Never ________ while playing piano

rsl12 · 2024-06-21T13:33:04+00:00

I'm working on a song. Quite possibly I need lyrics for the upcoming PT recital! How would you fill in the blank? Never ________ while playing piano If you...

thepianoplayer416

Never drink coffee (or tea). If you have a spill, it's going to affect the action. Coffee into a DP would ruin the internal circuit.

MRC

Animisha sneeze!

There's a passage in Patrick Süskind's book Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer where the fictional author, remembering his childhood, tells the story of a fatal piano lesson with Fräulein Funkel. He is playing a duet with her, and keeps playing an F natural instead of an F# at a particular point. She gets angry at him and hits the note several times, saying "That is an F#". Then she has to sneeze. She wipes the snot from her nose with her finger and hits the note several more times. She thus deposits a large booger on the F# key. When they repeat the passage, the boy cannot bring himself to touch the disgusting mess on the key, and therefore in desperation once more plays an F natural. Fräulein Funkel goes into a tantrum of rage and throws him out.

ranjit

MRC There's a passage in Patrick Süskind's book Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer where the fictional author, remembering his childhood, tells the story of a fatal piano lesson with Fräulein Funkel. He is playing a duet with her, and keeps playing an F natural instead of an F# at a particular point. She gets angry at him and hits the note several times, saying "That is an F#". Then she has to sneeze. She wipes the snot from her nose with her finger and hits the note several more times. She thus deposits a large booger on the F# key. When they repeat the passage, the boy cannot bring himself to touch the disgusting mess on the key, and therefore in desperation once more plays an F natural. Fräulein Funkel goes into a tantrum of rage and throws him out.

That is hilarious.

Animisha

MRC Animisha sneeze!

There's a passage in Patrick Süskind's book Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer where the fictional author, remembering his childhood, tells the story of a fatal piano lesson with Fräulein Funkel. He is playing a duet with her, and keeps playing an F natural instead of an F# at a particular point. She gets angry at him and hits the note several times, saying "That is an F#". Then she has to sneeze. She wipes the snot from her nose with her finger and hits the note several more times. She thus deposits a large booger on the F# key. When they repeat the passage, the boy cannot bring himself to touch the disgusting mess on the key, and therefore in desperation once more plays an F natural. Fräulein Funkel goes into a tantrum of rage and throws him out.

Very funny! But when readying the story I thought the punchline would be that the teacher would sneeze during the recital when he plays F natural so nobody hears the mistake. 😉

thepianoplayer416

MRC
The way I'd handle the situation is to stick a piece of gum on the F out of my mouth so he wouldn't touch the F. A more polite way to do it is to take a narrow piece of sticky note put a big X on it and put it on the F to remind somebody not to play that key.
It's obvious the person playing piano doesn't have a good ear that can tell between F & F#.

rsl12

Sorry I've neglected this thread so long! I should clarify that I'm not writing a song from scratch--I'm adapting an existing song for use in the August recital here. Some of your input is definitely going to make it into the lyrics! I think I'll keep the specifics a secret until the recital.

Sgisela I was initially going to say ‘smoke,’ as I had in mind a certain piano that had an ash tray built into a cheek block!

That is crazy. Was it removable? How would one get the ashes out (and if it's removable, then isn't it a waste to add to the piano?)

Bellyman Can't lie, sometimes the raspy tone of some of those smokers is kinda appealing to some of us who don't smoke and don't have that "edge" to our voices. But I'm still not gonna take up smoking.

Hm, I would never think that! But I do agree that listening to a smoker's voice brings back some nostalgia, as there aren't so many crooners these days that do.

TLH21 Not based on a true story by the way, but on a song my father used to sing when I was a kid:

Great song!

MRC There's a passage in Patrick Süskind's book Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer where the fictional author, remembering his childhood, tells the story of a fatal piano lesson with Fräulein Funkel.

What a story!! Thank you for sharing it.

Sophia

Drink coffee!

I said that from experience - some of these suggestions had me spit out my morning coffee I was laughing so hard. Fortunately I wasn't at the piano and the computer keyboard is used to that type of abuse and proven it can take it 🤣

Stub

Bellyman It is interesting seeing some older pictures or videos where musicians were smoking. I think of a Bill Evans photo where he's got a cigarette hanging out one side of his mouth. I think of several videos I've seen of Frank Sinatra workin' on a cigarette as he's performing on stage. And there are others.

Can't lie, sometimes the raspy tone of some of those smokers is kinda appealing to some of us who don't smoke and don't have that "edge" to our voices. But I'm still not gonna take up smoking.

