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Hi everyone,

This is my first posting after reading the forum for more than 1 year. Thank you all for providing a forum which feels more like a big family than a cold information space.

The journey began decades ago when a grandpa with no music background bought his grandaughter a Schiedmayer piano and the love of music ripples on to his great-grand daughter who is very fortunate to have "Bella", an elegant Estonia piano as her friend to play and live with.









The owner is the 11-year old angel, the witch is the angel's grandma (the financier of the purchase) I am the photographer. The famously controversial Norbert is our dealer, whom my daughter adores second to her Bella.

We had such interesting and wonderful experience in choosing, buying and living with this Estonian, I thought it'd be good to share it with the readers of this forum in the next subsequent short stories. It is my hope that the stories/information may bring joy and useful in it's own unique way as Bella and the forum had given me.


Best Regards,
Akuyek

Can't wait for the next installment, Pauline. And I'm glad you stopped lurking and started posting.

Welcome to the forum Pauline! Looking forward to your observations.

Hi Pauline,

I too am new to this forum. Considering an Estonia - right now it's between Estonia and August Forster. Looking forward to reading about your journey to finding your Estonia.

Soraya

Dear Pauline:

Thank you very much for your reporting here -
I am truly humbled by it!

Veronica is a very talented girl and deserves the very best: it was amazing how she almost immediately bonded with the instrument - this after repeatedly playing so many other pianos during her search as well....

Wishing you and family the very best: I am always here for you at any time re any questions and concerns.

Thank you very much again - it's been an honour!

Norbert

Hi Everyone,

A year went by like a flash of lightning ... sorry about the late installment. The good news is now I have more observations to share about this gorgeous Estonian, the bad news is I probably could only afford to write about this experience in an annual frequency ... but I had promised Norbert I'd write, and since he and his family had become our friends, and I understand there may be people who perhaps find this experience helps, then write I should.

After spending months into intensively reading and learning about different aspects of piano manufacturing and identified a feasible range of models & makes; I let the future owner, the 11 years old, got involved in the touch/hear/play test and let her made the final decision.

The result was documented as part of my email declining second appointment with a great sales-lady for a reputable piano store in town:

------------------Tuesday, August 23, 2005 10:42 PM
Dear xxx
We, actually my daughter, had lean towards Estonia. She seems to make an instant connection to one astounding Ebony-Satin 6'3". She said the Steinway made her felt intimidated as if she was expected to play in a certain way; the Bosendorfer made her feel like dealing with a person who keeps saying "I don't care how you play me" attitude; she said "No" and jumped out of the seat after about only 5 seconds on 7' Schimmel; but the Estonia made her feel like making beautiful tones; she kept wanting me to go back to play that particular one. The choice is made.

We appreciate your time spent with us last Friday. It was wonderful learning some of the aspect behind the great Steinway sound, we had enjoyed the knowledge you shared with us. However since we had made a choice, we would not want to impose on your time for this Friday.

Thank you very much again,
---------------------------------

I had to mention that she tried all the American Steinways, Hamburg Steinway, Sauter, Yamaha, Kawai, Steigerman, Petrof ... basically whatever was available on the lower mainland piano stores, to make that one choice.

Two years later that choice had helped her blossomed into a well-rounded teenager as well as a humble and poised young musician with an ear for gorgeous tones. Bella (the Estonian) had grown beautifully together with her. She sounded better and better after each tuning (I guessed this was what Norbert mentioned as settling down).

The moment after Bella's 4th tuning was hard to forget: my daughter played her favorite Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto #2, I could not describe how I felt about those tones coming out of the piano without opening my eyes wide and dropping my jaw (.. I was not praising my daughter). Len, the wonderful piano tuner was just smiling (he was probably enjoying more of my daughter's performance...)

It was good to know my daughter had chosen well for her music companion for life. It was a simple choice made by 11 years old who was honestly in-tune with herself, it may not be the right choice for others but it was her own.


Wishing all the will-be owners of the any piano the same happy ending as ours.

Okay, a 6'3" Estonia....I'm GREEN!

Congrats to your young lady! Her responses to the various other pianos she tried were fascinating.

I have a 12-year-old pianist (and an 18-, 15-, and 8-year-old one) myself. Now all I need is an Estonia! (I'd "settle for" a Knabe).

thanks for sharing your search, and your daughter's descriptions of pianos, with us. any other memorable reactions to other pianos?

i can't wait to play an Estonia. i'll have a chance in just a couple of weeks!

