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Have You Ever Played a Forbidden Piano?


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You know the kind, the ones sitting in a lobby somewhere, with some sort of "Do Not Play" sign on it, Have you ever actually skirted disaster and played the thing?

 

No, I haven't. I've thought about it, though.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I usually avoid it because I don't want to the "that guy". You know, the type that brings and acoustic guitar to a party unsolicited.

 

But one night recently, I had landed in Minneapolis from Chicago after a hellishly long delay. I was almost alone at the gates. There is a Clavinova...or maybe it's another self-playing grand that is usually covered and locked up, but it was miraculously opened up. I mean, it was like 11:30pm. So I sat and played for about 5 minutes. I hadn't touched a real piano, I realized, in at least 3 years, and that made me a little emotional.

 

But usually, no, I don't play those gated off pianos, and I really don't like when others do either. LOL.

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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They have one in the hospital across the street I work for. It's always on though and behind some ropes.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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If it says not to play then I won't. No sign and its fair game. When my daughter was in delivery with my grandson, the hospital had a Yamaha baby grand. The sign said anyone was welcome as long as the could play.

So I played it for about an hour and played few requests for the nurses. I figured if I don't then its going to be awful renditions of Imagine, Heart & Soul and Lean on Me in root voicings. After I left, sure enough I heard the piano . A teenage kid almost but not quite playing Imagine.

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I encountered one while vacationing here...

 

The Hotel Denver

 

It had a sign on it saying not to play it, and I respected that, although as friendly and accommodating as the staff were, I wouldn't be surprised if they would've allowed me a couple minutes if I'd asked.

 

It was a great looking antique grand piano. The exterior and finish looked great. I don't recall the details of what else the sign said, but it made it sound like it wasn't in the best playable condition. At a place that promotes its historical value, it was a bummer to realize they didn't maintain it so it was in playable condition.

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Once I went on a tour of Versaiiles, and decided to hop the rope guarding this piano. At first security rushed me, but then they were so mesmerized by my playing they decided not to punish me.

 

(parts of this story may not be entirely true)

 

versailles-france-january-piano-one-rooms-castle-versailles-france-gold-piano-one-rooms-109846722.jpg

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I used to be incapable of walking past a piano without playing it - sign or no sign. Not so much anymore now that I'm so mature and responsible and all ;) The only time I got any grief was at a restaurant in San Francisco. My brother and I stopped in for dinner after spending all day at an outdoor Blues festival at Ft. Mason. I was feeling no pain at this point so I naturally sat down at the baby grand and started playing the Blues. All cool for about ten minutes, but then a very young and obviously inexperienced waitress came over and had a sputtering meltdown. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! We have a man that we pay to play and HE ISN'T HERE!!!" So I finished up the tune and sat back down to a nice round of applause. Halfway through dinner the very nice manager, who had just arrived, came over and apologized for her behavior. I told him no problem, but he wasn't having it. He said "I understand you play very well and the patrons were enjoying it. She had no business being so rude to you. The upshot of it was that he comped our drinks and dinner. Actually a pleasant memory all in all.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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I've pushed the boundaries exactly two times I can think of, and in both situations, I was with coworkers at evening festivities out of town.

 

First was a sales meeting where they large hotel complex we were staying at had a piano in the bar, with a guy playing it. When he went on break, everybody in my group was asking me to play it. I found the piano player and asked if he would mind if I played a little while he was on break and he said sure, go right ahead. The place was pretty packed an I soon had everybody in a big group sing-along when the manager of the bar came over and asked me to stop, so I did.

