Getting piano feasible when only you in the house or apart.
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
December 10, 2009 11:13am CST
I know that there are lots here who have husbands and families or do not live alone. Now my husband does not want a piano right now. He has not even wanted it since we were married and that was for over 30 years. I did manage to sneak in a spinet organ and he does not like that but tolerates it because he discovered I can sing. Now for history. up until I was 14 we had a piano but our father got rid of it when mother passed. So I have the feeling that for a lot of Low Germans and Germans that were farmers, piano was a luxury, etc.
I never had enough money to get one for my own and if I wanted to play the piano, I had to go to my friends' houses after I left my foster mother's who had a piano and let me play hers a lot, but of course, if you do not have enough time, you run out of practice and although I can play by ear, I have difficulty with the notes on the left hand. I am good at picking up a tune by ear, etc. and the right hand.
Now I am singing, and when I do practice, they cannot come here and give lessons as the pieces I choose require a piano and the spinet organ even if it is an organ piece, is not a full organ.
Now our church runs a second hand bible shop that supports the poor and sometimes they get a second hand piano that they will sell from $100 to $600 and that does not include the tuning. Now I could not afford one right now as I am saving up for something else, but after I get that, I will save for a piano. Now sometimes a member moves and they announce that "so and so has a piano for sale, if anyone wants to,etc." so there is a good chance that might happen and if my husband said yes, I would sacrifice and buy it. I would love my husband to change his mind, but in the case he does not and he has als so there is a good chance that he will die within a year or so. i was wondering this.
Is it feasible for me to get a piano when I become a widow? Or is the piano just for people who are part of a couple, or have a family staying with them? Has anyone here not been able to get one until they lived alone and did they feel it was worth it?
3 people like this
11 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
10 Dec 09
Suspenseful, if you want a piano, do whatever you can to get one. I live alone and I have had one for years and enjoy it alone more than I ever could when I had a family that was always wanting to do something else that playing the piano interrupted. I can play whenever I want to now. Buy yourself a piano!
4 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
11 Dec 09
I am now planning to save for one for one of the objections of my husband in that there is no room to put it is gone. I just did a little arranging so now that will be on my wish list. If a second hand one comes up very cheap that just needs a little tuning, I will try to get it and I hope by that time, my husband will no longer object.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
26 Dec 09
I heard that tuning only costs about one hundred dollars, and I can get a decent piano for about 400 dollars. I cannot afford to get one now, but in the future Iiwll have enough to save for one.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
11 Dec 09
I intend to get one. It will have to be after I get my new computer, but I will save for it. I just hope there are not other expenses that would kill it.
2 people like this
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
Playing the piano will give you a lot of relaxation, and although he may not realise it, piano music is VERY soothing for someone with als. I have just piano CDs playing in the background all the time I am working.
Might I suggest getting an Anthony Burger CD and see how he responds? I have his Hymns Collection which is in the Gaither Gospel Series - the most relaxing music, soft and slow and peaceful. It might introduce him to the idea of having a piano in the house.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
10 Dec 09
He thinks we do not have enough room, but since he got als we had the house renovated. Now all we need to do is to get rid of that extra chair and the foot stool that we do not use. I think he thinks that I will not use it a lot. Or maybe he thinks I am not that accomplished pianist. My friend said not to get one while he is depressed, but I do not know about it. I cannot afford one right now, but if there is one that is offered at a low price, I could buy it. The trouble is that if I had the money, I could get a digital 88 key keyboard without the stand and that could be sneaked in the house, but that would be expensive whereas a regular sized piano that is not digital has to come through the front door and he will notice it.
2 people like this
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
10 Dec 09
We move so much that we have a keyboard for the kids, a piano would never work for us. I guess if you can get one and have it to practice with that would be good. My wife's mom has a piano and when I saw it I sat down and started playing, my wife didn't know I knew how and her family was shocked.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
11 Dec 09
I was thinking of a keyboard, but many of the keyboards here are the 61 key board types and if I wanted to get an 88 keyboard I would have to buy one from a place in the west end. For some reason, they think that all we do around here are play guitars.
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
11 Dec 09
For goodness sakes, Suspenseful! Pianos are for anyone who loves them--married, single, young, old--why would any of that be relevant? 
I'd buy it as soon as I had the money, were I you! I mean, what's he going to do? Gripe? You get that now--for free! LOL! So just get one you can afford, & have it tuned. Enjoy it! If he likes your singing, then sing when you play! Life is just too short for such nonsense. Buy it & have fun playing, hun. Wish I could hear you sing. Heck, I wish I still could! (Well, bull frogs sing, too, but they seldom get applause...
