Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 12

Hello, it's Sunday, June 23rd again, and I'm going to write about Day 12 of my Sing for Hope piano journey from memory. When I say from memory, I do consult my iPod Touch to view a list of songs I played at each piano, and when I look at the photos, they help stir my memories of the experiences I had. Okay, I may also use some copy I already wrote on Facebook... why not?

During my morning check on the piano in my neighborhood, I played one of the songs from my core trio. Also, inspired by the music lesson I learned the night before from the improvisational pianist at Pier 70, I decided to work on some original music, creating on the spot, just for fun.

Piano #40: Gantry Plaza State Park. Having played all the pianos in Manhattan, I needed to venture to another borough, so I returned to Queens. After finishing up work, I took the A train followed by the 7 train into Queens. The area near the subway stop felt familiar to me, as I've visited that area twice before for the previous piano installations.  It didn't take too long to find the piano, and when I arrived nobody was playing, so I sat down to play.  As you can see in the first picture below, the sun was shining brightly.  For the most part I kept my eyes shut, but if I looked up, I could see red through my eyelids and if I opened my eyes to look down at the piano keys, the white keys looked blue, and the black keys looked red!  It was cool but a little trippy.  There's actually a piano with blue and red keys that I ended up visiting on Day 14 and had known I wanted to visit from the start.  I played two songs from my core trio and finished with Lullaby for Eliana.  During the lullaby, I noticed that a father was carrying his daughter, dancing and listening to me play.  So sweet.  They sat down to explore the keys after I got up.

Piano #41: Court Square Park. Though I could have taken two different subway lines to get to the next piano, I ended up walking all the way to the piano. I actually took a wrong turn at one point but was able to see the graffiti/artwork at 5 Pointz. You can see the graffiti in passing when you ride the 7 train, but it was nice to stop and take pictures from the street.

Following the 5 Pointz detour, I was able to make my way to Court Square Park, and I must say that was one nice looking courthouse. Of course I had to take a picture!

This man played Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and one other classical piece.  He brought sheet music and said he hadn't played since he was a kid.

The view from the piano.

I played two songs from my core trio and also improvised/created music on the spot.

Piano #42: Jackson Heights Post Office. I took the 7 train to go farther into Queens and visited the piano at the Jackson Heights Post Office for the first time. I know they had one there in 2011 (can't remember if they did in 2010), but I never went. When I arrived, there was a guy playing an intense original composition, and the man standing by him seemed like he was part-conductor guiding the pianist along and part-fan, very much moved by the piece. It felt like a collaboration to me.  A young girl approached the piano and played the piano next, and when she left, I approached the piano. I played the instrumental piece from my core trio, and I was in the zone. It's a nice place to be. :)

The men removed their food and drink from the piano to let me take pictures of it.

Piano #43: Roosevelt Island. I took the F train to get to Roosevelt Island and walked a short way to get to Good Shepherd Plaza. When I arrived, there were some teenage girls posing for pictures with the piano. I waited until they left to approach & play my core trio. After my final song, a man who looked and sounded like Alan Alda (but was not Alan Alda) asked if I'd taken lessons and when I said yes, he said they paid off.

On my way back to the subway, I saw the beautiful sunset and decided to stay a  while longer.

Stay tuned for more piano adventures...

Pop-Up Pianos: Day 13

After work, I took the M104 bus down to 42nd Street and then caught the 7 train to the first stop in Queens. Made my way to Gantry Plaza State Park. I forgot there were two pianos here last year until I saw the park. Nobody was playing the piano when I arrived. In fact, the lid was closed. I sat down to play "Arithmetic" and at the end of the song, a little girl came up to me and smiled. I asked her if she wanted to play, and she nodded yes, so I said, "Go for it!" I got up and ate my dinner (free falafel rice platter -- heh heh, it pays to be loyal). When I finished (and when she finished), I returned to the piano and started to play "Awake." Another little girl came up to the piano and smiled, so I smiled back at her. I finished the song, and the first little girl wanted to play again, so I got up and enjoyed the slowly setting sun, breeze, and view.

After taking these pictures, I sat back down at the piano one last time but for three more songs: "Shadowfeet," "Nightminds," and "Gravity."  A few people clapped softly after I played "Shadowfeet," and even though the piano was slightly out of tune, I couldn't resist playing "Gravity."  I contemplated playing one more, but "Gravity" is definitely a finale song for me.  It can't be topped.

