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ventaWhen I was writing about my nice, lazy time between Christmas and New Year, I mentioned in passing that I'd done something very exciting on New Year's Eve.
Although I probably should have qualified that it was possibly only very exciting if you're me.
I spent a while chatting to a lady (who had huge crucifix earrings and a "JESUS" tattoo on her wrist), and then I gave her a lot of money. She told me to wait until I was contacted by a man named Silas.
Silas brought me this:
Wow. I don't think I've ever had such a giant parcel delivered.
Oh, look, it seems to have a flat pack in it.
Can you see what it is yet?
I got busy building. But then I got to the part which the instructions stipulate is a two-person job. And I considered it. And I decided that the scope for disaster if I took it on by myself was immense.
So I had a little read of the instruction manual while I waited for ChrisC to finish his phone call and come and help me.
What?
You thought I'd have a box that large delivered and not play in it?
Hours of harmless amusement.
Anyway. We carefully settled the top part onto the frame, and look what I've got!
A whole, actual digital piano of my very own.
Never mind the complexities of getting something as heavy and bulky as a proper piano up to a second-floor flat, and finding space for it to stand; I have neighbours in four directions. An acoustic piano was never a realistic option.
However, my new friend has a volume control and a headphone jack. I can (and indeed did, on Sunday) hammer away at nearly midnight without disturbing anyone. As digital pianos go, he's a relatively cheap one; not the bottom of the range, but the best compromise between what I could afford, what had an action good enough that I could enjoy playing it, and what would fit in our corridor.
When trying out pianos in Chappell of Bond Street[*] I did nearly fall in love with a glossy, ebony hybrid grand - the only problem being that it was far too large to fit in the space available, and massively out of my price range. Oh wait, that's two problems. However, the new arrival and I have been getting on very well thus far.
Of course... the minor downside is that I last had easy access to a piano in 1999 when I could book a practice room at university. So I basically haven't played in well over a decade. And... um. Let's just say it's not quite like riding a bike. I have been slowly and painfully fighting my way through The Golliwog's Cakewalk (which the free book of piano music[**] which arrived in the large box has carefully retitled Cakewalk). It's a real favourite of mine, and something which I used to be able to play easily. It's probably best for everyone that there are headphones.
However, on Sunday evening I had a ceremonial play-through of a Beethoven sonata[***] and went to bed happy :)
[*] Which, incidentally, is on Wardour Street.
[**] Which I largely ignored, because I assumed it would be simple re-arrangements of the usual selection of lollipops. It isn't; it's actually a remarkably decent selection of popular pieces, and fills in a lot of gaps of bits of sheet music I've mislaid (or, more probably, left in odd corners at my parents' house).
[***] In G major (No.20, Op.49 No.2), for the curious. Yes, yes, since you mention it, one of the very easy ones.
Although I probably should have qualified that it was possibly only very exciting if you're me.
I spent a while chatting to a lady (who had huge crucifix earrings and a "JESUS" tattoo on her wrist), and then I gave her a lot of money. She told me to wait until I was contacted by a man named Silas.
Silas brought me this:
Wow. I don't think I've ever had such a giant parcel delivered.
Oh, look, it seems to have a flat pack in it.
 |
 |
Can you see what it is yet?
I got busy building. But then I got to the part which the instructions stipulate is a two-person job. And I considered it. And I decided that the scope for disaster if I took it on by myself was immense.
So I had a little read of the instruction manual while I waited for ChrisC to finish his phone call and come and help me.
What?
You thought I'd have a box that large delivered and not play in it?
 |
 |
Hours of harmless amusement.
Anyway. We carefully settled the top part onto the frame, and look what I've got!
A whole, actual digital piano of my very own.
Never mind the complexities of getting something as heavy and bulky as a proper piano up to a second-floor flat, and finding space for it to stand; I have neighbours in four directions. An acoustic piano was never a realistic option.
However, my new friend has a volume control and a headphone jack. I can (and indeed did, on Sunday) hammer away at nearly midnight without disturbing anyone. As digital pianos go, he's a relatively cheap one; not the bottom of the range, but the best compromise between what I could afford, what had an action good enough that I could enjoy playing it, and what would fit in our corridor.
When trying out pianos in Chappell of Bond Street[*] I did nearly fall in love with a glossy, ebony hybrid grand - the only problem being that it was far too large to fit in the space available, and massively out of my price range. Oh wait, that's two problems. However, the new arrival and I have been getting on very well thus far.
Of course... the minor downside is that I last had easy access to a piano in 1999 when I could book a practice room at university. So I basically haven't played in well over a decade. And... um. Let's just say it's not quite like riding a bike. I have been slowly and painfully fighting my way through The Golliwog's Cakewalk (which the free book of piano music[**] which arrived in the large box has carefully retitled Cakewalk). It's a real favourite of mine, and something which I used to be able to play easily. It's probably best for everyone that there are headphones.
However, on Sunday evening I had a ceremonial play-through of a Beethoven sonata[***] and went to bed happy :)
[*] Which, incidentally, is on Wardour Street.
[**] Which I largely ignored, because I assumed it would be simple re-arrangements of the usual selection of lollipops. It isn't; it's actually a remarkably decent selection of popular pieces, and fills in a lot of gaps of bits of sheet music I've mislaid (or, more probably, left in odd corners at my parents' house).
[***] In G major (No.20, Op.49 No.2), for the curious. Yes, yes, since you mention it, one of the very easy ones.
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 03:54 pm (UTC)It's quite odd, actually, because my head can still play everything but my hands... just...won't... do the right things.
I'm actually wondering if it might be a slightly similar sensation to early stages of various neurological problems! (Not that I think I'm suffering from any.)
no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 04:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 04:14 pm (UTC)Look at something like Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette. Close up, the individual brushstrokes are larger (lower resolution) than some of the actual detail he's painting. Superficially this sounds impossible, but it isn't, because he matches the shapes of the strokes themselves to shapes he wants in the painting.
Trying to do this and getting it slightly wrong is disastrous, though. Which is what happens if you're out of practice at guessing exactly what the paint's going to do. (So yes, I suppose more the latter of your descriptions than the former.)
no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 04:19 pm (UTC)Which means I have to go to Paris, right?
no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 04:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-13 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-10 05:17 pm (UTC)