you enter into, there will be plenty of chances to take advantage of people in various situations. The people who are needed most in this world are those who will stand up for what is right

Which would give you more satisfaction and self worth in this world--healing a patient as a doctor, or paying for the life-saving procedure for one of your employee's children who can not afford it because insurance will not pay it? We have donated almost $200,000 to charity in the past 2 years without taking a nickel out for any expenses. I don't tell you these things to brag, but to show you there are other ways to change people's lives. I have struggled with the question of self worth and how can I make the world a better place. Remember, I went from being a doctor to selling expensive, luxury, cars that no one really needs. (They are cool though.)

So, I went from helping people (on the road to being a doctor) to making a useless toys for rich men (as some people think).

One day I finally realized what Dr. Flemming was saying. No, I wasn't a doctor, but I was employing people in an old MiG fighter factory in Poland. I guess I would rather they were making Cobras than MiGs. Unemployment is a depressing 22% in our region of the country. For years, we were the largest private employer in the entire region of the country.

Finally, you never know if you will be accepted to medical school or not. I finished school with a 3.91 and spoke 3 languages...but I was not accepted. To this day I don't know why, but I am so grateful that I was not accepted. I believe as others here...some things are just not meant to be.

I do not stand up here on my own soap box for I have many faults and I am NO better than any of you here on this site. I only pass along my experiences in life as I am only showing you, "the other side of the fence."

I wish you the greatest success in whatever you choose to do in this life--just keep the piano.

David

Ansonflex:
Thanks for your nice words in your response post. Taking the time to single folks out, making them feel validated for their opinions, will get you far in medicine as well as in life.

Don't be discouraged by the folks saying that getting into med school is tough if done later in life. We are seeing lots of very good students studying medicine as a second career.

Also, don't be discouraged by the David's physician friends, who wouldn't do it again. I would do it in a heartbeat. I love what I do. "Helping mankind" isn't the only reason. It is fun dealing with people and interesting challgences in diagnosis or (in my case) in doing complicated surgery. I love talking to my patients. I had a couple (took out his liver cancer) drive three hours to see me perform at a festival this past weekend because I like getting to know my patients, and learned that they were big trad jazz fans. The joy of seeing them was incredible. They enjoyed themselves, and he could watch "his doctor" doing something else - something not involving anesthesia, incisions, and discussions about bad pathology reports. The bond he and I now share is good for both of us.

I'm not the richest guy I know, but make a decent living. I will retire on schedule without having to worry. Reimbursement may be down, but I still can decide to go out to dinner or buy a new record (oops, CD) without having to look into my wallet to be sure I can afford it. The naysayers who tell us that medicine is going broke are just as off base as the fokls who think docs make all the money.

I never thought I would disagree with Jolly (after all, he used to own a Hardman), but being a doc doesn't become "your life" at the expense of all else. The docs who let that happen are the ones who wouldn't do it again. I'm a pretty damned good doc, a fair pianist, a father, busy politically, a former church music director, and have time to read the PW forums and open my big mouth from time to time. There are times when I haven't gotten near my piano for what seems like ages because my patients or other responsibilities come first. But, I know it is there, and some days just one or two tunes at 1 AM are the best medicine for me.

Keep the piano - it will be cheaper than a therapist later.