Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 8

As Creation

In the beginning there was the piano . . . probably. Or some kid was playing "Chopsticks" or "Heart and Soul."

Watch any child who suddenly finds herself in the same room as a piano and you'll likely witness an act of creation. Before long, the gravity of the instrument pulls the child onto the bench, and moments later, keys are pecked. This is why, from infancy, every child wants to play the piano and every parent dreams of it. This is why children practice the piano for two days before the gravity of other pursuits pulls them away, or they decide to concentrate on the oboe instead.

Not everyone is a creator. Most don't have the mind for it. Few the heart. Most would rather play accompaniment rather than key notes in the orchestra.

But the piano leads. It can be heard over the din. This is why parents also wear ear plugs when children are learning and why many pianos sit, lonely in a room devoid of children's hands, and moulder. The piano cuts through the clatter and teaches the act of creation.

Most of us are still trying to find the bench.