Riddle-Instrument
What keys cant you put in a lock? Piano Keys
My mom said she learned this riddle when she was a schoolgirl taking piano lessons in Long Beach, CA. She said she was between the ages of ten and eleven when her piano instructor asked her this riddle to test her. My mom figured out the answer pretty quickly because she was playing the piano at the same time. She said this was just a little riddle to make her think and have fun while playing. My mom has played the piano throughout her whole life so this riddle reminds her of her first days playing those simple songs. For those who do not play piano, it might be hard to figure out simply because they do not think of piano keys as being the answer. However, many pianists would figure it out because they play everyday. When my mother first asked me this riddle, I had no idea what the answer was but that was probably because I was the only member of the family that did not play piano.
My mom said this riddle can be performed anytime to test the wits of individuals. She said that it can be asked to children as well as adults for both might struggle to figure out the answer if they do not have any knowledge of the piano. She said it is funny to watch individuals think so hard about such a simple answer, especially if they are familiar with the piano. She said her piano teacher performed it during a lesson so that could be a good time to do it as well. She likes to say it whenever she is around the piano so that the answer is obvious. This, she says, is fun to watch because the answer is literally right in front of their eyes.
When I asked my mom what this riddle meant to her, she responded saying that it reminded her of her first days playing the piano and the fun she had with her instructor. She also said that it helped her think quickly and efficiently to answer other riddles similar to that of the piano one. She likes riddles because sometimes the answers are so obvious yet so difficult to figure out at first. Even though she figured this one out right away, others were more difficult. Overall, she enjoys the piano riddle because the answer relates to her favorite instrument.
As I stated before, this riddle was not as obvious to me as it was to my mom. That is why I think it represents a lack of awareness. Although the answers of many riddles are directly in front of our eyes, we still cannot figure out the answer because we are not aware of the elements described in the question. Whenever the performer asks what type of key does not open a lock, an average person would not think of an instrument. However, a musical person might think of it right away just like my mother did. They were aware that the answer dealt with piano keys because of their musical background. But, I do enjoy riddles because they make me think critically in a short period of time.