On a final note for the day, I suppose I could leave this for my final entry, but I've been reflecting on the places I've visited over the past two weeks.  At some places, I definitely felt like a fish out of water.  Some places have kept me on my toes (ahem, Columbus Park, ahem).  Other places like Gantry Plaza State Park?  Totally belong.

Play Me, I'm Yours... Day 6

Today was hands down one of the best I've ever experienced in New York City. So many moments to blog about, so let's get to it:

Piano 3: Gantry Plaza State Park
I was hoping to get tickets to The Merchant of Venice from the distribution in Queens, but I was too late, and all the vouchers were gone by the time I arrived at the distribution location at the Chocolate Factory Theater. I took the opportunity to play the pianos at Gantry Plaza State Park -- I was excited when I found out there were two to play. The first piano was right in the sun, so I only played "Arithmetic" from memory and knew I needed to move on. Thank goodness for sunscreen. What a view of Manhattan!

Standing in the shade after playing the first piano

Piano 4: Gantry Plaza State Park
I found the second piano after walking around a bit. It was quite breezy by the water, and I ended up having to stand up while playing "Nightminds" and "Special Two" by Missy Higgins, so I could read the sheet music. While I was playing and singing, a man riding a bicycle stopped to listen and help hold down the music. He complimented my playing and singing. His name's Wesley, and he mentioned he wished the two pianos could be switched because this second piano had a key stuck. I agreed with him.

Piano 5: Bryant Park Library
I contemplated going to Woodside for some Filipino food, but I was more determined to play more pianos, so I headed back to Manhattan on the 7 train and stopped at Bryant Park. Walked over to 5th Avenue in front of the New York Public Library. A guy was playing the piano by one of the lions, and he seemed to be improvising. I needed to recover from walking around in the heat, so I didn't mind the wait.

Once he finished, I did my now-routine bolt to the piano. Right when I sat down, this woman sat down at the table closest to the piano. I had a feeling she wanted to hear me play. I started off with "Nightminds," and she clapped when I was done. She asked about the art project, so we discussed it a bit. She said that her name was Trish, and she's lived in New York for 25 years -- currently on the Upper East Side -- but had never visited this particular branch of the New York Public Library. She was fascinated by the building and also the public pianos. Trish asked if she could turn pages for me, so I decided to use sheet music for "Arithmetic" even though I've memorized it. So Trish stood at my right, and at some point, another woman stood on my left and listened to me play. I ended my "set" with "Special Two" by Missy Higgins. I told both women that I was taking off to play other pianos, and the woman who stood to my left said she just came from Central Park and saw a bunch of musicians playing together. Trish said she was going to tell her mother about the project, and then we parted ways.

Piano 6: Times Square 42nd Street

I decided to walk to Times Square from Bryant Park to hit up the second piano. When I arrived, this little boy was playing classical music very well, and his father was filming him. There was another stuck key that the boy needed in his first piece, but it still sounded great. After he finished, his father played a bit. Another man played another classical piece, and then another man did a Beatles medley. I seized my opportunity after the medley was over and played "Arithmetic" from memory. A woman sitting in a chair next to the piano asked if it was an original song, and I told her no and then showed her my Brooke Fraser piano book. She said she enjoyed the song.

Piano 7: Lincoln Center NW corner of 65th and Broadway
Had a late lunch and then made my way by bus to Lincoln Center. The first piano I saw was being occupied by opera singers and their teacher on piano. I listened for a bit but figured I wouldn't be able to get on the piano anytime soon, so I walked up to the piano I saw the other day but couldn't play due to time constraints. Two teens were playing -- one on guitar and one on piano.

Even the keys are painted on this piano!

Then, a woman in a yellow dress (pictured above) played a little bit. All of a sudden, I saw two women preparing a professional video camera and boom microphone. I thought the woman last night in Times Square was prepared -- these women in Lincoln Center were really prepared! They set out a portable chair, and all of a sudden, there was Albert Maysles sitting down. The Albert Maysles. Documentarian. Grey Gardens. Now filming a boy play classical music very well.

Albert Maysles with awesome yellow socks!

Unfortunately, a security guard asked Albert and his team to stop filming. They did not have a permit to film. So the boy finished up his last piece, and Albert left. While people were milling about, I decided to just go ahead and play before anyone else did. I played "Nightminds" first, and a woman held down my sheet music since it breezy again. I played "Arithmetic" second and then was asked to write about my experience on that piano in a notebook. Like a little guestbook, if you will.

