Someone Die and Leave me a Steinway Please

While I love my Casio Privia--a very awe inspiring electronic keyboard--the keys are what keyboard snobbists call semi-weighted. They sort-of provide the feel and action of playing a real piano. Here's the rub: If you train on a real piano, like the mighty Steinway, and then move down to the semi-weighted keys of an electronic keyboard, then it's okay. But if you do most of your training (as I do) on an electronic keyboard and then are suddenly confronted with the heavier keys of a Grand Piano, well, that's another story.

When I first began this odyssey seven months ago, the difference wasn't that apparent to me. Now I play faster and with greater sensitivity and I'm running into real difficulty. When I go to my lessons it takes ten minutes or more before I can adapt to the Steinway. It was hilarious when I began, with great confidence, to play Joplin's The Entertainer, and my hands were completely out of synch. I'll bet the look on my face was priceless when insead of that strutting cocky melody, disastrous cacophony staggered forth. Because you see, my fingers were performing the correct movements and I expected the end result to be somewhat more successful. But the keys were heavier and required a more forceful attack and quicker release. My teacher timidly asked, "Did you practice the rhythm?" I slowed to about half speed and everything worked. Then I played again and it came together. But that is a difficult piece and it required great vigilance to make it work on the unfamiliar piano after learning it on the lighter, springier keys.

You may ask why I just don't travel to campus and practice there. Well, you'll recall from earlier episodes there is the parking issue. I can fight the campus atrocities one day a week but more than that and I may plunge into the darkest pits of despair. Plus I have several time constraints. I keep meaning to set aside a few hours per week to go to campus but responsibilities get in the way.

So you see, the answer is obvious I, a real man, need a real piano.