Oliver looks like your typical grand: black case, 52 white keys and 36 black keys, the lifted top contoured to the classic piano shape.
But, really, what piano is typical?
To me, Oliver is Oliver because of the lower register; it’s very strong, passionate, and absolutely commanding. But that doesn’t mean he can’t do falsetto. Quite the contrary, the upper register’s just as beautiful as the lower. Not bad for a 120-year-young Steinway.
Sometimes I wish I could watch myself play. I’d know exactly where to stand, too: a place the family’s designated as The Spot. Stand about one medium-giant step away from gentle curve, and let the sound roll over you.
I remember the first piece I played the day Oliver moved in. After the movers slid him into place, I sat down to play. Hesitantly I played Chopin’s seventh prelude in A major, a gentle little ditty. That was it, the beginning of the “end.” It wasn’t too long after that that I really began to fall for the piano in general, but more importantly for Oliver himself.