Post by mamared on Nov 6, 2019 2:11:21 GMT -5
This item was released in October 2019 and retired in December 2023.
For as long as she can remember, Melody has loved listening to her family play and sing to music from her grandmother’s piano. Includes: A wooden piano with working keys that play music when pressed, A wooden bench with cushioned fabric seat to sit on, A set of sheet music to play, plus a music sheet with the song “Special Melody” that Melody’s brother Dwayne wrote just for her.
SKU#: GHR32 $150
Melody’s upright piano was part of the October 2019 historical release. I went back and forth about whether to get it, and I’m glad I finally decided to add it to the collection. Here’s an adorable picture of how Melody is displayed with it in a current catalog, followed by the website description and some additional photos and thoughts about each piece:
A wooden piano with working keys that play music when pressed. I think this is a really nice piece of furniture. Even though it’s not completely to scale, I think the size looks good when compared to a doll. It measures about 13 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and a little less than 5.5 inches deep. It’s made mostly of wood but has plastic keys, plastic decorative insets (looks like scroll work) on the face of the piano above the keys, and plastic nonfunctional pedals. All sides of the piano are finished.
Here’s a straight on view of the front:
Close up of decorative (plastic) scroll work on the front:
Looking along the 3 octaves of keys:
Pedals:
View from the back (the 3 circles at the bottom are where the pedals are attached on the reverse side):
Profile view of the piano:
All of the keys (white and black) can be individually pressed, but no music plays unless you put three AAA batteries in the piano. The batteries go in under the keyboard.
I took these pictures from under the piano, looking up at the underside of the pedals to the underside of the keyboard. The three parts you see there are the volume control on the left, the battery compartment in the middle, and the speaker on the right.
Close up of volume control:
Battery compartment (yes you do need a screwdriver) and speaker.
The piano actually sounds pretty good, not at all like the tinny sound of Josefina’s piano, and I really like that you can adjust the volume. Overall, the piano felt very solid and well made and like it would hold up well to being played with by a child. I also like that the piano is a pretty classic style so it can believably fit in different eras. For all of these reasons, I give the piano an enthusiastic A+
A wooden bench with cushioned fabric seat to sit on. While the piano is a classic style that fits well in different eras, alas, the bench does not. The heavy legs, the style of the feet, and even the seat cushion all make the bench more period-specific, which might be good for Melody’s collection but overall less versatile. On the plus side, the bench is nicely scaled and I like that it opens up so you can store sheet music inside, just like real piano benches. The bench is about 4.25 inches tall, 6.5 inches wide, and 4.5 inches deep.
There are two hinges on the lid (and one long tag):
A close up of the fabric, which is wrapped over the cushion and into the inside of the lid:
I think the bench is a nice idea and has good scale and functionality, but I really dislike the period style of the legs/feet. I also wish it were a plain wood bench, as I don’t think the fabric looks good or is attached very well. The corners in particular look like they’re already starting to fray. I’d give the bench a B-because I know some of what I dislike is just personal preference, but I do question how well the fabric in particular will hold up.
A set of sheet music to play, plus a music sheet with the song “Special Melody” that Melody’s brother Dwayne wrote just for her. There are six individual sheets of music (five songs) that come with this piece, plus the folded “Special Melody.”
All of the music laid out:
The outside and inside views of “Special Melody”:
The music is sized correctly to fit inside the bench if you want to store it there, and there’s also a slight groove above the piano keys where you can rest the individual sheets of music.
I really like the inclusion of this music, especially as it seems to fit Melody’s story well and it’s fun to try to play some of these on her piano. Grade for the music is an A.
Yay, music!
My overall grade for the piano is an A, even if purchased at the full retail price of $150 (but especially if purchased with Rewards or other discounts). I hope other people enjoy this piece as much as I do.
Bonus image for people unsure of how to use the piano, LOL:
For as long as she can remember, Melody has loved listening to her family play and sing to music from her grandmother’s piano. Includes: A wooden piano with working keys that play music when pressed, A wooden bench with cushioned fabric seat to sit on, A set of sheet music to play, plus a music sheet with the song “Special Melody” that Melody’s brother Dwayne wrote just for her.
SKU#: GHR32 $150
Melody’s upright piano was part of the October 2019 historical release. I went back and forth about whether to get it, and I’m glad I finally decided to add it to the collection. Here’s an adorable picture of how Melody is displayed with it in a current catalog, followed by the website description and some additional photos and thoughts about each piece:
A wooden piano with working keys that play music when pressed. I think this is a really nice piece of furniture. Even though it’s not completely to scale, I think the size looks good when compared to a doll. It measures about 13 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and a little less than 5.5 inches deep. It’s made mostly of wood but has plastic keys, plastic decorative insets (looks like scroll work) on the face of the piano above the keys, and plastic nonfunctional pedals. All sides of the piano are finished.
Here’s a straight on view of the front:
Close up of decorative (plastic) scroll work on the front:
Looking along the 3 octaves of keys:
Pedals:
View from the back (the 3 circles at the bottom are where the pedals are attached on the reverse side):
Profile view of the piano:
All of the keys (white and black) can be individually pressed, but no music plays unless you put three AAA batteries in the piano. The batteries go in under the keyboard.
I took these pictures from under the piano, looking up at the underside of the pedals to the underside of the keyboard. The three parts you see there are the volume control on the left, the battery compartment in the middle, and the speaker on the right.
Close up of volume control:
Battery compartment (yes you do need a screwdriver) and speaker.
The piano actually sounds pretty good, not at all like the tinny sound of Josefina’s piano, and I really like that you can adjust the volume. Overall, the piano felt very solid and well made and like it would hold up well to being played with by a child. I also like that the piano is a pretty classic style so it can believably fit in different eras. For all of these reasons, I give the piano an enthusiastic A+
A wooden bench with cushioned fabric seat to sit on. While the piano is a classic style that fits well in different eras, alas, the bench does not. The heavy legs, the style of the feet, and even the seat cushion all make the bench more period-specific, which might be good for Melody’s collection but overall less versatile. On the plus side, the bench is nicely scaled and I like that it opens up so you can store sheet music inside, just like real piano benches. The bench is about 4.25 inches tall, 6.5 inches wide, and 4.5 inches deep.
There are two hinges on the lid (and one long tag):
A close up of the fabric, which is wrapped over the cushion and into the inside of the lid:
I think the bench is a nice idea and has good scale and functionality, but I really dislike the period style of the legs/feet. I also wish it were a plain wood bench, as I don’t think the fabric looks good or is attached very well. The corners in particular look like they’re already starting to fray. I’d give the bench a B-because I know some of what I dislike is just personal preference, but I do question how well the fabric in particular will hold up.
A set of sheet music to play, plus a music sheet with the song “Special Melody” that Melody’s brother Dwayne wrote just for her. There are six individual sheets of music (five songs) that come with this piece, plus the folded “Special Melody.”
All of the music laid out:
The outside and inside views of “Special Melody”:
The music is sized correctly to fit inside the bench if you want to store it there, and there’s also a slight groove above the piano keys where you can rest the individual sheets of music.
I really like the inclusion of this music, especially as it seems to fit Melody’s story well and it’s fun to try to play some of these on her piano. Grade for the music is an A.
Yay, music!
My overall grade for the piano is an A, even if purchased at the full retail price of $150 (but especially if purchased with Rewards or other discounts). I hope other people enjoy this piece as much as I do.
Bonus image for people unsure of how to use the piano, LOL:
