I was watching an old western the other evening and I noticed that every time the actors went into the saloon there was a man playing the piano. As a matter of fact, it seems that every time I watch an old western I see pretty much the same thing. A man playing a piano and all around him are enjoying him doing so. Now maybe since I happened to notice this it got me to thinking. It seems to me that seeing and hearing a piano being played was something that was experienced so very much more than it is today. 
I guess I recall it more as my sister Peg played the piano at our house and it was something I guess I just took for granted. So I got to wondering just how common is it to see a piano in a home or someone playing one might be. I googled it and found out that at the last survey six out of every one hundred people do play the piano. This means that only sixty out of every thousand can play. That means it isn’t as common as I might have thought. The thing was that when I lived down on Fruit Ridge Road there were at least nine folks who did play.
With this brief study on the subject, I feel I was in the middle of a piano players haven and I will say I was fortunate to have done so. From my Aunt Margaret and her daughter Mary Ann and son Bob on down to Hattie Bolender and many stops along the way a person could be entertained by someone delivering music from the ivory key board. I know that my sister enjoyed playing the piano as I think it gave her a release from stress and worry by working those keys until she had delivered a song. Now my sister was in no way a concert pianist but she was a decent player and played the hymns for church on Sunday often. As a matter of fact so did my Aunt Margaret.
I also had a cousin Tom Houser who not only could play the piano but also could play just about any instrument and played them all by ear. He had had some lessons but for the most part, if he had heard a song he then could just play it. He also had two sisters. (Mildred and Grace and both could play a piano very well also.) I think of Tom a lot when I think about the piano playing. Tom and his family would stay at their farm in the summer months and his home seemed to be a place that was an open house. Whenever Aunt Margaret or Grace and Mildred would visit in the evenings, it would not end until Tom and one of them would sit down at the piano and with Tom operating, a pump organ and they would play songs in a duet fashion.
When they would tire of that, they would then try to play songs that they hoped would stump the other person but seldom did. All of this was some of the greatest entertainment a person could ever possibly think up.
When the group that I just mentioned would play you could see that it was not just delivering a song but see just how much enjoyment came to them as they hit those keys. They never stopped smiling and as they played, they almost bounced off the piano bench. When you observe and hear, what is being done you just can’t help but begin to smile and become drawn into the enjoyment of the entertainment. (I know I did.)
I am not certain but in those years there was less entertainment on the television and in the summer, there was only reruns anyway. So probably, more home entertainment was added. I know that it was not uncommon to pass by a home and hear a piano playing a popular song or maybe a hymn. To be honest the way a person plays can tell you just by listening as to who was playing. Some played in a mechanical way and some hit the keys hard and almost bounced as they enjoyed far beyond what might have been expected. However, the thing was the way they played was like seeing a set of fingerprints. Unique for sure.
I know I keep going back to my home and my sister. Peg you could tell enjoyed the ability to create music and we as her family enjoyed hearing her do so. When Peg was playing a hit song and especially a hymn, you could hear my mom humming right along with her. Now my brother Ben loved it when Peg was playing as he would try to sing along or try to imitate adults who they knew and would try to clown around enough to get us to laugh with him. These days the family gathers around the television or the x box or PlayStation. But in the time I was growing up, we seemed to gather often around the piano. It was fun and enjoyable. The gathering place was the same at Toms’ or my Aunt Margaret’s or even my cousins Mildred and Grace. You knew you were going to hear somebody using a talent and the songs played were always ones you knew and liked. So it was a can’t miss form of entertainment for sure.
I have no real proof but I feel that these days there are less folks who have learned how to play the piano. It is somewhat sad as it is, a talent and one that we like to hear. The thing is that other than at church I can’t recall just when I did hear someone playing away wrapped up in the fun of making music. It used to be that almost every home had a piano in it but these days it is a real scarcity. Maybe it is one of those items that have lost interest as to the cost of a piano and the time to learn how to play it well. I never had the musical ability to learn how to play. I did however know how to sit by and appreciate good music. Sadly, that was the extent of my musical abilities. So when you hear someone playing do not ignore it. Stop, listen, and appreciate it, as you never know when you will hear it again.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.