Congrats for your daughter & the piano.

I just want to say that you help me describe my once experience in the past when u said how your angel was 'intimidated' by Steinway. I don't remember which piano nemore, but I still remember the feeling & just couldn't describe it..., until now

A very gracious ending and recommendation - as was your entire reporting and detailing of your experience here.

Including the dealing with you on a personal level for over one year....

"Thank you" for not only choosing Estonia, writing a most classy letter to another sales person in town who didn't get the deal this time around
[most people simply disappear...]

"Thank you" not only for becoming a personal friend as well....

"Thank you" simply for pointing out that keeping all the options open for each and every pianist is - what it's all about!

And teaching us some class along the way...

Norbert

nicely told story.

happy for you.

Thank you everyone, for the congrats and comments.

Gutenberg,
Wondered ... have you played on an Estonia yet?

I read a couple of your thread on pianist forum and found your remarks, especially on 32 Sonata, interesting and helpful, Thank you. My daughter is currently learning the "Tempest", so it's good to have some reference of who worth listening to from that many sonata recordings.

On piano sounds, Bella the Estonian proved to be a multi-characters, multi-personalities artist, powerful enough to make scary growl and meek pleading as required in the Tempest.

As to your question about my daughter's reaction on other pianos, there was not much, she was just a normal 11 yo with limited vocabulary when it came to describing the 'sound' of the piano; and I did not taint her view with any informations that I read from the forum or the web. The other statement she made was: "that is my piano" ... in the car, after she played Bella for the 1st time.

Of course I did not let her get away with it, I just have to drag her around the town to listen to other pianos .... just to be sure (might as well got her do some extra practice)

Please let us know what pieces you played on Estonia and what are your impressions.

Akuyek, I felt the same way as your daughter when I bought mine. I felt more "connected" to the Estonia than any of the many other pianos I played.

Also, thank you for posting the pix. I downloaded the fallboard shot and it is now the background on my laptop!
(you and other Estonia owners might want to try this...it makes an elegant desktop background)

Stanza,

Glad to hear from someone who used "connected" as the reason for an Estonia choice. Thanks for sharing it; and, good to know you like the picture - I always think there is something of that logo which project simple elegance, just like the sound and tone of Estonia itself, hard to describe but very addictive.

Found myself often sitting on the piano bench using 1 finger to play a note and enjoying it, immensely ....., it was comforting, no need to play any complicated repertoire ......

My daughter practiced on a Yamaha upright for 7 years (and performed on various Kawai, Steinways, and Yamaha) prior to choosing Bella ... and Norbert had other Estonia side by side during our shopping time, so based on the theory that our ears were accustomed to hear certain sound, I was still trying to figure out why the instant connection to that particular one ...??

I'm glad you love your piano. They are superb instruments.

Norbert was really fun to deal with and he makes coffee that any trucker would say was most refreshing after being held up in Customs.

I like anything Estonian as a result.

Have you tried the ice cream?

ESTONIAN ICE CREAM COMMERCIAL

my little blind singing friend said my piano was the best she's ever heard.

disclaimer: i have no idea what pianos she has heard except for an SF10 her school owned.

Where can I find an audio file with estonia's piano sound?

Hi enel80,

Follow this link: http://www.estoniapiano.nl/pagina_welkom.html

Click on "Click here to visit our webiste" and then on "Listen" in the left menue.

schwammerl.

USAPianoTrucker,

Estonia made icecream? Interesting comments on the commercial but the icecream looks delicious.

If it is as smooth and sinful as the sound of Estonia then we, as the Estonia owners in Vancouver, BC, Canada should all request Norbert to stock tons of it - as part of his, already excellent, coffee + after-sales service, ... and to smooth out whatever rifts he had caused in this forum to make the Estonia known

Bella belongs to my daughter, it was a gift from her grandparents (the witch you saw beside the angel) - I was just fortunate to come along for the ride.

Apple,

Love that post, thanks, I am aware blind singing friends are truer to sound than most of us distracted with full vision - doesn't matter what she heard before, importantly she love the sound of your Estonia.

Btw - now that you mentioned it, I remembered when Bella just arrived, we noticed that everytime my daughter played, our 3 guinea pigs who usually prefer to be inside their little houses, will come out and sit in, what I think, very relaxing pose ...


Maybe we should consider the music industry to employ guinea pigs as testers.