General Discussion

csziggy

(34,189 posts)

139. The local piano store moved to a smaller location and is now selling out

Wed Jan 14, 2015, 01:10 AM

Jan 2015

They've been in business for something like 40 years - the owner-founder is in the ads with his grandson or maybe great grandson. It's kind of sad since they bought and sold instruments and have been a valuable community resource.

I've got my grandmother's piano, the one her parents bought her in 1905 (I looked up the serial number) and that has never belonged to another family. I don't really play, but I didn't want to see this fine instrument hauled off to the dump - which is where it was going to end up if I didn't retrieve it.

I'm hoping that someday one of my musical nephews will want it. If not I will find a good home for it. There is a music school here, I'm sure someone connected with it would help me locate someone who would want it.

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Piano stores closing across US as fewer children taking up instrument, some deterred by cost [View all] Omaha Steve Jan 2015 OP

This is a shame kcr Jan 2015 #1

My brother and Mom both have one Johonny Jan 2015 #9

I'd love to have one, too kcr Jan 2015 #113

Yes. LWolf Jan 2015 #99

Most electronic pianos and digital synths can nearly replicate a multitude of instruments. TheBlackAdder Jan 2015 #105

The one we got is pretty nice kcr Jan 2015 #112

The only reason I don't own a piano is because tuning is prohibitively expensive. tridim Jan 2015 #2

I wonder how many people here even know what a weighted MIDI controller is. Trillo Jan 2015 #59

have to agree, although KatyMan Jan 2015 #60

The other day, I was in a thrift store near my home, MineralMan Jan 2015 #63

i wonder how piano tuners are faring Liberal_in_LA Jan 2015 #136

There are pitchfinding gizmos that do it automatically now Recursion Jan 2015 #150

Maybe they will replace it with BubbaFett Jan 2015 #3

Oh that supply and demand always gets in the way yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #6

Yeah BubbaFett Jan 2015 #8

people don't need USEFUL retail like candle makers anymore I guess mahatmakanejeeves Jan 2015 #27

derp BubbaFett Jan 2015 #34

There are still some that prefer supporting artisans, but it's usually the money class. adirondacker Jan 2015 #141

Sounds like a classic case of pianist envy. Orrex Jan 2015 #4

Ba-dum! n/t benz380 Jan 2015 #35

Many, many people have pianos to give away for FREE. Adopting used piano is saving it: KittyWampus Jan 2015 #5

over twenty years ago hfojvt Jan 2015 #62

If you don't use it you lose it sdfernando Jan 2015 #86

Getting rid of a piano was almost impossible Sen. Walter Sobchak Jan 2015 #95

We got rid of ours last year Maeve Jan 2015 #109

people like me who would normally have to buy a piano would rather buy a MIDI keyboard belzabubba333 Jan 2015 #7

And electronic pianos are cheaper pscot Jan 2015 #10

Exactly. You can do so much more with today's keyboards, and that's all kids see in popular music. Hoyt Jan 2015 #16

One of my young relatives was given a TR-808 Sen. Walter Sobchak Jan 2015 #97

I decided to buy a Yamaha weighted action digital because I live in an apartment Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #11

That is what we bought for our son. aikoaiko Jan 2015 #56

It is very expensive gollygee Jan 2015 #12

+100 And yet, it didnt use to be that way. pianos/piano lessons used to be relatively common in ND-Dem Jan 2015 #29

I just sent you my kids. bravenak Jan 2015 #42

LOL! n/t JimDandy Jan 2015 #52

LOL gollygee Jan 2015 #53

Does music really make kids do better in school? joeglow3 Jan 2015 #61

Music Education research shows this. Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #79

We've had really strong music programs at the schools my kids attended... SidDithers Jan 2015 #111

While I loved band (playing the euphonium) kentauros Jan 2015 #140

Band and orchestra people are smart. Manifestor_of_Light Jan 2015 #144

Then it must have helped mine in ways that kentauros Jan 2015 #147

I don't know. But anecdotally my oldest finds MissB Jan 2015 #80

Yes, but only if they actually study and practice. Daemonaquila Jan 2015 #103

However, I do make the distinction that kentauros Jan 2015 #148

I have a feeling the days of kids learning the piano are over. dilby Jan 2015 #13