Piano 8: Lincoln Center SW corner of 65th and Broadway
I asked one of the volunteers where the other three pianos in Lincoln Center were, and she told me their locations, including the one just across the street. The two boys on piano and guitar just finished up their final song when I got there. I should have taken one of their free CDs, but I didn't. When I sat down at the piano, two men were asking me what I was going to play, and how long I'd been playing the piano. I told them that I was covering my favorite singer-songwriters and that I'd been playing since elementary school but I wasn't very diligent about becoming classically trained. As I played, I could feel the crowd growing behind me, and I could see someone taking a picture (or filming?) in front of me. (Another security guard told her to stop filming, too, so it's not just picking on Albert Maysles.) One of the men stood by the piano to listen to "Arithmetic," "Nightminds," and "Special Two." His name's Leon, and he played after me. Having only been at it for 4 months, Leon was great! He has a wonderful, soulful voice too!

Piano 9: 14th and 9th Avenue
I walked by the piano near the David H. Koch Theater -- the one where the opera singers were performing. It didn't seem like they were going to be done anytime soon, so I made the decision to take the A train down to 14th Street, and I walked over to 9th Avenue to play the piano there. A couple was plunking away, improvising until a few raindrops came along. When they left, I quickly sat down and played "Arithmetic" from memory while the taxi cabs and other cars drove by me. There was no plastic in sight, and that concerned me. Why would someone want to steal the plastic covering for the piano? I could see the rain splash slightly on the keys and on my arms (which were slathered in sunscreen, so I was getting splotchy white spots). As I finished the song, I closed the piano but was sad I couldn't cover it in plastic. The piano's not in the best shape as it is.

Piano 10: Chelsea Market
I walked up a block to the 9th Avenue entrance to Chelsea Market and found the piano on the other end of the market. It's the only indoor piano I know of, but I suppose there could be more. It turns out there was a concert going on. They had microphones and speakers -- their equipment and their long string of songs should have tipped me off. But when they announced they were taking a break, I decided to ask the man if he would let me play during the break. He said no and that I had to wait until 8 o'clock because the Chelsea Market piano was one of the ones that could be reserved from 6 to 8 for concerts. I had nowhere to go anyway, especially since I wasn't sure if it was still raining, so I enjoyed some butterscotch and strawberry gelato. No picture, you'll just have to imagine it. Mmmmm, gelato. The concert ran a little past 8, but when it wrapped up, I was the first to play, and I drew in a little crowd of people who hadn't seen any of the other pianos, so they stopped to listen to "Nightminds" and "Arithmetic." Mind you, "Arithmetic" is actually soft, subdued, and perfectly done by Brooke Fraser, but in my version, I decided to belt out my favorite part, the bridge, so that people could hear me. So thrilling. And with those two quick numbers, I hopped off to the next piano!

Piano 11: Gansevoort Plaza

Final piano of the day, since the sun set while I was playing! Nobody was playing the piano when I got there, and nobody was waiting to play so I expanded my public repertoire. I started off with "Scarlet" by Brooke Fraser, and as luck would have it, the D key was stuck.  If you know the song, the D key is a must! Oh well. I also played "Nightminds" and "Arithmetic," and a couple stopped to listen to me play. The woman said she had played a piano on Bleecker and 6th, and we both agreed that this is such a wonderful public art installation because it gets strangers to strike up conversations with one another. She wished me luck in playing more pianos. Women dressed up to have a night out on the town were taking pictures of me playing the piano. I saw them in my peripheral vision and gave myself a good inner chuckle because here I was in a T-shirt, jeans and ponytail, just playing for myself -- yet they wanted to take a picture of me on their night out. I proceeded to play "Hymn" and "Shadowfeet" by Brooke Fraser. The latter is actually one of my favorite songs of the past two years, but it can be difficult to play. As my brother Jason commented in February, "That has a lot of sharps." It certainly does! I figured I could keep going, so I played "Special Two" and finished my personal "concert" with "Sun and Moon" from Miss Saigon. I didn't sing along because I wanted to concentrate on playing the notes correctly in the growing darkness.

Oh, D key.

Gansevoort Plaza

Nine pianos in eight hours.  What a day!

Total Pianos Played By Borough:
Manhattan: 9 pianos
Queens: 2 pianos
Note: There seems to be a discrepancy in the total number of pianos in all of New York... 60 is the publicized number, but on various maps/listings I have counted 57 or 54.  In any case, I will just do a running tally of unique pianos played.