*Recently, I have been enjoying a unique privilege: to weekly perform on an incredible (beautiful Steinway full grand piano) instrument. This also happens to be coupled with immediate feedback from trained ears - another HUGE privilege. Most students call this 'piano studio' - and it usually isn't appreciated until way after the fact.
And I appreciate it now. A lot.
I didn't 'get' it back in undergrad - it wasn't appreciated as a luxury because it became expected. Access to excellent instruments often isn't appreciated at the time because performers don't know the range of suck-ness that exists out there: the disparate jangling of notes eliciting a sympathetic jangling of nerves - missing notes, strings, etc. Pedals not working. Keyboards with only 4 octaves. Pianos barely in tune with themselves, sticking keys (rising slowly by the minutest of increments), keys that draw blood upon trying to execute a glissando - or how about keyboards that have notes that do not sound**.
It's so wonderful to hear how an ideal instrument can fill a room. The world is filled with non-ideal piano situations - that much more reason to enjoy the access to excellent instruments when/while you can.
*I wrote this and forgot to post it during the school year.
**Or worse - my latest experience has been with a keyboard that the F#2? sounded like it was being smacked with a hammer, no matter how delicately you touched it.
And I appreciate it now. A lot.
I didn't 'get' it back in undergrad - it wasn't appreciated as a luxury because it became expected. Access to excellent instruments often isn't appreciated at the time because performers don't know the range of suck-ness that exists out there: the disparate jangling of notes eliciting a sympathetic jangling of nerves - missing notes, strings, etc. Pedals not working. Keyboards with only 4 octaves. Pianos barely in tune with themselves, sticking keys (rising slowly by the minutest of increments), keys that draw blood upon trying to execute a glissando - or how about keyboards that have notes that do not sound**.
It's so wonderful to hear how an ideal instrument can fill a room. The world is filled with non-ideal piano situations - that much more reason to enjoy the access to excellent instruments when/while you can.
*I wrote this and forgot to post it during the school year.
**Or worse - my latest experience has been with a keyboard that the F#2? sounded like it was being smacked with a hammer, no matter how delicately you touched it.
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