Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Why couldn't I have these parents?

The whole time I was watching the video I was thinking, geez, there's no way this kid is deserving of such an expensive instrument. Then she started playing...wow! Talk about talent...

"Money doesn't buy happiness, but it helps" - Platosodes ......to which I'd add: "A Bösendorfer grand doesn't buy enjoyment at the piano, but it helps."

I'd love to have had a decent piano - and a room or decent area to practice in - as a kid, rather than the tinny-sounding, shallow and ultralight key action (prone to sticking) & piercing toned little vertical that my parents bought, and having to do my practicing against the continuous TV sound (- my mother didn't know that a tiny piano cannot compete against a TV, especially as the TV's volume control can always be upped if I played loudly enough to hear myself). Our family was far richer than my uncle's, but he bought the best upright then available in that country for his five children to learn on: I loved spending my school holidays with them, because not only did I have access to lots of piano books to sight-read from, I also had a decent piano to play on.

But at least, I did have piano lessons for ten years (even if I had to keep getting high marks in my piano exams in order to keep them after the first year), and made full use of them.........

To be realistic, some people literally have a high-end piano in the living for display even when nobody in the family can play.

The classic question: if you have a Steinway at home, does it spark a child's interest in music and lead him / her to practice to an advanced level? I know a family who has an old American Kohler & Campbell grand at home. Not a Steinway or Bösendorfer but nonetheless in very good condition since dad hardly touched the piano after he stopped playing. The father took lessons as a child but hated music. When the kids were ready for lessons, the piano was moved from the grandparents' to the parents home.

There is also a DP in another room. Don't think the kids were in Suzuki so they were not taught to appreciate a good acoustic. The last time I was invited to their home there was a piece of Pop music sitting on the grand like someone played it recently. Nobody in the family is at the point they are comfortable playing in front of friends & family.

It's best to start a child on a good upright but not necessarily a high-end piano for a few years until he/she played at a high enough level to earn a better instrument. Buying a high-end instrument from the start may spark a child's interest in music but in many cases no (a child would rather play with friends than practice).

Of course, Twain’s plaque is playing on the biblical quote, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” The next line goes on to talk about those who have wandered from the faith because of its pursuit but I won’t go there.

I’ll side with more good than bad coming from having money.

Television was the bane of my existence as a child. Try forming a coherent thought when there are three televisions going at the same time in a small house. There was no piano to add to the cacophony and this was the days when it was an upright or nothing. Getting a stereo with headphones was my first chance to escape into my own head, and I was in my teens by then.

Perhaps this clip from the film Repo Man is good for a chuckle:

https://youtu.be/sAO0owc4xeY

It’s funny how the child rearing seems to have gone from ignoring children, generally speaking, to making them the center of the universe. Both ends of the spectrum seem wrong to me, but what do I know.

It’s interesting how parents have become so controlling of their children in trying to mold them into world class musicians, athletes, or whatever, but that has perhaps always been so.

The opposite is not good, that of parents who consider themselves non-musical and then don’t think that their children should have music lessons, or can go to college.

Your uncle and his children reminds me of a large Irish family one street from where I grew up. Somehow, the father managed to pay for music lessons for the lot of brothers, there were four, and those brothers went on to form a relatively well known local bar band and one became a music teachers. There was a sister, not sure about her. I got no instruments and no lessons. I heard a story that the father beat time so loudly on the piano with his foot that he put a hole through the floor.

It's interesting reading about the various experiences you folk had growing up. I was interested in music growing up, but my parents never supported the pursuit of it. No pianos, music lessons, etc., for me. I did buy a drum set as a teenager and thumped around on that for a few years.

Now, I'm pushing 50-years-old, and I only have a few years of experience playing the piano. I wish my parents were supportive of music. I wish I would have taken lessons when I was young so that I would be able to sit at the piano and just play rather than spending so much time now having to learn how to play.

My parents were never physically or emotionally abusive to me. Although, my father did abandon our family when I was 12. So my dear mother (RIP) had to work to support us, and that meant she was not home much.

It was very nice - in the video I posted - to see an intact family and parents so supportive and loving toward their child that they would provide her with everything she needs to succeed in life. I can't buy my children a Bösendorfer, but I can be present in their lives, love them and provide what I'm able to for their success. I just bought my youngest son (9-year-old) a nice Baby Taylor guitar (it's a Christmas present, so don't tell him ) and I'm looking forward to sitting down and going over his first lessons with him.

God Bless,
David

Exactly. A dear friend did exactly this. Brand new Steinway B, with the player system. Nobody plays, though of course it was purchased with the vague rationale that the kids would take lessons, which they did. For a few months. It sits in the salon of their enormous house mostly because that's what has probably always been there since the house was built over a hundred years ago.

