tHE PIANO IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
instrument, like a set of 88 matched bells, with the remarkable qualities of blending and clearing these sounds, of extreme louds and softs, of mellow and harsh side-by-side, of covering most of the range of discernable pitch from bass to high treble and being able to playing both at the same time.
And being a mechanical instrument—made of wood, metal and cloth—and not electronic, its limitations are only those of our own ability to perceive and not subject to the decisions made by computer scientists in some laboratory faraway.
Bang with whole arms or caress with fingertips, the very actions that make sound on the piano are ones we’ve known since early childhood that “good technique” only refines to help express feelings and perceptions and how those breathe and change.
For immediate expression, before words, before anything or anyone else inserts themselves into your life, playing the piano is unmatched. But it is also a wonderful tool for collaborating without words with others—accompanying other musicians, playing in a group, giving it away for others’ enjoyment.