But she got over it eventually, right?

Oh ya...
Trying to hint every now and then that an acoustic will eventually come into the picture ...
Ouch....

Peter

So many memories are tied to pianos, but this one I cherish more than others:
Ingrid Bjoner was going to sing in the Norwegian Seaman's church, and our mutual friend Eva Gustavson asked me to accompany her. I said "NO WAY AM I PLAYING FOR A WORLD RENOWNED DIVA!!!" But she conned me into it, and I perspired my way through the rehearsals. Good Lord, it was only "O Holy Night" and "Joy to the World", but I am not at all that good a pianist. At the finish, I turned to Ingrid Bjoner and said: Well, at least now I can add to my resume that I have played for Ingrid Bjoner!
She smiled back at me and said: And I can put on my resume that I have sung with YOU!
She was the most delightful lady, down to earth without any prima donna manners.
Later, we lunched at Eva's house where the dog in our absence had eaten a pound of Norwegian candy which Ingrid had brought as a little Christmas present. Eva was heartbroken, but Ingrid just laughed and pointed out that the dog needed a little Christmas cheer, too.

When I was a teenager, I learned my first ragtime time piece (Maple Leaf Rag) and played it for our 80+-year-old piano tuner, Mr. Lurch, when he came that year to tune the piano. After I played it I looked at him, and he seemed to be tearing up. He said that his father, also a piano tuner, had always played that song, and it was his all-time favorite.

Thank you for sharing this delightful memory.

Nobody listens like Mom.

I could probably think of some other moments that might seem greater than this, but it having happened somewhat recently, it's still fresh in my mind. And honestly, I can't think of a reason in the world why this wouldn't be tops.

I suppose we can all relate to playing piano in front of people who don't have much of an appreciation for piano or piano playing. I've seen it happen many times when someone is coaxed to play and the aforementioned listener takes it in and for a brief moment is mildly fascinated and at least a little impressed that someone can play, but it's just a very short time before a little conversation begins, distraction sets in, and the playing becomes background music.

Most folks don't recognize that humble little amateur pianists like ourselves are usually conquering anywhere from a small to a very large amount of fear to even sit down in front of anyone to play. Our minds go blank and we forget parts that we normally play without mistake. And they unknowingly are disrespectful by ignoring us while we feel like one of the Walendas tightroping it between the World Trade Centers on a windy day.

And then there's Mom.

Recently my whole family got together during the holidays and at a point during the evening gathered around the piano. My family is quite musical, almost all members play music and my dad and I even played professionally for years (though not piano). So my sister, who had achieved a quite respectable level of accomplishment through lessons as a child, got up and played the pieces she remembered from childhood. Then my 11-year old nephew who is just learning played a little, and my 83 year old father sat down and played the one song he knew (White Christmas). Finally I sat down (I've returned to playing and lessons of late) and played a couple of pieces I had just got down pretty well and I looked over and there was my 80 year old Mom - who doesn't play - with a lone tear streaming down her cheek, a crinkled up, holding back the tears kind of smile on her face.

Mom? You OK?

She announced that she was so proud that so many of her family could play piano that it made her cry with joy. She was so happy that she had introduced us to piano and had us take lessons as children and that music was such an important part of our family.

Now when she comes over to my house and listens to me play, she's the only one who never says a word, and listens to every note, pulling for me the whole way through, like only a mom can. And maybe she cries just a little too.

Needless to say, there's no one I'd rather play for than my mom.

That's a beautiful story.

I think mine would have to be attending a Ludovico Einaudi concert in Edinburgh this year.

It was memorable for several reasons - he is one of my favourite composers, and I had been looking forward to the concert for a few months

Then, on the day of the concert, things started to go wrong. I was a few hundred miles away, spending the day with friends before heading towards Edinburgh for the concert.

Sure enough, there were traffic problems, and I spent the last 50 miles with my foot to the floor (tut, tut!). Then I had to navigate through the city as fast as possible. I convinced myself that it would all be in vain, that I wouldn't make it. But I did!

And the best part of the whole experience? Hearing a concert grand piano live for the first time

When I was young, we frequently went to a restaurant that had a two story room next to the bar area called "the carousel room". It had a grand piano and a gentleman who traveled from chicago to play on weekend evenings.

I would plop down next to him and request all sorts of songs which he was happy to play, and I always asked for my fav. - music box dancer. Sometimes, he would invite me to sit at the piano and play for him (if it wasn't too crowded). He once gave me a little pocket bible with an note of inspiration written to me on the inside cover (I still have it).

It had probably been 12 years since I had been been to the restaurant, when my husband and I were invited to a wedding reception there. Sure enough, he was still at that piano, in at least his late 80's. I walked into the room, he looked up, smiled, and began playing Music Box Dancer. Talk about teary, I couldn't believe that he had remembered me. He has since passed away, but I will always think about his kindness and be inspired by his words.

What a great topic.

My memorable moment would be, when I first visited musical library in my university. There is a small room only for listening to the music, and the first music I listened to was Rachmaninoff Piano concerto. I wasn't htere for an hour I guess..

Oh Stacey, what a wonderful story.

Peter, what would have happened if it was a grand piano?

When my grand piano was delivered I just about cried. I was THRILLED, but the look on my husbands face was panic....how on earth was anything else going to fit in the room with this piano???? I asked him for DAYS if he thinks we made a mistake, which obviously would have been a pretty expensive one! And just how do you take a PIANO back? Now we just kid about adding on a piano room. I'll never forget, though, how sick I felt when we actually got it.

Back in the middle of the last century, when I was in grade school (I think it was about the 3 or 4th grade) I was in the school orchastra (at least that's what the called it- no I didn't play with any orchastra) I was asked to be the MC for a show of singing and musical performance during assembly.

My mother was a piano teacher and I had been playing for a few years. I was also asked to play a piece for the show. I can still remember getting up and sitting at the piano to play for an auditorium of about 200 kids. I guess in those days I had more guts than fear.

A more recent moment happened a few months ago. I was playing a piece from a fake book and started improvising. Where the inspiration came from I don't know, but what I do remember was that when I finished I couldn't believe it was me who was playing. Needless to say it was a moment of great satisfaction. I am attempting to repeat it each day I play, somedays with more success than others.

Memorable piano experiences were flashing through my mind while reading each story. Then I found TLuvva's post. I wouldn't be here today on this piano forum if it wasn't for my Mom.

My Mom passed away four years ago on the 9th of December. It's still a difficult time.

I remember telling her about an online piano community I had found just a few weeks prior to her pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She didn't quite grasp the concept but she was always in favor of anything that promoted my enthusiasm of enjoying the piano.

She would become so humiliated with me when I would always shy away from playing the piano in front of other people. She would say, "do you realize how some people would envy how you play"!! She always made me appear better than I really wass.

I played quietly for her the last 8 weeks we were together. "Beautiful" she would somtimes comment when I would walk into her room after playing.

Yup, this time of the year is still difficult but lots of good memories and lots of good piano friends who have stepped in to take my Mom's place. :3hearts: I know she would be so very happy for me.

these stories are wonderful and what pianoworld is all about i think.

i'm still a weeee beginner so nothing as fancy as any of these things has happened to me yet.

But, well, so far the best personal moment for me has been playing that first complete song (after starting lessons) for my son and asking him what he thought.

He said it was "pretty good!".

Well, I think I'm in this for the long haul now.

I look back and other great personal moments for ME were

- finding out you could hook a keyboard to your COMPUTER (I'm a computer programmer)

- finally taking lessons after having my gramma "tut tut" me for years and years about doing that.