But Steinway needs many of that kind of sale for each piano that goes to someone who actually plays a piano like that.

I am all for it and would never feel negatively towards anybody who buys a piano as a piece of furniture. I want Steinway to be around when it's time for me to buy mine.

Growing up we had more musical instruments in the house than we had furniture. At one time had a Hammond B3 with large tone cabinet, up-right piano, vibraphone, full set of drums, acoustic bass and of course bongos, guitar and such. It all got used even if it was just when the pro's got jamming. Musically it was great, but we ate on the floor. Well, not really.

I was proud of my Dad as a musician, but he was a performer and a hard person to know. There was a lot of grief in our family, so not something I would wish for next time if we could do it all again. It was not terrible, but not all Wine and Roses either.

Back in those days, being a musician meant being mostly poor. Starving artists as they were referred to. That was our family.

I wasn't downplaying that they got the Steinway. It was more one of the relatives ribbing me about the piano just sitting around and not being used.

The owners actually hired a professional piano player multiple times for parties so it does get used
a little

I enjoyed watching the video as the child is having a blast playing.

It used to bother me that amazing pianos would just sit around not being used but now I realize that there needs to be many pianos sitting around not being used just so one of them can sit around to be played to its capacity by someone who can make great use of it.

I'm all for helping contribute to the impression of Steinway/Bosendorfer/Bechstein as exclusive, desirable, luxury items just so those companies can continue to sink labor hours into making them to the exacting standards that they could not afford to do without it.

It's a bizarre divide, but there you have it: the people who can make most use of the object are typically the very people who cannot afford to buy it. If we limited high-end piano buying to those that could both a) afford it and b) make the best use of it, we'd have a very short list of extremely successful famous pianists as customers, and extremely naturally talented children lucky enough to have wealthy parents (see above). And no piano company can stay in business with a single digit customer list!

Doesn’t matter whether it gets made use of. I don’t get why people think it must be used by some amazing pianist. Even if someone bought a high end piano and never touched it that’s fine who cares. It’s not a waste at all not sure why people act like there are rules to pianos. Like Marie kondo says if it brings you joy that’s what matters.

I look at it this way - if someone hadn't bought a new Yamaha C3 back in 1987 and taken great care of it, but hardly ever played it, then I couldn't have bought it used and gotten a great piano...

Sam

While it seems like a waste not to play a nice grand piano, I agree with that philosophy, "if it brings you joy, etc."

I know some people who buy expensive jewelry only to keep it in a safe. They never wear it, but only take it out sometimes to look at it. If it brings you joy...

God Bless,
David

A few years ago there was the story of the pizza delivery man in the US. He was just an ordinary guy doing his job. 1 day he came to a house. A man opened the door. The wife was at the office. The delivery man was curious about the piano inside. The man in the house inherited the piano from somewhere and knows nothing about the instrument. He can't play. The pizza delivery man sat down and started playing the last movement of the Beethoven Moonlight Sonata. The man in the house was so impressed he recorded a video for his wife and the video went viral online.

Many pianos sit at home like pieces of furniture. The rare chance that somebody would play a song on it makes the living room more lively. A few weeks ago I had a virtual meeting with a friend through Zoom. He had his violin out and I was in front of the keyboard. I don't have a high-end instrument to show, just a few songs we played recently. He played me his version of "Danny Boy" in G and I played my version in F followed by the church hymn "Morning Has Broken".

If I win a lottery ticket, a good acoustic may /may not be on the shopping list. I haven't seen a piano in the house since age 5. I'm used to playing on a keyboard for the last decade so don't really miss owning an acoustic. While a high-end piano may bring joy to some people, others would rather keep it out of sight. Every time you have a family gathering, the guests see a piano in the living room and ask you to play something. You feel embarrassed to tell them nobody at home can play especially when a few people took music lessons.

I completely agree Sam. Our situations are similar, I have a gently used Kawai SK-7 that I would never had owned if I had to buy it new.

That's an awesome gift! I'm glad there are people who are wealthy that do things like this. I'm sure this girl will put that piano to good use. Very cool indeed. Such young talent!

I would treasure her talent more than her piano.

It's nice when things align so that someone with a great talent gets the piano of her dreams.

I feel sorry for the old piano in the corner

I hope it finds a good home where it’s loved.

I always feel sorry for unloved pianos.

I feel sorry for unloved pianos as well. I don’t think I will ever forget a small grand sitting in a hotel alcove. It was locked so I asked for permission to play. Per the hotel manager, it was never tuned, never played. Mere decoration with a large vase of flowers on the lid. How sad it was (and that is what I told the manager). I can picture everything about the environment, including the color of the flowers and wall paint color, years later.