The piano was heavy, but not terribly difficult for the moving crew to squeeze out the door: just one firm grunt in solidarity before lifting the massive instrument over the lip between the front door and the house. The owner winced and covered their eyes as the crew narrowly avoided bumping the walls while exiting. The leader of the crew chatted with the owner while the rest lifted the eighty-eight-toothed monster onto the moving truck. One of his crew members stayed to tie things down, while the others picked up the towels they had laid down to avoid tracking dirt into the house. The leader motioned to his team, and they all piled into the truck to leave—all except for the member in back, now sitting at the piano.
Once the truck starts, the member at the piano taps the wall of the crew cabin three times. A green light above the piano flickers before turning on. It casts a soft light on all the recording equipment strapped to the walls: microphones, cables, boom stands—all aimed at the piano as if they were ravenous reporters looking for today’s top scoop.
The truck’s wheels hit the curb and vibrate the microphones. Unfazed, the crew member begins an inspired jam, anticipating and leaning into each turn, and playing between the piano’s creaks as its weight shifts back and forth during the drive. Smiling, he tries a particularly tricky section, jamming along despite the piano’s tuning continuously degrading. The truck bed is hot, and he frequently needs to wipe his hands to prevent them slipping off the keys. Meanwhile, in the cab, another crew member sits with a small mixer on his lap, listening and adjusting sonic elements to the performance depending on the twists and turns along their journey. The light flickers again as the truck comes to a stop, and another crew member bangs twice on the door, signaling that the mover needs to wrap up his performance. He quickly finishes his final thought, then grabs a towel to wipe down the piano keys and rewrap the instrument, removing any evidence of his performance.
Shortly after, they move the piano into its new home. The homeowners are cheerful that the piano made it safely (and undisturbed) to its new destination.
A wondrous instrument sits adjacent to an anxious family awaiting its transportation, its polished legs holding the immense weight of countless years of passionate design and engineering. The crew eagerly load the piano, leaving one crew member in the back before driving away. The trip is lengthy—nearly an hour—enough time for the most challenging ideas to reach fruition. However, the road is especially windy, making the player dizzy as her hands move along the keys, alternating between quick flourishes and impassioned, pounding chords. The melodies mimic the delirious state of their creator, intent on an end destination but determined to take the long, scenic route to reach it.
Through a dizzying fog, the performer smiles while the ideas flow. As she reaches fever pitch, the truck stops abruptly at an intersection, nearly hitting an oncoming car that didn’t stop at the light. With an angry sigh, she sharply bangs the side of the truck. The driver shrugs off the reproach and begins driving carefully again through the busy intersections of the town. Unfortunately, the pivotal idea is gone, and she never reaches the same euphoric state during her session before needing to unload the piano.
The crew’s latest edition cracks his knuckles. He feels the creative juices flowing through his veins—or is that sweat dripping down his arms? He’s determined to prove to the moving crew that he’s worth their time. One player claps him on the back reassuringly as he enters the truck to “check” the piano before they head off. This one has a heart etched into its side, saying, “Daddy’s little pianist.” He grins slightly and shakes his head while sitting down at the keys. The headphones rest snugly over his ears as he listens to his peers’ interpretations. He channels their prior performances, along with the bumps in the road, to make the most impactful music he can—not just accompanying a moment, but shaping it through his passionate playing.
His hand veins bulge as he soars along the keys, plinking, plodding, and massaging the notes to express his inner thoughts. He searches for that peak of expression with his hands that clamber and reach. Upon scaling the peak, all objects within the vehicle become weightless, hanging in midair—including the immense piano. The pianist continues scrutinizing its keys, his eyes widening as he absorbs as much of this moment as he can muster. He then beams at the ceiling as shocks of euphoria rip through his body, almost lighting up the truck’s dark grey interior before the green light shuts off, ending the moment. It’s time to go back to work. A couple of crew members open the truck doors to find two bright eyes and a beaming smile. They grin back, stopping to hide the recorder quickly before the family comes out to greet them.