This is the sort of thing that makes me wish the USA subsidized arts more: KittyWampus Jan 2015 #14

subsidizing piano tuners when many kids are hungry and poorly educated? Priorities. bettyellen Jan 2015 #25

Bettyellen, if we took trillions from defense we could have all those things. KittyWampus Jan 2015 #70

True, it break my heart how the arts go out the window first... bettyellen Jan 2015 #73

Like piano tuners' kids? GoddessOfGuinness Jan 2015 #137

Arts is a waste of money and time yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #33

Some people thrive at the arts tabbycat31 Jan 2015 #37

I understand what you are saying....I really do yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #39

Math and science should not come at the cost to other subjects tabbycat31 Jan 2015 #47

Wynton Marsalis begs to differ KamaAina Jan 2015 #38

Oh, lord ... I don't even know where to begin with your comment frazzled Jan 2015 #50

without a soul Phentex Jan 2015 #71

It also fosters MuseRider Jan 2015 #88

Some of my fondest memories of elementary school are of music class Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #90

I can still remember first grade ... frazzled Jan 2015 #91

We do children's concerts every year. MuseRider Jan 2015 #106

Cool! /nt frazzled Jan 2015 #110

Mine too! pipi_k Jan 2015 #121

The very end of 1812 MuseRider Jan 2015 #127

My first exposure to the 1812 Overture Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #159

Your reply is spot on. callous taoboy Jan 2015 #98

Thank you. GoddessOfGuinness Jan 2015 #138

Sports is a waste of time and money. Dawson Leery Jan 2015 #57

for example nt Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #94

I hope that during the remainder of your life you will have some ladjf Jan 2015 #65

No, no it is not. Glassunion Jan 2015 #76

Philistine Tom Ripley Jan 2015 #89

You must have had the "wire mother" growing up. Frank Cannon Jan 2015 #92

ROFLMAO nt Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #124

Tell your cave-man ancestors from 15,000 BCE you cretin, nothing like Repug values on DU, eh ? Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #93

Nothing RW on what I said. yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #107

Oh, yes there is. Hissyspit Jan 2015 #119

I have never heard that yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #122

So much stubborn ignorance in someone claiming to support public education Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #120

Maybe you should tell the fundies about science too. Kingofalldems Jan 2015 #128

They are a lost cause. I don't think liberals yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #133

Liberals like the Arts. Kingofalldems Jan 2015 #134

Authoritarian regimes want "political" art that supports their values. Manifestor_of_Light Jan 2015 #145

So many things wrong with that comment, I don't even know where to begin... tenderfoot Jan 2015 #100

I guess. Don't worry our country will never get rid of arts completely. You are safe. yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #108

And apparently the arts are getting dumbed down, too. Hissyspit Jan 2015 #116

What a ridiculous false dichotomy of an argument. Hissyspit Jan 2015 #117

That statement is full of BS. Lex Jan 2015 #129

That one is beyond obvious. tenderfoot Jan 2015 #130

He's serving on MIRT too Starry Messenger Jan 2015 #131

Is that why the alert went to the administrators? tenderfoot Jan 2015 #132

Are you freaking serious? This is a shark-jumping moment for DU. bullwinkle428 Jan 2015 #154

Yup: Starry Messenger Jan 2015 #155

That's just fucked up Tom Ripley Jan 2015 #158

Oh, for fuck's sake. Hissyspit Jan 2015 #115

+ 1,000,000,000,000, etc nt Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #123

That's pretty much verbatim how I feel about non-science STEM subjects. Chan790 Jan 2015 #125

There's a lot of brain-training that goes on in Ilsa Jan 2015 #151

It's a horseshit argument. No one is getting less math and science education because Guy Whitey Corngood Jan 2015 #156

Arts are a fundamental part of education and have been so for centuries CreekDog Jan 2015 #157

Music and math are highly related as far as what they are and brain function as most trained uppityperson Jan 2015 #160

