Street Pianos

[Gordon]

I had not heard of these things until this weekend. One of our duties when visiing grandchildren is to take the grand-daughter to ballet at Herne Hill [South London Dance Studio] which is located near the railway station. In the footway under the rails there is an old beat-up and "decorated" upright piano, there for anyone to play. Someone local keeps an eye on them and keeps them tuned. What agreat idea!! Here's link to see the Herne Hill piano:

http://streetpianos.com/london2012/pianos/herne-hill/

Apprently the grand-daughter's [aged 3.5] great pleasure on the back to catch the bus is to have a play. Whilst we were there a girl was recording a guy who was playing some Debussy and then a bit of jazz each of them enthralling the granddaughter. The recording kit was state of the art digital to solid state with a couple of AKG 414s for mics.

Anyway I did not realise that there were any of these pianos scattered around - has anyone got one near them? I marvel that they don't seem to get vandalised out of existence.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There used to be one outside a shop on the High Street in Haworth - but I think it (and, indeed the shop which provided the "service") is no longer there. It wasn't used much - I don't think anyone wanted to show off (either their expertise or contrariwise)!

[french frank]

I think they appear and disappear. There was one on "Turbo Island" (don't ask!) a year or more ago.

Perhaps there's a feeling of respect for 'street culture' which often seems to be afforded to very good graffiti which survive uninterfered with longer than average.

[David-G]

There was one in St Pancras station. Not sure if it is still there.

[Serial_Apologist]

I had not heard of these things until this weekend. One of our duties when visiing grandchildren is to take the grand-daughter to ballet at Herne Hill [South London Dance Studio] which is located near the railway station. In the footway under the rails there is an old beat-up and "decorated" upright piano, there for anyone to play. Someone local keeps an eye on them and keeps them tuned. What agreat idea!! Here's link to see the Herne Hill piano:

http://streetpianos.com/london2012/pianos/herne-hill/

Apprently the grand-daughter's [aged 3.5] great pleasure on the back to catch the bus is to have a play. Whilst we were there a girl was recording a guy who was playing some Debussy and then a bit of jazz each of them enthralling the granddaughter. The recording kit was state of the art digital to solid state with a couple of AKG 414s for mics.

Anyway I did not realise that there were any of these pianos scattered around - has anyone got one near them? I marvel that they don't seem to get vandalised out of existence.

Living only a couple of miles away, I have a little go on that one every time I'm in Herne Hill. It stands, as can be seen, on a very narrow plinth with very little space for the chair, so anyone having a go has to remember not to move backwards! The other day, having completed my 5-minute recital, I turned around to find a very smartly dressed black gentleman giving me attention, and, on stopping, he said "That was nice, please don't stop"!

I think the amount of care bestowed on these street pianos is proportional to the amount of abuse they get subjected to, because the one outside Forest Hill station, 3 miles to the east, is now sadly in a terrible condition, with several of its keys non-functioning - not helped by the instrument's semi-exposed location under the end of the cycle rank canopy.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I have an idea the St Pancras Station Pianos have something to do with the City of London Festival (I know they have certainly placed them in previous years around London.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There was one in St Pancras station. Not sure if it is still there.

It was still there on 23rd November.

[Once Was 4]

It was still there on 23rd November.

There is more than one and they were still there last week.

There is also one in the main waiting area of Settle station in North Yorkshire. The regular Station Supervisor often plays it in quiet periods and members of the public are welcome to do so - we had Bach and Widor recently!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There is also one in the main waiting area of Settle station in North Yorkshire. The regular Station Supervisor often plays it in quiet periods and members of the public are welcome to do so - we had Bach and Widor recently!

Ah! They often catch the Keswick to York train.

[Lat-Literal]

During my one and only visit to Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle, they had a street piano beside a big bonfire close to the tents. I spent time one night listening to it being played by Tom Rogerson of Three Trapped Tigers and spoke to him afterwards briefly although he was happier letting the music do the talking. Here he is with another street piano in '11:

Tom Rogerson - Cramm - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhHCly8pqd4

Later, I had an idea that the first minute and a bit of this track could be used as a new theme tune for Round Britain Quiz on Radio 4 but have never submitted it to the BBC:

Three Trapped Tigers - 5 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP2uVduXojA

[Gordon]

Ah! They often catch the Keswick to York train.

Pedantic PS, Keswick hasn't had a rail service for a long while but Widor would have been able to do that journey, change at Penrith and Carlisle or perhaps Penrith and Appleby!! I'll get me anorak.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Did the York-Appleby trains use the Stainmore route?

[Gordon]

Did the York-Appleby trains use the Stainmore route?

That would be possible yes, the Stainmore route to Penrith was the N Eastern connection to the main NE network at Darlington via Barnard Castle thence to York, but the more likely and possibly quickest would be the N Eastern from Penrith down to Appleby and change there [maybe a short walk between stations] to the Settle and Carlisle for the Midland to Leeds and then to York on the NER.

Widor's onward journey on his tour of UK cathedral organs was perhaps Lincoln followed a couple of days later by Norwich. Those would be interesting rail journeys back in the day when many long lost cross country routes were still available. Who knows he may have been able to play more Street Pianos at during his long waits for connections!!

It struck me earlier that from Keswick there was the CKP route to Penrith then north on LNWR/WCML LNWR line to Carlisle then the NER across to Newcastle and then the main NER/ECML route to York. Possibly the quickest but also the longest?

I've still got my anorak on.

[Flosshilde]

There are several in Glasgow - mostly indoors (well, they wouldn't survive the Glasgow weather for long if they were outside), so possibly not 'street pianos' in the strict meaning of the term, but still available for anyone to play.

[clive heath]

I was playing the indoor piano in Toulouse station, waiting for a TGV and had hardly started ("Autumn Leaves", keep it local) when a guy who turned out to be a music lecturer at Liege uni unpacked his trumpet and joined in. We followed up with "I Wish You Love" and were getting going on "All The Things You Are" when the chemin-de-fer flics called a halt to the duo so we slunk away. There was an outdoor piano outside St. Pauls Cathedral a while back.