 

Second was sort of similar...staying at a hotel that had a bar in the basement with a piano off in a side room where they sometimes had music. They had no music that night and the bar was fairly slow except for our group. This time there were 2 of us in the group who played, so we took turns and even played a couple duets. We actually ended up attracting quite a crowd into that room from the rest of the bar. In that case, while the staff kept an eye on things, they didn't seem to mind since the patrons were all happy and I think they probably recognized that it was free entertainment.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Actually, the my one Forbidden Piano story was at my wedding. We rented a small UU church that had a small grand in the corner. We got a very good deal on the place, but they wanted an additional $50 for use of the piano. The cost ws nothing, but in front of our families, I didn't want to look like "that groom" that tries to steal the show, so I purposefully didn't pay the $50. Come the actual reception, everyone wants to hear my wife and I do duets, and her siblings brought a guitar for the ceremony, so it was impossible not to avoid a family singalong later. So yes, I played the piano that I was supposed to pay for. I should have gone back and paid them after the fact, but we were pretty busy and figured it was water under the bridge. Owners of the church are all friends of ours, so I'm sure they probably wouldn't mind.

 

After years of living in small apartments, I'm seriously going through acoustic piano withdrawal. It's very hard to pass by a piano and not play something. I've been traveling a lot recently, and I've noticed that quite a few airports and train stations are starting to sport "PLAY ME" Pianos. In the Brisbane airport, I even got on Japanese TV playing some video game music (when they learned I played in a game band, the film crew all wanted to hear Final Fantasy). Went up to Scotland, and both Edinburgh and Glasgow's major depots had uprights supplied by a local music store... seemed like a fantastic advertising endeavor! Playing in Waverley (Edinburgh) was so inspiring, I wrote a wonderful little tune right there while waiting for the rail to Glasgow. Unfortunately, I was so rushed in Glasgow I had to force myself to walk past the upright, it was exceedingly difficult!

Puck Funk! :)

 

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After looking at posts about a friends unusual behavior, Im imagining another forum where someone is wondering about the sanity of a friend who cant walk by a grand piano without playing it. BTW, thats me! And I definitely need professional help...
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Years ago and so long I don't remember why I was even there. but one afternoon my wife got off the Garden State Parkway and drove around the back of what was then called the Garden State Arts Center in NJ. Its a large partially covered amphitheater and the road going round back is at stage level. ( Easy load ins for the big acts) We got out of the car and walked onto the back of the huge stage looking out at all the empty seats. Quite a view. All that was on the stage was a Full Grand and a lonely guard standing there looking bored. I asked if I could play the piano. He said "Sure" I sat down and don't remember what I played but it was my Billy Joel moment on a big stage. No one there but us three but I still remember it with a smile.

I've seen a bunch of concerts there including the Allman Bros, Yes, George Benson, Liberace, Peter Frampton and the last one before levaing Jersey The Rascals Reunion Show. Big thrill for me as I'm a huge Rascals fan.

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I've played a few random such pianos in schools or churches, even got chased out of a church for wailing AT their pipe organ, but I've also had a few "forbidden synth" experiences. I came across a Jupiter-8 in the modest synth pile at the back of a piano & organ store one Saturday. It was live and warmed up, so I dug into it until I had a crowd of 15, at which point some middle manager walked up and gave me the Stinkeye over it. Hey, you set up a $5k flagship in a music store, people are gonna noodle on it. The classic JP-8 synth-blat patch was a particular crowd pleaser. The original synth runs so hot, you can slow-roast a Hot Pockets on it. :eek:

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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Funny. I used to play "forbidden pianos" a lot back when. I did a lot of business travel, and if the hotel had a piano I felt it was fair game after asking. There was this night in a Japanese hotel where I played "American Pie" and the locals knew every darn word of every darn verse. Crazy.

 

Thankfully, I don't travel near as much these days. Also, I realized a lot of these "forbidden" instruments aren't exactly kept in great shape.

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No, and not because I dislike a good caper, but rather because it makes me VERY self-conscious to be Guy Who Walks Over and Plays Available Piano.

 

Yes, you don't want to be That Guy, but -- after reading the crowd and gauging their cumulative alcohol intake -- it can be a reasonably fun proposition. Besides, everyone I work with knows I play, so there's always the obligatory invitation which I can accept or decline. Sort of my choice.

 

Except in the UK. Don't do it. They'll never let you go home.