Cost would be a pretty big consideration. HappyMe Jan 2015 #15

yet americans did all that when the country was much poorer than it is today... ND-Dem Jan 2015 #30

Probably not poorer Americans. HappyMe Jan 2015 #32

probably not, but middle class ones certainly did. as i know from personal experience. ND-Dem Jan 2015 #68

I play piano my whole life and never owned one. JaneyVee Jan 2015 #17

Cello's are not cheap either. vi5 Jan 2015 #19

True, I received a used one as a present when I was 9. JaneyVee Jan 2015 #23

But there's always room for cello. Orrex Jan 2015 #45

Ha! vi5 Jan 2015 #49

I played the cello until after I graduate high school. tammywammy Jan 2015 #22

We should start a band! JaneyVee Jan 2015 #24

We just bought my daughter a used piano recently. vi5 Jan 2015 #18

I see 4 or 5 a week, for free on Craigslist pintobean Jan 2015 #20

Cost and size both play a role. geek tragedy Jan 2015 #21

I picked a bad time to get into the piano moving business Capt. Obvious Jan 2015 #26

Moving used pianos should continue to thrive Brother Buzz Jan 2015 #55

Very sad, but very true. MANative Jan 2015 #28

This is too bad. cyberswede Jan 2015 #31

Your story tells why it is NOT a shame. Daemonaquila Jan 2015 #104

Every once in a while I see a "free piano" or "cheap piano" ad on Craigslist. benz380 Jan 2015 #36

Film cameras are essentially obsolete too. hunter Jan 2015 #40

I see free pianos on Craig's List all the time eShirl Jan 2015 #41

Does this mean that fewer people are playing with their organs? Orrex Jan 2015 #43

How much current popular music uses the piano? LeftyMom Jan 2015 #44

One of the top songs of 2014 does tabbycat31 Jan 2015 #48

Maybe Broadway? Maybe composers still work things out on a piano? KittyWampus Jan 2015 #51

Sarah McLachlan, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Norah Jones, Journey, Ben Folds, Tori Amos, Bruce Hornsby Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #58

Almost all of it. jeff47 Jan 2015 #66

Quite a bit of popular music uses piano Glassunion Jan 2015 #74

If you have a piano you want to get rid of, see if your area schools need it. Paladin Jan 2015 #46

Less "real" music now fadedrose Jan 2015 #54

Get off my lawn! KatyMan Jan 2015 #69

+1000000000 Glassunion Jan 2015 #75

This is really sad. Blue_In_AK Jan 2015 #64

Just a cool piano story... tridim Jan 2015 #67

Cool story! Brilliant nt Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #81

So what did you do with the coins? Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #87

True story... yuiyoshida Jan 2015 #72

Kids who are interested are learning on electronic keyboards Warpy Jan 2015 #77

As noted elsewhere, it's expensive all around MissB Jan 2015 #78

My kids are learning piano abelenkpe Jan 2015 #82

As someone who used to teach piano lessons, I'm not surprised. tanyev Jan 2015 #83

This is a damned shame, TM99 Jan 2015 #84

oh music is so old school ........ olddots Jan 2015 #85

Electronic keyboards are much cheaper and take up less space. B Calm Jan 2015 #96

I have my great grandmother's upright teenagebambam Jan 2015 #101

Electronic Keyboards ProfessorGAC Jan 2015 #102

I worry somewhat about losing my touch sensitivity even on a weighted action Pooka Fey Jan 2015 #126

I Still Have A Console ProfessorGAC Jan 2015 #153

This message was self-deleted by its author olddots Jan 2015 #114

A friend of mine lived in Muscatine, Iowa nearly thirty years ago. SheilaT Jan 2015 #118

interesting Liberal_in_LA Jan 2015 #135

The local piano store moved to a smaller location and is now selling out csziggy Jan 2015 #139

They don't make them like that anymore. I just did a quick google and WOW there are some beauties... adirondacker Jan 2015 #142

Those are much fancier than my piano csziggy Jan 2015 #149

Slightly - or maybe more than slightly - off topic... GReedDiamond Jan 2015 #143

I have an old upright. Manifestor_of_Light Jan 2015 #146

wow Xilantro Jan 2015 #152