Mark and Timothy 

 

My piano journey started at the ripe old age of late thirties. That was when my four year-old boy attended his first piano lesson. His piano teacher shared that he needed to have his own instrument to practise at home. Not sure how long his interest would last, we went to Carrefour and gamely got him an electronic piano.   

 

One year later, my boy was still at it. He was even plucky enough to perform at his kindy's year end concert. Seeing my little boy play his piece on stage in front of a large audience, that will always remain as  one of the most cherished memories I have of him growing up. 

 

So spurred on by parental pride, I resolved to get him a quality acoustic piano. As a noob, I scoured piano forums to learn more; visited some showrooms, and finally settled on a first-hand Japanese piano - a safe bet. 

 

There's this thing about middle-age men and having a shiny black thing in the house. It piqued my interest and before long, I was jabbing the keys when my index fingers. My interest built up so much, I went as far as formally attending music lessons at a music school. The joke was that when the music teacher first met me, she was looking around searching for a child. So I told her squarely that I was the one interested in taking lessons. What happened next was an awkward moment of silence. 

 

Yet after two years, I became dissatisfied with my piano. Although my skills were mediocre, I was blessed with sensitive ears (a very dangerous gift). I wondered how top-of-the-range piano sounded like. So my second piano-searching exercise began in earnest. But this time, I was in the market for a different league of products. 

 

My search brought me to this particular super long post in the piano-world forum, where someone asked about buying a piano in Singapore - good, a local context. From that post, I got to know about the Sauter brand and Alvin. 

 

At that time, the Sauter showroom was at the old Victoria Concert Hall. I made a call to Alvin who very patient and accommodating, even excusing himself so that I could feel comfortable trying out the pianos in the showroom. Whoa! I liked that unique sound and weighted action. It was like someone sprinkled a little magic in the showroom that day. The treble was crystal clear without sounding thin - as clear as listening to water dripping into a basin in the middle of the night. The bass was full of oomph and raring to go. The action was so precise, it accentuated my playing. 

 

Naturally I didn't limit my search to just Sauter. I also went to try out other renowned German brands but I guessed a combination of the quality of the brand and Alvin's professionalism closed the deal. I finally settled on the M1, and happily engraved my boy's name on it (Alvin sold fully customizable pianos). 

 

Today I'm no longer playing the piano. However, my boy's interest is still strong. He shared that playing the piano was therapeutic; something which helped him to relax and recharge. I was delighted to hear that as secondary school life (which my boy is in now) can be demanding in terms of commitments and expectations. 

 

Top-notched products like Sauter pianos don't come cheap. However, I ranked it as one of my best investments. The joy of listening to my boy play his favorite pieces in the evenings is simply priceless. Oh, what an enjoyment to behold!