Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Piano
Yesterday, I had my mother's Steinway baby grand piano delivered to our house, after spending over four years in storage following her death in 2004. As chibiguri has previously evidenced an interest in musical instruments, I was curious to see how he would respond to the arrival of our very own keyboard instrument.
At first, he was not interested, as he did not appear to understand exactly what this new piece of furniture was. However, once I showed him the keyboard, memory kicked in and he immediately wanted to push down on the keys. I had to remind him that banging was not permitted- one should press gently but firmly on the keys so as to prevent damage from occurring. Once he understood this idea, chibiguri was fascinated.
he spent quite some time at the piano, pushing various keys. Which he is not yet able to create melodies, he was not untuneful either. In fact, I was quite impressed by his technique at such a young age. I believe that once he is old enough to take lessons, he will develop some skill on the keys. At least I hope so. Piano is an instrument that can bring a great deal of pleasure, whether one plays professionally or merely for personal enjoyment.
However, simply pressing the keys was not all that fascinated chibiguri. He quickly realized the there were various parts of the piano that opened and closed- specifically the music rack. I ensured that chibiguri does not yet know that the keyboard lid and the main lid open, but he did observe me opening the music rack, and instantly wanted to open and close it. As we were tinkling the ivories, he continuously demanded that I open and shut the music rack- he was deeply interested in watching me fold it open and closed. I dread the day he realizes that there are many more places on the piano that can also be opened and closed. I shall have to do my utmost to make sure he does not discover said areas until he is old enough to understand their purpose.
However, now that we have the piano, both Amaguri and I are planning to take some piano lessons- we both would like to be able to play piano better than we do at present. Since my sister was a former professional pianist, I am hoping that she can display her formidable skills for chibiguri's education and enjoyment. And I find myself looking forward to the day when all of us will be able to participate in playing music together. A musical family is one that shares an interest and this can be a wonderful way to bring disparate people together.
At first, he was not interested, as he did not appear to understand exactly what this new piece of furniture was. However, once I showed him the keyboard, memory kicked in and he immediately wanted to push down on the keys. I had to remind him that banging was not permitted- one should press gently but firmly on the keys so as to prevent damage from occurring. Once he understood this idea, chibiguri was fascinated.
he spent quite some time at the piano, pushing various keys. Which he is not yet able to create melodies, he was not untuneful either. In fact, I was quite impressed by his technique at such a young age. I believe that once he is old enough to take lessons, he will develop some skill on the keys. At least I hope so. Piano is an instrument that can bring a great deal of pleasure, whether one plays professionally or merely for personal enjoyment.
However, simply pressing the keys was not all that fascinated chibiguri. He quickly realized the there were various parts of the piano that opened and closed- specifically the music rack. I ensured that chibiguri does not yet know that the keyboard lid and the main lid open, but he did observe me opening the music rack, and instantly wanted to open and close it. As we were tinkling the ivories, he continuously demanded that I open and shut the music rack- he was deeply interested in watching me fold it open and closed. I dread the day he realizes that there are many more places on the piano that can also be opened and closed. I shall have to do my utmost to make sure he does not discover said areas until he is old enough to understand their purpose.
However, now that we have the piano, both Amaguri and I are planning to take some piano lessons- we both would like to be able to play piano better than we do at present. Since my sister was a former professional pianist, I am hoping that she can display her formidable skills for chibiguri's education and enjoyment. And I find myself looking forward to the day when all of us will be able to participate in playing music together. A musical family is one that shares an interest and this can be a wonderful way to bring disparate people together.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Parades & Pianos
chibiguri has long evidenced an interest in music. SO this past weekend, as I had to play in the Los Altos Pet Parade with a group from the South Bay Traditional Jazz Society, I decided to take him along. I knew that since there would be a large number of animals, this would be a good opportunity to try him out and see how he behaved in such a situation.
To my pleasure, he was very well-behaved. As usual, he was shy, since he didn't remember the rest of the band, but he sat on my lap throughout the parade, and enjoyed the sights and sounds. There were a number of animals, ranging from horses, to dogs to other pets, and he was quite pleased. I think he enjoyed being the center of attention as well.
After the parade finished, we stopped by the local Sherman Clay store for some accessories for the piano. while there, the salesman showed us the Steinway Room, wherein they had a piano from the Van Cliburn collection, as well as one from the Vladimir Horowitz collection.
chibiguri was fascinated by all the pianos, and began to play as many of them as he could. To my pleasure, instead of banging, he pressed the keys, and though his technique left something to be desired, he was not abusive, and he demonstrated some musicality in his choice of key combinations. I was pleased with this, and with the store's permission, allowed him to continue playing until he let me know that he was ready to leave.
I think that chibiguri will be a musician- it only remains to see what instrument he decides to take up. I would hope that he decides on brass, but if he chooses something else, I will be equally pleased. As long as he stays away from drums and guitar- those two are definitely not my first preference!
To my pleasure, he was very well-behaved. As usual, he was shy, since he didn't remember the rest of the band, but he sat on my lap throughout the parade, and enjoyed the sights and sounds. There were a number of animals, ranging from horses, to dogs to other pets, and he was quite pleased. I think he enjoyed being the center of attention as well.
After the parade finished, we stopped by the local Sherman Clay store for some accessories for the piano. while there, the salesman showed us the Steinway Room, wherein they had a piano from the Van Cliburn collection, as well as one from the Vladimir Horowitz collection.
chibiguri was fascinated by all the pianos, and began to play as many of them as he could. To my pleasure, instead of banging, he pressed the keys, and though his technique left something to be desired, he was not abusive, and he demonstrated some musicality in his choice of key combinations. I was pleased with this, and with the store's permission, allowed him to continue playing until he let me know that he was ready to leave.
I think that chibiguri will be a musician- it only remains to see what instrument he decides to take up. I would hope that he decides on brass, but if he chooses something else, I will be equally pleased. As long as he stays away from drums and guitar- those two are definitely not my first preference!
Labels: music, parades, pianos
