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Does he protect the good ? Or is he a bad dog 🐕?

Well, he’s guarding something at the school, so presumably good, but the kids have to get past it, so an obstacle of sorts.

Yea, this thread has taken a rather unusual turn, OT or not. But that is not at all unusual here on PW. If all the threads here on PW were strictly about pianos, and nothing but, it could be rather boring, I suppose. But when discussing pianos, we also discuss people. People and pianos go hand in hand. Pianos are no good without people to play them.

Also, I think the subject of the thread is somewhat broad and allows for the use of our imagination, to an extent, and meant to be entertaining as well as technical, I suppose.

That said, I think I will take the thread in a slightly different direction, while staying on topic to an extent, yet drifting into the twilight zone as well.

The other day while scanning Facebook, (although I'm not a longtime FB member, and joined a few years ago) there was a video in my news feed that showed the movie actor, Anthony Hopkins, playing a Bosendorfer grand piano. So, with my interest peeked, both for the actor and the piano, I listened to his video.

Now, keep in mind, that when I think of Anthony Hopkins, I inevitably think of him as the character he played in the movie "Silence of the Lambs", in which he played a deranged, but highly intelligent and gifted Psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. In the movie, Dr. Lector had a bad habit of murdering and eating certain body parts of some of his patients/victims; he also killed and eat certain people he found annoying, or he just didn't like.

So, Anthony Hopkins, regardless of all the movies he has ever played in, will always be "Hannibal the cannibal" to me. I cannot seem to separate the two, in my own mind at least, although I know it was only one of many roles he played as an actor.

Now, getting back to the Anthony Hopkin's fine Bosendorfer grand piano, not only did the piano sound very good, but his playing was also good. In fact, there was a scene where he played the piano in one of his "Hannibal the cannibal" movies.

In the Facebook video of Hannibal the cannibal Anthony Hopkins playing his Bosendorfer, I must say I enjoyed it much! Not sure what model it was, but it was a larger size grand, and had the Bosendorfer logo on the right side of the case. He played a nice Classical piece, although I'm not keen on recognizing the names or composers of Classical music.

I'm sure Anthony Hopkins felt he deserved the very best piano, and, I'm quite sure he could afford any piano in the world he would want.

So, it is not only snakes and other reptiles who kill and eat their prey. Dr. Hannibal Lecter did a good job at it as well.

Rick

Unfortunately, my M&H BB is constricted to a pianist who isn't capable of unlocking it's full potential. But neither the piano nor the pianist are complaining.

Well we all have our foibles, faults, eccentricities. I was too much of a scary cat to even watch Silence of the Lambs,.
I would have like to hear him play that Bosendorfer. When we first moved into this house we had a mouse problem.
Small creatures that moved like lightning .Of course the only way to solve the problem was with mouse traps.
At night I would hear the traps going off. I felt a little like
a murderess, and would say a quick prayer or wish them well
in heaven.........
Anyway no more mice running around .Of course if we did have a cat it would have solved the problem too. But I could not very well hire a cat , and of course my husband does have his cat phobia.

Actually we have heard you play Carey so I am sure your M&H
is lucky to have you as an owner.

I just bought a car. An SUV actually. I doubt I will ever use all of the space it offers. I am unlikely to use it to tow something or even go offroading with it. I will never drive it anywhere near its top speed. It has lots and lots of bells and whistles in its navigation and entertainment/info system not only that I will never use, but I wont even be aware of what I am not using. I like it though and can afford it. I have room for it at my house. Do I get to keep it, or do I need to sell it to someone who will make more use of its capabilities than I will?

I was out test driving more pianos today, and heard a lovely pianist making a Yamaha U1 sing from the other side of the showroom. Ideally, everyone can afford to have the finest instrument possible, but a talented musician can make just about anything sound good. If I was constricted, I would say it is probably to a nice Yamaha U1 or U3. A workhorse piano for someone going through the grind of trying to develop his skills. One day I'll be able to make it sing like she could.

Last time I visited a piano store (several years ago), the salesperson helping me complimented me on my playing. Said I sounded like Floyd Cramer.

I was flattered, but figured the compliment was part of the sales strategy, because my playing ain't that good. :-)

That said, I do enjoy watching and hearing others play whose skills far exceed my own. That is one way we learn, especially if we are visual, and aural learners.

Getting back to judging our own piano playing skill level, speaking for myself, it is never as well as I'd like for it to be, and, at times, not as good as it has been in the past, it seems. But I keep plugging away at it, and I do manage to entertain myself a good bit.

It is nice if our piano playing is something we enjoy
And hopefully, if others hear, will not annoy
For our music is a comfort, and a form of art
And a wonderful expression we share from the heart

Rick

Love the poetry Rick!

I think your posts in this thread are very relevant. It also makes me remember the very reason I play piano. I enjoy listening to the piano’s voice from the driver’s seat (the piano bench). I enjoy the physical feel of the piano’s response to my meager playing technique. I also enjoy that my playing seems better to me when I play a great piano. Even though my performance skills would only get me a small Baldwin upright, I can still hear and feel the improvement when I play a Bosendorfer, Schimmel K and my Estonia. If nothing else, my practice serves to make me a more deserving owner and better partner in letting my Estonia sing. My 2 cents.

Good tools are always worth it, no matter your skill level. Over the course of my life I've purchased more than one 10-piece set of pots and pans (for example) for $69.95. Stuff burned, the pots warped, they got scratched, they made me despair of ever preparing a nice dish of food. Now I know: just a couple of high quality pots, a saute pan, and a skillet will last me for the rest of my life and they make cooking a joy.

Same with pianos. If you can afford it, get the best regardless of your skill level. Based on skill level, the Melissa and Doug piano would do, but darn it, my C3X makes me happy. And maybe makes me a better player.

Thats the point , a good piano will make you play better. A creative tone and a good response, what can be more encouraging to help one focus on what you are playing.
It could even help one focus more on better ways , approaches on how to practice.

Lady Bird,
You are the person who surely deserves to own the Sauter Omega. If for some reason I decide to return o Switzerland, I will sell my Sauter Omega, which is still in pristine condition, to you a little over the price of the Schimmel so you can own your dream piano.

Do not tempt me Vuong !
I know there are others here though that know the true musical value of the Sauter Omega. In a pm to me one of the truly remarkable pianists here told me how much he admired the Sauter Omega.
He has said it recently here too .In fact it was terminaldegree himself who chose that piano in staff picks . It is
interesting to read what he wrote in that article in describing that piano.
Regarding my new Schimmel K132 , yes I really love it and am able to practice more too ! Which is good.
I now shall start fantazing about buying your Omega ??? 😄
🌹 💐🌹

Are we allowed an AvantGrand too?

Of course you can have an AvantGrand Withindale !

"We all have the pianos we deserve, but not always the pianos we need."

It depends on the type of music you play. If you are a fan of big flashy romantic music by Chopin, Liszt or Rachmaninoff, then you will be more happy with a Bösendorfer Imperial than if you play mostly Mozart or Bach.

Also, if you play rock, pop and jazz, you might want a piano which allows you to put the emphasis on rhythm.

And if you dabble in many genres for fun, then a nice small piano (grand or upright) is just right, I guess. Like my Yamaha C2 with Silent System.

As for deserving: In a capitalistic society, anyone who can afford a piano and pays for it deserves it. Even if they only use it as furniture, or worse, for an "art performance" that can only be performed once...