How Thomas Edison Learned to Play the Piano

Thomas Edison is famous for having found many ways not to make a light bulb.  And, of course, for having found one way to make a very good light bulb.  Because he saw his experiments in this light, he never encountered a word many of us fear: failure.

Being the brave soul that he was, Thomas Edison also found many ways not to play the piano and eventually became proficient at the instrument.  He did not care for the compositions of his contemporary Rachmaninoff, though he recorded some of the famous pianist’s works.  He also made recordings of Brahms performing piano.

The great inventor once had a particularly unique thought.  It was an idea about a very good way not to make a piano.  The thought went something like this…

I want to make a piano… out of concrete.

Edison’s concrete piano has made its way to the top of many lists of “failed inventions”.  His motivation was to create a piano that would be lighter – in cost – so that more families could afford them.

Recently, a family intrigued by Edison’s “failed” idea, decided to replicate it by encasing their piano in concrete.  The mother, Judy Wearing, felt the tone of the piano was actually improved.  To read more about this experiment, see http://www.sott.net/articles/show/195130-Thomas-Edison-s-failed-concrete-piano-sings.

Whether Thomas Edison’s concrete piano is viewed by others as a success or failure, and whether others choose to look at his many “failed” attempts to make an efficient light bulb instead of his one “successful” attempt, is really not the point.

The point is that people – scientists and musicians alike – have something valuable to learn from Thomas Edison:

• Every experience is a learning experience, therefore,
• there is no such thing as failure.
• Think outside the box.  In fact, why not reinvent the box entirely?

Thanks for reading!  (Now go practice!)