Do you name your piano?

Just out of curiosity. I don't. Or rather, I haven't. But over the years it has become a much larger part of me, almost like a good friend who's always there... maybe it's time to give it one.

And if you do name your piano, what is it?

Good question Tar! I just asked my wife the very same question this last weekend... Should we name our Piano?

How about Tralfaz?

Without Googling... Do "you" know where that name comes from? If you do then you are showing your age a little bit...

No...or...err...'The Piano'.

I name every one of our pianos - sort of :
Ritmüller = Hawaii
Estonia = Tahiti
Sauter = CC (Caribbean Cruise)
Steingraeber = RTW (Round the World Cruise)
Used Yamaha = Pittburgh

Of course my piano has a name. It's The Kawai. Its predecessor was The Spinet.

Great Question! I give alot of objects names but yet I have not named my piano after the 15 years i've had it. I will name it recondite. a word that i think describes both me and my relationship with my piano.

Yes, as many know here on PW, it's Molly - and for all the obvious reasons.

Thanks, Woody

Woody, when I saw the title of this thread, you and Molly were the first ones I thought about!

I haven't named my current piano just yet... but it's sure to be a female name!

Rick

My wife's name is Reginetta. She is 7 feet long and weighs 826 lbs.

Of course, I get a thrill when I hear her say my name!

"When I hear you say my name"

Rick

I don't use names very much, and have a really hard time coming up with name or titles. If I did name my piano, I would probably name it Busoni, because that's the name I give everything. (Including myself, on the Internet.)

I think a lot people have played your wife, if you know what I mean.

They tickled her fancy?

Lovely piece Rickster - you put so much into your music!

My piano doesn't have a name that I know yet - but I do know he has a name. I am waiting to find out what it is. For now it is "my piano"

i told people i called my piano 'Stone'... but I haven't. It's just 'the piano'.

Maybe I could name it "Arrrgh!"

Since we have two, it's just "the Estonia" or "the Yamaha"... kinda boring now that I think of it

Hand up here for "my piano".

Thanks, Cheryl!

I was a little hesitant to post that in this thread, but it seemed to flow with the subject matter of the thread. I happen to like that song too. And, call me crazy if you will, but my piano does talk to me and says my name (theoretically speaking ). In fact, she’s calling out my name now, demanding attention!

Take care,

Rick

Even though we're close, I don't have a name for my piano or other keys. Strange when I think of it not having a name. perhaps, I will now.

To respond to the question from Hwystar, any child of the 60s who watched the Jetssons knows that Tralfaz was Astro's original name from his prior owner. I would have run away too!

And, no, I did NOT use the web to find the answer!

TC

I have never named my piano, even though I have named many inanimate objects. I usually refer to my piano as "The C7", but that's not nearly as good as my car named "Old Blue", my previous boat a.k.a. "Boat heck", and I have an electric guitar named "Red Velvet".

The forum automatically changed the name of my boat to "Boat heck", you can imagine the true name I'm sure!

I named my lucky black dragon "Ol' Joe"; it/he is 134 yrs old, left the Manhattan premises of S & S in autumn 1877.

Sometimes I think that "Uncle Theo" eventually were a better nickname or more precise.. as the grand is one of the ever first pianos like the still actual design of concert grands: 88 keys, duplex scale, full cast iron plate covering the pinblock etc. Once mainly developed by C. F. Theodore Steinway, one of the most productive inventors in piano history. This grand is HIS very baby. (Besides of being no baby grand..)
;-)

I don't name my stuff, just my animals. I like my material things, (mostly my musical instruments and bicycles), and sort of think of them as having a personality, but they don't get names. My old acoustic piano was a Decker and Son, which I never particularly liked the sound of. I now have a Celviano 620 and I like the name Celviano. Has a nice ring to it, somehow.

Good job TC! We are dating ourselves... Our boy Elroy!

PS: I used to live in Lehigh Valley as well. I loved it there! Pianos sound better there!

Italian. A lot of vocals. The Italians even add - while speaking - unwritten vocals, "celEviano", to separate every consonant by vocals..

Italian is the best singing & music language. (Wish I could speek/sing Italian..)

<..o sole mio..>

Of all the musical instruments in my life, I never named any of them. Don't know why, just didn't. When I finally moved the piano into my "studio" and was quite overwhelmed with the privacy and wonderful practice space, I named the Yamaha. Hildegarde. Why I don't know. But I love to spend lots of time with "Hildie" btw, the first two complete recitals are on the horizon, June 5th and June 12th. Then maybe (I hope) the trip to Colorado Springs.

I agree that Italian is a very poetic and musical language. I speak Portuguese, which is also very beautiful, though I still give Italian first place for singing. (French is pretty nice, too, though.)
PS "vowels", not "vocals"

I have an August Forster 6 foot nine grand built in 1920 in the Lobau factory.

Now that he is in the New World, who else could he be but "Gus"?

He has his hijinks. He makes me skip my chores, pass up on invites, honest he does. It's all his fault.

Cathryn

Well, I call it names at times. Not really its fault, I suppose, but better to take it out on an inanimate objec then a person who might be hanging around!

Wow, I've only been away from the computer for two days and there're so many interesting posts (some absolutely hilarious)!

Rick, Your music never ceases to charm I remember your Valentine special last year and I really think you have a unique voice.

I've never named inanimate objects ... actually I've never named anything in my life apart from pieces (and they're not proper names, and even that took some time to make a habit of!) I had thought of some of my favourite composers' first name like Sergei or Claude, but Johann is way to common. Anyway, it feels a little bit pretentious to assert that I play with Bach.

I liked the name celviano, it definitely has a musical ring to it

I had thought of Siren or Anima. Especially, after the trouble with the neighbour, Anima is very attractive (video game reference here... now can anybody guess where that comes from? ).

Yet it's got gentler sides, too, so maybe it should have a more feminine name... but here I'm running into dangers of calling my piano Hermaphrodite (oops)

:-)

THX. My english seems to be not really perfect.

Mine is "Admiral Halsey".

That sounds like Bull!

What? OP wanted to know if we name our pianos. I named mine Admiral Halsey. Is there something wrong with that?

It is a joke. Look up Admiral "Bull" Halsey!

I would name my piano if it would come when I called.

My Haddorff upright has a name. And a personality. She revealed it to me over time. Some of you might have heard these episodes already when I posted them in Pianist Corner "Member Recordings" last year.

Haddorff Postcard [No.1] -- "Listen to the Beautiful Sound," with "Deep Purple"
Haddorff Postcard No.2 -- "Cleaning the Piano," with "I Love Her"
Haddorff Postcard No.3 -- "Authenticating the Piano," with "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby"
Haddorff Postcard No.4 -- "Dating the Piano," with "Mistress Murphy's Chowder"
Haddorff Postcard No.5 -- "Vintage Sheet Music Q & A," with "All Alone"
Haddorff - (no postcard) with "He Wipes The Tear From Every Eye" played on the Haddorff
Haddorff Postcard No.6 -- "Piano Tuning Made Easy," with "Constantinople"
Haddorff Pictures (no postcard, yet)
Haddorff Postcard No.7 -- "How was the Beauty Shop?," with a couple of Scriabin Preludes
Haddorff Postcard No. 8 -- "My Practice Session," with Bach Snippets
Haddorff Postcard No. 9 -- "A Haddorff Christmas Carol"

Also, carey named my spinet "The Mighty Lester."

--Andy

This old Victorian-style 7-foot grand makes me picture it in its earlier life in some fusty, overstuffed parlor presided over by an elderly female relative.

So, I sometimes refer to her as "Aunt B"...

OK, I get it now.

I had a humorous and excentric piano teacher who named my piano:

Meet "Anastasia"

Mine's named "Schulz".

'Cuz that's what it says on her nametag. (Really not sure why it's a she, though!)

Beautiful piano, cary, and the cat lying underneath is the finishing touch!

Have mercy! that is a stunner Cary. Does that lamp take 60 watt or hundred watt bulbs??

Kidding.

Anastasia is gorgeous. If it sounds anything like it looks it must be heaven.


BTW - check out Tar on youtube.com he can play (inner lion my fav of his) Give it a couple of minutes until he warms up. He didn't even pay me to write that.

Peter

I just call my piano the RX1 . . . but I should have called it the "Tom Cruise" because its "short, dark & handsome"!

Anatasia is a knock-out. If she sounds any where near as beautiful as she looks, well then, "pretty is as pretty does!"

I've have two pianos and both were named.

First there was Mabel, a particularly buxom M&H A (style Louis).

Now there's the Princess of Prague (Petrof 194mm) w/ Stanwood action & trophy ivory key tops. Sounds good, too !

Anastasia looks really pretty!

I call my Grand "The big one" and my upright "The smaller one". I've thought of giving them proper names, but I can't come up with any good ones.

Cary, if there was a Miss Piano contest Anastasia would easily make it to the final round

Karl, I like "Mabel" I remember the name being described in an episode of Jeeves and Wooster as "the sound of trees rustling gently in the wind". Thing is it's also the name of the lead soprano character in Gilbert's and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, so now when I think of the name there's also a comical connotation to it, reminding me of the 17-year-old who said she'd wait until her lover reached the age of 84 when he would be able to come back to her. It's a good name though... *thinks*

Oh and thank you Peter, how very kind I would pay you if I could