to think that the BBC are morally wrong to do this?

[OhYouLuckyDuck]

On Back in Time for the weekend the family take out the piano and replace it with a television. They are then shown smashing the piano. I am incensed at the waste and the message that this sends out to people that it's OK to throw away perfectly good stuff that can be used still.

[Seriouslyffs]

I saw that episode and was at the piano smashing. Not thought about the logistics of getting rid of a big and heavy worthless bit of furniture though.

[travellinghopefully12]

that's so sad (not a musician)

[The80sweregreat]

It was mindless. Surely someone would have taken it? The programme is annoying ! ( only tune in for the nostalgia really)

[liinyo]

I can remember my dad doing ours and, on another occasion, one that belonged to our neighbour Mrs Wilson after she died and her daughter was clearing the house. The noise was indescribable and quite scary.

Incidentally, Mrs Wilson was in her late 90s and could remember seeing Queen Victoria in her carriage.

[gobbynorthernbird]

The80s, people don't take them, though. They're worth nothing and are expensive to move. Plus they are massive pieces of furniture. Ex-H was a musician, although piano wasn't his first instrument, and got a perfectly adequate weighted digital for £300. Fine for playing at home, would have been good for DC to learn and practice on, plus portable with volume control and he could stick headphones in. There's little point in having an upright unless you have a great deal of money to buy a great one, and a large house.

Also, as a PP said, they don't last forever. And when they start to go, they really go.

[IceBeing]

My granny gave her piano to a 'who can smash up a piano and put it through a tire first' competition.

This was while her younger daughter (my aunt) was begging to learn to play.

Apparently she didn't want her daughters 'showing her up' with their learning. She was constantly mortified that my Mum was always top of her class.

[ZiggyFartdust]

It wasn't mindless, it was exactly what people did, and cheap pianos don't last for ever. At a certain point they are worthless and useless.

This is just mindless sentimentality. You want to keep a useless piece of wood for no good reason. No real musician would want to keep and store about an instrument that wasn't worth playing, just because it once played good music.

[liinyo]

We have one now as both my DDs play. When we moved house the normal removers wouldn't touch it. We had to pay specialist piano removers. And it is only a standard, modern upright. And when, some years later, we wanted it moved from a front room to a back room, we had to pay people to move it.

Hopefully when the DDs leave home one of them will take it with her. It does take up a lot of wall space but I do enjoy hearing them playing and singing together.

[thebiscuitindustry]

Surely if you had any other wooden furnitures such as an old wardrobe or chest of drawers, you would dismantle it rather than smashing it up?

[Wolpertinger]

I remember our first upright piano though - there was no dismantling it! It was stuck together with whopping bits of iron and nearly killed me and my dad just trying to move it on the flat.

It's not like an Ikea chest of drawers, you don't have many options with it.

No idea what my parents did with the first one, mum still has the second, well out of tune and written off by the piano tuner ages ago.

[daisychain01]

Maybe MN could see if Elton John would sponsor a home for old clapped out pianos that nobody wants anymore. A bit like a donkey sanctuary.

[chocolateee]

Near us there's a piano graveyard art installation . Some of them still work and passers by can have a quick tinkle on the ivories if they wish . Rather lovely.

[landrover]

Just a quick added reminder to people not to do it as it can be dangerous.

[TitClash]

Its like burning old books, not something I'd do. But an old piano can be difficult to rehome.

[TSSDNCOP]

I find it hard enough to watch the waste of food on Masterchef, smashing up a real working piano wouldn't be fun to watch for me.

[gobbynorthernbird]

TSSDNCOP it probably wasn't working. Chances are it had got to the stage where you could buy a quite fantastic new piano for what it would cost to repair.

[ElizaCBennett]

I felt physically sick when I saw that. I actually flinched every time they hit it with the hammer. I was shocked at how upset I was really. It never occurred to me that they would actually smash it up like that. If I had been in the programme I think I would have refused.

[geekymommy]

My mom has an old piano. I took lessons as a kid, stopped after my piano teacher's dog bit me (really). I haven't played the piano since, and have zero interest in ever doing so. If there were space in my house where it could fit, I'd fill it up with bookshelves instead. I'm hoping my sister wants Mom's piano when Mom passes on. I'm pretty sure the market for used pianos here in America isn't much better than it is on your side of the pond.

[gobbynorthernbird]

Would the people who don't like the idea feel the same of it was an old, knackered, not working properly CRT TV? Or any other piece of home entertainment equipment that had past the end of its useful life?

[RedOnHerHedd]

I felt the same when I saw it, but the same as others have said, we couldn't give it away, tried all the churches, schools etc, most charity places refused it, but one did eventually take it and it was such a beautiful piano. We just didn't have room for it. :(

[ZiggyFartdust]

You might as well argue against crushing cars that can't be driven or stereos that no longer work. Once a piano has passed a certain point it is no longer a musical instrument, its just a big pile of wood.
Its the music that is the beautiful thing, the important thing. A shell that used to play it....you're missing the whole point if you think everyone of those needs to be saved.

[CasanovaFrankenstein]

So was it the same piano they were playing fine in previous episode or a useless one?

[Wolpertinger]

Same piano - but it wasn't the best piano ever. There's a difference between 'playing fine' and 'worth something'

You could play a nice tune on my mothers but it's still worthless and has the odd key that doesn't work.

[itsbetterthanabox]

They showed clips of people doing it in the 60's. Young People did it when the TV became popular.
I don't get why you care? You don't know the wood wasn't recycled. They aren't telling you to throw things out. They are saying it was done in the 60's. The show isn't telling you at home to live like people in the 60's.