The Silent Piano

It looks like a normal piano, doesn’t it? But when you press the keys, there’s no sound. It’s been in this sorry state for a few days now, ever since the piano tuner took away the mechanism inside to do some repairs. All the felt pads and little leather tabs on the hammers are being replaced which means that the dreaded ‘clicky keys’ will be a thing of the past. Of course, now that it’s silent, I keep wanting to play it every time I walk past …

The piano is about ninety years old so it’s not surprising that it’s a bit worn. It belonged to my Grandmother who gave it to me when I started learning to play at the age of nine. My best friend was from a musical family and I think going to play with her was the first time I saw a piano in someone’s house. So thank-you Heather for a lifetime of music.

The other person I have to thank is my Great-Grandfather who bought the piano in the late 1920s. He took Granny up to London on the train when she was about thirteen and bought it for her on a whim in Selfridges. They weren’t a well-off family and nobody played so that must have been quite a day.

This piano has moved house quite a few times and even survived the ceiling falling on it a few years ago so it deserves some care. I can’t wait to be able to play it again.