Random piano riffs

Well, in the 48 hours since the piano's arrival, I have not been home much. All day scrapbooking event, evening play tickets, and a planned multi-family outing to Great America have kept us all running. Have I mentioned I am seriously booked at work and wondering how on earth I am going to get all that I need to done while still sleeping more than 3 hours per night? I am a bit stressed.

Meanwhile, the piano remains an attraction in our living room. DH was awoken on Saturday morning by our youngest playing random bits in different octaves. Teddy has wandered over and tried to remember some songs he learned in the 2 keyboard classes he took at the community center. DH has ordered some John Thompsons and Teaching Little Fingers piano books for kids. And DH woke up our oldest child at midnight attempting to master the chords for "Bridge over Troubled Waters".

Even tonight, when I have shuttered myself in the home office to try to get ahead of this massive pile of work, I can hear chords through the door. And it is pleasant--much like the sound of birds in the morning waking you up a minute before your alarm clock.

I am fairly noise-sensitive. Loud sounds bother me more than anyone else in my household, as does repetitive sound, and overlapping sound from different sources. Music has not been a big part of my life, and I think I could spend days alone in silence and be quite content. So, the decision to get a piano was a big one, with some trepidation on my part. While I applauded Barley's interest in the electronic keyboard, I always had the option to request that he put on headphones. And the keyboard has a volume dial.

The piano, on the other hand, does not have any controls, other than the rules we put in place. No headphones, no volume dial, no on/off switch, no batteries to remove, and no lock. (There is one, but no key). Would the musical exploration in the afternoons (when school is out), drive me to abandon my hard-earned work-at-home option? Would I drive into the office more often, where I might find an isolated desk to work at?

Well, so far, it is working out beautifully. I find I can tune out the piano music more easily than the keyboard sound. When I do take a break to just let my mind wander, the notes playing in the background are pleasant rather than intrusive. Hopefully this will continue to be our experience.