A Free Piano?

A quick search online will usually reveal more than one free piano at any given time.

My earliest memories of music involve listening to my mother play the piano in the basement at bed time. She would get us ready and send us to our rooms for the night upstairs and then slip into the basement for some alone time. She would play various hymns and the melodies would travel through the duct work. I never knew how long she played because eventually her gospel lullaby would carry me off to sleep.

 Now that I have kids of my own and space for it in my own home, I've been looking into getting a piano.  I have very romantic Ideas around having an actual piano.  I see the boys taking lessons. I see myself actually learning a bunch of songs. Christmas song a-longs, impromptu jam sessions with my musical friends. Love songs for my wife because she wouldn't care that I only got piano lessons and not vocal training. Oh, what a wonderful world that would be!

 That is, of course, not realistic in the least. Sure maybe I could make the boys take lessons but at some point, if there is no real interest, I will want to save on that bill. I would love having one near by but I also have several midi keyboards in arms reach most of the time.  Eventually the piano would be come a nice flat surface for pictures and knickknacks. 

 The truly interesting part of this whole conversation is the cost.   Without even knowing the day you are reading this there are probably many "free" upright pianos available. Check Craigslist, Facebook Market Place and others and you will find many pianos that are free for the taking as long as you are willing to move them yourself.   There is even a Piano Adoption Site where people list their old family Pianos to try and find them a good home. 

 Now I use "free" loosely.  "Free" piano usually means I would need to be willing to move said piano myself.  With the right equipment and time that is very possible, however most of the time I'm probably going to want to look into  professional Movers. 

 Next, once I move (or have moved) that piano I will probably need to be tuned. Depending on how long it's been since it was played It may need to be tuned multiple times to get into a playable state.   Again unless I already have that particular skill set, I'll probably need a pro here as well.  

 Finally, with a free or used piano there is going to be some needed maintenance  beyond tuning.   There are a lot of moving parts in a real piano time can take it's toll.  Depending on how long this "free" piano sat in a house church or other location, It may not have been played or cared for in years.   If I’m going to spend the money to restore this instrument I'm probably going to want to maintain it and keep it in working order else it will just end up in another "free" ad in the future.  My "free" piano just became an expensive investment.

 While I would love to have a "real" piano in the house and invite you over for some old time sing-along parties, I'm probably going to opt for a simple Electric piano that my kids can use for lessons. Something that sits in the living room where it’s free and available to all who want to play.   I'll occasionally sit down and play some tunes from time to time.  I may even keep a bass or guitar near by to have some jam sessions with my kids on a winter night.  Who knows maybe I'll become proficient enough to accompany my 5th Grader on a Clarinet Solo.