)
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
I'd buy it as soon as I had the money, were I you! I mean, what's he going to do? Gripe? You get that now--for free! LOL! So just get one you can afford, & have it tuned. Enjoy it! If he likes your singing, then sing when you play! Life is just too short for such nonsense. Buy it & have fun playing, hun. Wish I could hear you sing. Heck, I wish I still could! (Well, bull frogs sing, too, but they seldom get applause...)
Maggiepie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Dec 09
I intend to. I think that he will probably change his mind. It is just that he has be brought up believing that what the man wants goes. I have changed his mind on several things, but this will be a big hurdle. I do not have the money for it and right now we have some very big bills to pay, so it will have to wait. But I have always had it in the back of my mind to get one.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
11 Dec 09
I do not have the money for one, but if one is offered for free or almost nothing, I want to say yes. I was in the second hand over two years ago, and I told my husband that there was a piano there for almost nothing, and he said no way. It would have cost just $100 to have it tuned and it would have been okay.
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
12 Dec 09
All I can say is you must love him an aaaaaaaawwwwful lot! I'd have to be crazy in love to put up with all the shenanigans he pulls (that you've told us of, at least!). 
He must be doing something you like! Want to clear up the mystery? 
(Teasing, but only some, hun! Get the piano as soon as you can afford it!)
Maggipie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
He must be doing something you like! Want to clear up the mystery?
(Teasing, but only some, hun! Get the piano as soon as you can afford it!)
Maggipie
WHERE'S THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE?1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
11 Dec 09
that is why I want his okay as well. I do not want to sneak it in. I could do that with a digital one since often they are just a platform, but with a regular piano it is hard.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
12 Dec 09
Honestly, if you want a piano, get one.
I understand you want peace with your husband, but, after you get this thing you are saving for now - start saving for a piano - and get one as soon as you can.
I'm not musical, but I think if you want one, go for it!
I know a single man who has a piano at mom's place and he plays all the time (I can hear him practicing when I walk past his room) AND he also plays for events at the Manor.
You want one, get it - and as soon as you can!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Dec 09
I want one to help my singing. I was told that my voice is not loud enough so then I sang it loud, but using the digital recorder close up, I sounded like a fishwife. Now it could be that I am white and we have softer voices and when we try to sing loud, we do sound like fishwives, but I feel if I can get a handle on what I sound like compared to the piano, I may be able to increase my natural singing volume without feeling I am shouting"Fresh Cod for Sale!" in a sing song voice. I plan to get one after the computer. just hope that nothing goes wrong.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
12 Dec 09
If I were you, I would definitely get one later on. Music is an important part of your life and sustains your spirit as well as allowing you to express your love for God. To you, it's probably as important as fuel is for a car. It doesn't matter that nobody is around to hear you play when you practice, it's how you express yourself and it brings you joy. You will need something like that. I hope you can start saving a little now so that you can get one later.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Dec 09
Oh I need the practice and I need other things just as much. I am having a harder time saving now as there are so many things that we need to pay for and for some reason the expenses keep piling up. And a piano would brighten my spirit, but it is like the computer, I would rather pay it off in one shot and have the money for it right away. With my luck if it were on time, something would go wrong.
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
27 Dec 09
Gee, whillikers, Suspense! You gave me both of the Best Response marks!? I'm stunned. Flabbergasted, even! And really, really pleased! Thank you! What an embarrassment of riches! You like me! You really like me!
But seriously, what a sweet Christmas present. HUGS!
Maggiepie
MERRY CHRISTMAS! FELIZ NAVIDAD! BLESSED NATIVITY!
But seriously, what a sweet Christmas present. HUGS!
Maggiepie
MERRY CHRISTMAS! FELIZ NAVIDAD! BLESSED NATIVITY!
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
11 Dec 09
Hi suspenseful! I've had a piano just about all my life. I never have married, which means I live alone, and I still have a piano. Both of my sisters have always had a piano, too. My oldest sister loves to play. My sister who lives in Birmingham, which is an hour drive from here, is divorced and she has a piano. I don't think it matters whether you live alone or not if you enjoy it. Not only do I play the piano, but I also play the guitar and the harmonica. I also sing. As a matter of fact, I sing in the Walker County Christian Chorus every year and we put on a performance of the Messiah every first Monday night in December. We did the performance this past Monday night and it turned out very well. I had a solo. I actually spend more time singing and playing the guitar than I do singing and playing the piano. I've just always liked the guitar better. Kathy.
Kathy.