One of the main arguments guitar fanaticos are likely to give as to why the guitar is better than the piano, is its portability. They claim that a guitar, being light-weight and all, can be taken anywhere, and can handle some rumble and tumble, whereas a piano can only sit in concert halls and be fancy. Well we are here to debunk that argument once and for all! Turns out pianos, despite their large size (it’s not their fault, they’re just big boned!), are not the prima-donnas they have been made out to be. In fact, they have made it to quite an astounding number of unconventional places, proving that apparently, they aren’t afraid to get some dirt in between their keys and break a note or two! Don’t believe us? Well, let’s just let the pictures speak for themselves. Behold the oddest places where pianos have ventured off to/been found:
1. On the Great Wall of China
German pianist Stefan Aaron is what we like to call a mashugana. He has this orange piano, you see, and he prefers not to be separated from it, ever. Does that mean Stefan must resort to sitting at home, playing his piano in a dark gloomy corner of his living room for some imaginary friends? No no no. In this relationship, Aaron wears the pants. Rather than accommodating his piano love, Aaron’s piano accommodates him, joining him on escapades all over the world in what they call the Orange Piano Tour. This has most recently led to a joint getaway for the two in Beijing, atop none other than the Great Wall of China (you can watch the two performing a catchy little jingle here). In each unusual location, Aaron performs songs tailored for the place. Hey, you think he knows that playing only the black keys makes Asian music?
2. In Thai Elephant Terrain
Britton pianist Paul Gratton was looking for a way to fill his Saturday afternoon. Suddenly, a wild idea hit him, and when we say wild, we mean wild. “Why not play some Beethoven for wild Thai Elephants?” he asked. And thus, Gratton ended up in Kanchanaburi Thailand, after lugging his piano up a mountain with some natives, and gave the elephants a memory they’ll never forget (this expression fails with elephants, they never forget anything). The catch? The elephants were all blind, and profits from the event went very specifically to help raise money for blind elephants. Perhaps the Beethoven serenade was to symbolically show the elephants that you can be awesome even without all your senses? You can watch the performance here.
3. Atop a 13,800 ft. high Swiss Alp Mountain Peak
Our friend Stephan Aaron and his orange piano from #1 are at it again, only this time atop a 13,800 ft. high Swiss Alp Mountain Peak called Alphubel, because apparently playing piano on world-famous landmarks is not edgy enough. To reach the location, Mr. Orange piano was flown in via helicopter to be placed atop its icy new chilling spot. In accomplishing this feat, Aaron and Orange proved yet again what an unstoppable duo they are, breaking the world record for Highest Piano Performance. Watch the pair perform the single “Doing the Undoable”, here.
4. Half Submerged or Fully Under Water
“Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it’s better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me”
In the words of Sebastian the crab (yes crab, not lobster) from the Little Mermaid, nothing can beat the awesomeness that is the sea. Apparently, there are pianists in existence who very much agree with this, despite having chosen a hobby that has nothing whatsoever to do with water. What do they do to fix this minor flaw? Why, merge the two of course! One such example is Andre Kempen, a South African musician, composer and refuser of the word “no”. He produced a video in 1990 in which he casually hops under the waves for a little piano jam session, bringing along a fellow violinist, you know, for fun. The fish in his vicinity were in for a real treat that day, as it was a feast (don’t worry Sebastian, not you this time) for both the eyes and ears. Watch the performance here.
5. On a bus
Talk about pimping a ride. A group of very lucky people got to ride on a large public bus adorned with fancy chandeliers and a grand piano at center stage/bus. Icelandic pianist Davíð Þór Jónsson accompanied by visual artist Ilmur Stefánsdóttir played a brilliant combination of classical and modern music with whimsical improvisations, giving all in the vicinity a magical Grand piano-bus adventure. Watch the magic school bus here ;).
6. Suspended in the Air
As no video is available to accompany this image, if we had to make one guess as to what this pianist decided to play whilst being suspended 7 stories in the air, it would be the theme song from Up. Why this whole event was even necessary is unclear to us, as we see it as just fueling the unfair “pianos-like-to-fall-out-of-the-sky-on-unsuspecting-passersby” stereotype that all poor pianos try so hard to avoid. But still, we’ll admit, the suspense is killing us!
7. In a Forest
There comes a time when every piano must return to its wooden roots. Apparently, some people take this very literally and physically place old pianos in forests, allowing them to naturally decompose after all those years of composing (see what we did there?). It can make for a beautiful green exhibit and if you’re lucky, a really cool tree.
8. In the Sahara Desert
Marc Vella is a French self-proclaimed ‘nomadic’ pianist. He likes to take his baby-grand to remote places in the world – like the desert, and play for cactuses and sand dunes rather than people. Still, credit must be given where credit is due–the combined effect of his playing and the surrounding scenery is quite powerful and moving.
9. In Naturally Made Amphitheaters
You know those cool amphitheaters where you sit in a giant half-circle and pretend you’re an ancient Roman watching Gladiator combats (we all do that, no?)? Well it turns out nature likes making some of those too, only unlike manmade amphitheaters, no one performs in Mother Nature’s ones, which makes her very sad. Enter the very cool Piano Guys. They went to one such naturally-made Amphitheater in Bryce Canyon National Park, and took along their trusty instruments to play some music for Mother Nature in one of the most classic and natural settings that can be. The result was a viral hit and a beautiful classical rendition of one of the most heavily remixed song in the world, Titanium. Enjoy it here.
10. In Ice Caves
The cold never bothered them anyways. Following their many Youtube successes, the Piano Guys decided to next tackle the song which has been covered by every 4-year-old on the planet and has caused the biggest radio frenzy since the Macarena, appropriately called “Let It Go”, from Disney’s Frozen. To match the atmosphere and lyrics of the song, the group took their instruments to get frozen on Midway’s Ice Castle in Utah. The resulting video features beautiful winter scenery and a piano so snowy white even Elsa would be jealous. Watch the icy-hot video here.
We want to hear from you readers! Where is the weirdest place you’ve found a piano?
2 comments
[…] the Santa Monica Mountains. You see, though we’ve told you about how pianos can be found in odd and unlikely places, it’s not every day that they seemingly reach these places on their own. Such was the case on […]
That was alot of fun to read! Never honestly thought pianos would be a interesting subject to read about