Oh, and I almost forgot... there are the Oscar Peterson types... I don't know if Oscar ever smoked, I didn't think he did, but he always had his towel perched somewhere on the piano and would grab it and wipe the sweat off his head, didn't matter if it was in the middle of a song or not, the other hand just kept on playing and most people would never know the difference. LOL!

I recall seeing a YouTube of Martha Argerich working on a piece at the piano and she had a free standing ash tray (on a pedestal) and cigarettes just to the side of the bench, within easy reach. She looked to be in her thirties or so in the video.

Sgisela

rsl12 That is crazy. Was it removable? How would one get the ashes out (and if it's removable, then isn't it a waste to add to the piano?)

This is it! I assume the metal ashtray can be lifted out. This definitely feels like it’s from another era!

rsl12

Wow, those pedals! What am I looking at? Why? Also, I find it interesting that the pianist is smoking left-handed. Is that normal?

Sgisela

It’s a curiosity, for sure. I haven’t seen it in person, but apparently it has an absurd number of lid props as well— maybe 12.
There was another very similar piano that someone was looking at, but it didn’t have the ash tray. So my guess is that the ashtray was a ‘custom’ addition, and perhaps the original owner was left handed.

PianoMonk

Bellyman Frank Sinatra? Raspy tone? Both Frank and Dean Martin smoked, and like you said, often had a lit gasper while performing. Two of the smoothest crooners ever. Judy Garland and Sarah Vaughn smoked.
I once went to a Dionne Warwick concert, had a great seat, could see her offstage taking the final drags before coming out. John Lennon and Paul McCartney smoked, as did Crosby, Stills and Nash. Joni Mitchell smoked. Not a raspy voice in the bunch.
On the other hand, Tom Waits, Dr. John, Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin were smokers. Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie smoked, too. Probably more to do with genetics than tobacco. And, no, I never smoked, other than the odd Newport the drummer in a band I played in during high school would offer.

Bellyman

PianoMonk Raspy tone?

"Raspy" probably is not the right word. I don't know the right word. But there is something different about the sound.

PianoMonk

rsl12 Never tickle the soprano while playing piano,
for her current gentleman fellow might be first or second cello.
Disrupting the strings is certainly one of those things,
where the members of percussion would join in the discussion.
Woodwinds and brass might let the whole thing pass,
But the conductor, reserving judgement, to a whether or a why,
would wait to hear if the diva's note were of a proper high.

PianoMonk

Bellyman And the difference in sound between Caruso, Pavoratti and Robert Merrill, or Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Adele, are? Or how about Billie Holiday, Julie London and Natalie Cole?
I think each sounds unique because they are unique.

TC3

Play harmonica. I'm looking at you, Billy Joel!

Bellyman

PianoMonk, have you ever caught a cold? Or had a cough for a while? What did it do to your voice?

The times I've had something like that, often my voice will get a different sound to it, sometimes appealing. Whether it's an irritation that changes the sound, a bit of swelling, or what, I don't know. But I hear something similar from someone who smokes and sings.

Not much more I can say about it. If you don't hear it, I don't imagine I have a way to explain it.

PianoMonk

Bellyman Paul McCartney smoked, quit 30 some years ago, sounds pretty much the same to me. What is it that you hear? Pavarotti smoked, then quit, then started up again. All of his recordings pretty much sound the same to me. You must have very good hearing.

Bellyman

PianoMonk You must have very good hearing.

Sometimes. I did a few too many years as a piano tuner and it did affect the way I hear things, not always in a good way. I'm sorry I can't explain it better. "Raspy" was about as close as I could get and that wasn't it.

I was listening to a guy on YouTube that was talking about AI voices. He has people in his household that can't tell and others that can tell nearly instantly. It's like you either hear it or you don't. Not sure if it can be taught or learned. (?)

PianoMonk

Bellyman Even with my old ears, I can instantly tell an A.I. voice. With regard to hearing something to accurately identify singers who smoke.... well, as Hercule Poirot might say, "I think perhaps there is the slight pulling of the leg here. N'est-ce pas? And if not the pulling of the leg, perhaps, if I find myself with a lot of idle time on my hands (not very likely), I will put together an audio selection of 7, or 8, maybe even ten, vocalists and we can have a "Guess The Singing Smoker" contest. Grand prize to person who correctly guesses which are the smokers will be a used set of Sony Walkman headphones from the 80's and a carton of Marlboro Lights.

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