The first piano built in the United States was completed 250 years ago, in 1763. The Boston Gazette reported on September 18 that creator John Harris called the instrument a spinet.
I own a spinet piano. I don’t actually play the piano, but I have one anyway. I bought it with my very first paycheck from the Ocean Beach School District. It was the first substantial piece of furniture I purchased when I moved to Long Beach in 1977. (My apartment was rented fully furnished.)
A piano wouldn’t fit in my car. Therefore, I couldn’t just up and move when the mood struck me. That was what I told myself, anyway, and the theory has held true.
Over the years, I’ve taken lessons from some very fine piano teachers. I’ve desperately wanted to learn to play, but apparently I have two left hands or something. No way have I ever managed to get both hands to work independently from each other on the keyboard. Believe me, I’ve tried.
So I’ve got this friend I call “The Piano Man,” and he comes from Shoreline (formerly north Seattle) once a year to show me how it’s done. And after he complains about how out-of-tune I let it get, he plays Christmas Carols for a fabulous holiday sing-along.
What a joy it is to have someone dust off those keys! I eagerly look forward to it—once every year.
