Growing up Asian almost guarantees you'll be forced to learn some musical instrument, whether it be through subtle coercion or by more "convincing methods" (aka the "Stick o' Pain"). Despite haunting memories of hundreds of hours practicing Bagatelle in A minor under the watchful eyes and perceptive ears of my mom, til the point I thought I was named Ludwig, I admit I miss playing the piano. But there's no way I'd be able to fit a traditional piano, even the upright variety, in our apartment (just the thought of lifting one up our stairs brings back the memory of the notes to Chopin's Funeral March.
Roland has released a compact solution for those of us aspiring musicians with great aspirations, but limited square footage. The Roland FP-4 13-7/16 inches deep and 52-7/8 inches wide, with the full 88 keys like their full sized brethren. And because it's electronic, not only does the FP-4 sound like full concert grand, but also supports accompaniment patterns and 30000 notes storage. And darned if that "translucent white color finish" doesn't look sweet (it is also available in black). More info here.
Ahhh...I can almost imagine my mom's angry voice, shouting "AGAIN!" To be young and musically untalented again.
I'd like to see an AT series on dealing with pianos, especially real ones, especially grands...
view wannabe minimalist's profile
gregory,
Having also grown up Asian, the mere sight of the words "Stick o' Pain" brought tears to my eyes and waves of shame and pain to my stomach in recollection of my parents' parenting techniques.
I can hardly play piano (I am lucky enough to fit an upright into my apartment) without recalling the childhood traumas associated with the instrument.
view Michelle of Montreal's profile