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Friday, May 2, 2025

Slaughter of Pianos


 

I loved the nobility and passion of Henry V/Kenneth Branagh’s rousing speech in which he extols his men to remember that battle on St. Crispin’s Day.  Band of Brothers…reminding them how dear this relationship would always be.  Still gives me goosebumps.

What do we hold dear?  Many things throughout the stages of our lives are dear to us.  For me?  I cast back to the age when I was eleven years old and wanted a piano so much, so very much. Any piano, even a toy piano with a measly fifteen keys.
   
This thought now leaps from Henry V to piano to Mythbusters, a program for nerds and physicists, like my family. I know, right?  Bear with me here...

A recent episode recently had the three younger ‘Busters address some question sent in by a viewer about:  An exploding piano

I will tell you this.  My heart broke each time they blew up a wonderful piano.  NNNNOOOOOO! I cried each time.


Each piano, the noble band of treasured and worn pianos, splintered into pieces every single time.  The pianos would never know how dear they once were, how hard they endured through many practices, but they felt the music.  The worn and scarred keys declared their courage.

Henry V and the band of pianos.  Hard to make that leap, but I see it in my mind.    

A huge upright grand piano was moved into our house when I was 13.  It was so heavy that it took six strong farmers.  How I treasured it. I taught myself to play being able to read music from chorus. Over the years, I was pretty good at playing hymns.


21 comments:

  1. How sad. I mean, they probably thought that was cool. But whatever. In related news, I learned my nephews are learning to play piano. They have a real one and everything.

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    1. Why? oh why? I can see throwing kitchen cabinets or laundry, but a piano?? Wrong, just wrong.

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  2. I listened to that speech and wondered what on earth thta had to do with pianos being slaughtered. Then I read the rest. I remember those mythbusters and the pianos they destroyed. Such an awful waste.

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    1. The 'Busters were fun to watch.. the destruction of different things always surprised me.

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  3. The Mythbusters were big on destroying things.

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  4. Well done for persevering at learning to play the piano.

    God bless.

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    1. Thanks! I still love to play, but my right hand's surgery argues that with me.

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  5. I love this post, Susan. So thoughtful. And yes, how it touches us when things that so matter to us -- or to someone -- are simply destroyed. And for what? Beautifully written.

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    1. Can't go wrong starting with Kenneth Branagh and St. Crispin's Day.

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  6. Destroying any musical instrument that is still in working order would break my heart, too, Susan. So wasteful and ignorant! We didn't have a piano when I was growing up, but I did learn to play guitar and got quite proficient at it. What a blessing that was for me!

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  7. I played, my children played, don't ruin a good piano!

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    1. Playing a piano to its ending days would be a rewarding thing for the piano.

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  8. My grandmother played piano before I was born. She taught none of her children to play. Not one. When I was a little girl my mother taught herself to play (with the help of how-to books). Do I play? No. The trombone is my instrument.

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    1. Playing a trombone is not at all easy. Good for you! I taught our children basics until they were in elem. then we paid for lessons.

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  9. Destroying books or musical instruments is sacrilege in my book.

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  10. Reading this post kept me feel sad until I reached to my end of found out that you got your piano at the age of thirteen 🥹
    What a sigh of relief 🥹🥰
    I really love piano music,it’s magical and so relaxing 👍🤗
    I am happy you got what it wanted dear Susan 🥰♥️

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    1. It was so exciting when the piano made its way into our house. I played on it every day many times. It was a wonderful piano (upright baby grand piano).

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  11. That piano had a 40 inch soundboard and weighed 1100 pounds. I know for my wife is a piano teachers and I have moved several for her students.

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Go ahead...it won' t hurt...I'd love to hear what you think!