 

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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At the Musical Instrument Museum here in Rome, they have a fortepiano by Bartolomeo Cristofori. In fact, it's the oldest surviving piano on earth. It's protected by only a tiny separation rope, very easy to trespass. Once, I happened to be there when nobody else was around, and my curiosity was so huge, that I... *almost* did it.

Fact is, I had to play a concert in the museum later, so, well... you know.

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Here.

 

fortepiano-cristofori-1722-600x450.jpg

 

Correction: The Cristofori piano at the Metropolitan Museum in New York is technically older by a couple of years, but it's been heavily altered in the course of the years. The one in Rome is also better mantained. There are just three working Cristofori pianos left in the whole world. Maybe you can understand my lust for putting my hands on this one.... :freak:

 

 

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Pianos no, but guitars yes. Being a recording engineer and hanging at lot of sessions after their done for the night I've play a number of guitars of name guitarists. Now I did work on a recording session with real harpsichord, dam that thing was beautiful and I had never heard one in person. I checked with our receptionist and she said the tuner won't be in until morning so I play it a little, what a sound.
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At the Musical Instrument Museum here in Rome, they have a fortepiano by Bartolomeo Cristofori. In fact, it's the oldest surviving piano on earth. It's protected by only a tiny separation rope, very easy to trespass. Once, I happened to be there when nobody else was around, and my curiosity was so huge, that I... *almost* did it.

 

It's a safe bet that there were no strings in there.

 

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Oh yes, I've done it a few times. Like others in this thread, I used to travel for work a lot and be stuck for several days in conference hotels, many of which have a piano somewhere. I remember playing one in the bowels of one hotel where only the maids and maintenance workers were. It's late at night and I'm stuck in this hotel so I find the piano and play for a while. The housekeeping staff complimented me on my playing.

 

I also remember being in a museum somewhere (Scotland? Italy?) where there was a small concert auditorium with a grand piano waiting for the performer to play later in the day. Of course I had to give it a whirl, just to see what it sounded like.

These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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but rather because it makes me VERY self-conscious to be Guy Who Walks Over and Plays Available Piano.

 

And this is exactly why I DO almost always play a piano when I see one. To constantly work through the nerves of a live impromptu performance is invaluable.

 

Yes you do have to read the crowd and the alcohol level. Sometimes the entertainment is really appreciated, other times you know it's time to wrap it up after a couple of songs. Either way, you work through those performance jitters and makes you a better performer.

 

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At the Musical Instrument Museum here in Rome, they have a fortepiano by Bartolomeo Cristofori. In fact, it's the oldest surviving piano on earth. It's protected by only a tiny separation rope, very easy to trespass. Once, I happened to be there when nobody else was around, and my curiosity was so huge, that I... *almost* did it.

 

It's a safe bet that there were no strings in there.

There were strings, at that time at least. My bet is that it's been restrung a few times during its lifetime - I don't know if they used regular harpsichord strings or some specially designed things. About five years ago, they held a brief concert with it, btw.

 

 

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Several years ago on a band road trip:

 

The nice hotel we stayed at one night had a nice grand piano in the lobby/lounge/desk area.

 

We were celebrating my bass player's birthday, so there we were sitting around the piano with our drinks and cigars, when an impromptu acoustic Journey show happened :)

 

Management was totally cool, and for a while we had a sing along going.

 

One time at a conference, there was a piano sitting in the corner outside the conference rooms. I had to sit an play. Lasted 5 minutes before I was told to go away .......

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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I was on a cruise last October with a band and their fans. It was about 9pm and

the piano In the hall where the photographers try to get you to pose so they can

Take your money. All the photographers had packed it up and there was

the piano. I sat down and started playing and security was coming from both sides.

My girlfriend saw this and was waiting for them to bust me. The female security

Guard had asked me to quit just as the Captain stepped up and said let him

play, and get him anything he wants from the bar. I got a nice cocktail and

Kept playing for about an hour!!!

 

Jimmy

 

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho

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