Yesterday one of my young students who is as fluent with computers as I was with pianos in my youth, prompted me to observe that most people know their way around the piano the way I know my way around computers, which is to say, not in any depth.

I know the keyboard and can manage access to the Internet and some other on-line functions, but at the slightest unexpected turn I call for Tech Support. Many people play the piano in an analogous manner: with little awareness of what goes on inside the box (i.e., the strings) they feel hopelessly confused at the slightest surprise.

The trouble is that good music is crafted to be full of surprises large and small.