A Surprise in the New Barn

Yesterday I decided to do a walk-through of the new barn. I rarely go in there, but when Tim travels, I like to check on things and make sure all is well. Usually everything is just as expected, but this time when I stepped into the lounge, I had a surprise.

A piano! And not just any piano, but an antique player piano!

When I texted Tim my daily report on the horses and grounds, I asked him about it. Typical Tim, he said that buying it had "improved my musical talent by 100%" but he also texted that it didn't sound right when he played it. I offered to take a look at it and see if I could help - it could be that the roll bar had shifted or something else that would be a quick fix on a player piano.

Tim was surprised that I knew anything about them - he'd forgotten that we have an antique player piano, too.

Mine is in our living room where it is a favorite activity for pony pals and cowpokes. I also use it to display seasonal decor in the form of models from my collection. That's Sugar Maple on it right now, and in a few days I will put Cryptic, Ichabod, Nevermore, or Crane out.

Last week we had a family birthday party and Cowpoke Ian played the Happy Birthday roll while Lukie and Mila (dressed as Wonder Woman; she can't wait for Halloween) danced. 

Our favorite rolls are stored in this rack that a friend made us but I have more, some of which are damaged or falling apart from age.

When your legs are too short to pump the pedals and play, sometimes a cousin will come to your rescue! Here Horse Buddy Trinity helps Pony Pal Mila.

A look inside my player piano. It plays by blowing air through the holes in the paper of the roll.

This is what the inside of my non player piano looks like for comparison. (We have two pianos, but we used to have three. When my kids were all home and taking lessons, we couldn't get everyone's practice in around their sports, school, and church activities. Having three pianos - one in the living room, one in the dining room, and one in the family room - made the house a bit crowded and loud, but our kids got their practicing in and can now play well as adults.)

A player piano can be played like a regular piano - no pumping necessary.

Here is a video I made of The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah last Easter and sent to my family. Notice how the words of the song scroll by as the roll plays? That's so that you can sing along. And we do a lot of singalongs as a family, especially at Christmas time. (It took me a while to master reading from the bottom up!) 

Fast forward to 0:58 and you will see that the keys actually depress as they play. This is accomplished in a player piano by pressing foot pedals. It's good exercise, and it is actually how I rehabbed my hip when I had it replaced.

It sure was a surprise to find that player piano in the barn lounge, but I am looking forward to playing it later today. There is a tub of rolls that came with it, and there are some I don't have - I can't wait to hear what they sound like.