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...

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 11

Hi there! It is Sunday, June 23rd, and I'm going to reflect on Day 11 of the 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos. I didn't write anything on my iPod Touch while I was on my journey that day, so this is all from memory. (Okay, okay, I might borrow some thoughts & impressions from my Facebook photo album!)

Piano #34: Marcus Garvey Park. After working hard, I got to end work early and start playing hard. I took the 1 train to 96th Street and transferred to the 2/3 express train to 125th Street. I walked a little ways to Marcus Garvey Park, approaching it from the north. The piano was easy to spot once I arrived at the entrance. Unfortunately, a sanitation department truck was parked nearby, so the smell wasn't pleasant, but I didn't let that stop me from playing the piano, which was covered by its tarp and locked. Another perk of being a Piano Buddy: If a piano is locked, you can unlock it yourself because you know the code. :)

As I was opening the piano, a man walking in the park shouted, "Hey!" All I had to do was turn around and smile at him, and he kept walking. After all, it was art for all, and the park is a public place. The sustain pedal on the piano wasn't working, but the keys were okay, so I played my core trio. During my first song, a small group of people gathered around to listen for a little bit, and I overheard a man saying that there was supposed to be a sign-up sheet at the piano to play it. I'd never heard of such a policy, and I'm glad there wasn't one. He left with his companions before I could speak to him. During my second song, "Arithmetic," a group of girls walked behind me and one of them said, "I love this song!" I don't think she meant that she knew the song, but she liked the sound and the rhythm, and when I turned around, we exchanged smiles and she danced to the music as she walked along with her friends. During my third song, I noticed there was a man on a bench listening to me, and he was also on his cell phone. He walked up to the piano and held up the phone so the person on the other end could listen. Ah, my first "cellcert" (cell phone concert)! That was fun. When I got up, I closed the lid and put the tarp back on. Another man told me he was listening to me, and I forgot what he said exactly, but it was complimentary in nature.

Locked but not a problem!

Wanted to get more of the park from this angle.

Piano #35: Thomas Jefferson Park. After walking a few more avenues, I took the downtown 6 train one stop to 116th and then had to do even more walking. Haha, I know it's easy for Manhattanites to complain about traveling to the outer boroughs, but sometimes, it's also quite a trek to travel to places on the east side of Manhattan! In my planning, I had determined that taking the bus would have been pointless, but on that hot day, I was wishing for less walking. I eventually made my way to the park and the tarp was covering the piano. The lid was open (like the piano in my neighborhood, it couldn't close shut). The keys were in bad shape, so I only played the chromatic scale. I took several pictures and got chills reading all the quotes on the left panel. While I was taking pictures, a man sat down to play, and he seemed not at all bothered by the keys that couldn't be played. He was still playing when I left a few minutes later. A woman walking her dog commented that she was happy to see the piano open and had seen all the pianos together at the Sing for Hope piano studio.

The goosebump-inducing left panel of quotes.

Parting shot.

Walking west back to 2nd Avenue, I was able to catch the M15 Select Bus Service for a quick ride down to 89th. I walked east once again to Carl Schurz Park. At this point, I realized I was wearing the wrong pair of sneakers (no arch support and worn out heels), as my right knee started hurting, so I had to take it easy. In 2011, I missed the opportunity to look at Gracie Mansion, so this year, I made a point to look at it, but with the surrounding gates, it still was kind of difficult to see.

Gracie Mansion

Composting!

Lots of lovely flowers in the park.

More flowers and a view of the East River.

You can see the lighthouse on Roosevelt Island in this shot.

Piano #36: Carl Schurz Park. As I slowly strolled along the walkway, I was on the lookout for the piano, but it was my ears that got the first sign the piano was near: I heard two people playing "Heart and Soul," which is probably the "go to" duet for street pianos, but in this case, two people were playing it well! (Usually it's just one person playing the two parts one at a time.) When they finished, the father got up from the piano bench and let his daughter play. She was trying to recall "Für Elise" from memory, and I give her props for remembering more and more without the aid of sheet music. Another girl came up to the piano and asked if she could play, and she performed "Hey Jude" and got back-up singers in the form of the father and daughter.  She played and sang one other song, but I didn't recognize it.  When she got up, I sat down to play two songs from my core trio.  A toddler wearing a Superman T-shirt kept running up to the piano to press a key, and his mom would apologize, but honestly it was perfectly fine, and I was hoping he'd get the chance to play.  Another man sat down at the bench after me and started to play.  I took a picture of him, as I realized I didn't take any photos of the piano while I was sitting down.

"Heart and Soul"

Couldn't resist taking a picture of the clouds.

"Hey Jude"

Piano #37: Central Park - Cherry Hill. At this point, I was getting hungry, but I decided to visit another piano first. I was not happy to see the carriage horses being forced to work. Not happy at all. This time next year (if not sooner), I don't want to see carriage horses in Central Park or on the streets of New York, and this fall I hope New Yorkers elect a mayor who will replace carriage horses with electricity-powered, vintage-replica cars. Last year, I saw a small-scale model of one of the vintage-replica cars, and they look really cool. I'd ride one of the cars through Central Park! And, it turned out, that the pianos keys weren't in good shape, so the tarp was secured with ties that do not come undone unless you cut them. I briefly spoke to two teenage boys who had wanted to play the piano just as much as I did, and they lamented "piano terrorism." I mentioned to them that Mother Nature may have been the culprit with the rain, but they were still disappointed. When they left, I touched a few of the playable keys through the tarp, just so I could count the piano on my list of pianos visited/played.

A pretty piano that I had hoped to see and play more of... just wasn't meant to be on Day 11.

Piano #38: Central Park - The Dairy. I walked further into Central Park (toward Bethesda Fountain) and walked down The Mall to get to The Dairy, which I don't think I'd ever been to before. Luckily, I made all the correct path choices and found signage pointing me to the correct location. As I was approaching the piano, I heard someone playing it. "Für Elise" again... I think this is the "go to" solo piece for street pianos. Granted, this is only based on my experiences. :)

I sat down at a bench to listen to the woman playing, and the man who was with her asked if I wanted to play, but I told them to keep playing. The woman got up though, and I was taken aback by how much she looked like Jessica Chastain. Red hair. Same facial features including a cleft chin. I felt like blurting out, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Jessica Chastain?!" However, there just wasn't a good opportunity for doing so. Instead, I talked to the man, who asked about the pianos, and I told them about the 88 pianos in all five boroughs. The man said he was from the Bronx and asked where the pianos were, so I told him about Van Cortlandt Park (oh yes, he knew Van Cortland Park), Poe Park Visitor Center (he had visited the cottage when he was a kid and hadn't yet visited the new visitor center), and Joyce Kilmer Park (yes, of course, he knew where that was). And I told him there were more but that I hadn't visited those places. (And in fact, I didn't get around to Joyce Kilmer Park this year, but it wasn't part of my plans.) The man and woman stayed a little bit to hear me play one and a half songs. Though I played my entire core trio, they left during "Arithmetic" but asked me what the song was before leaving. When I finished my third song, I got up to take pictures. Oh yes, I was very happy and impressed with the quality of the keys, the presence of a working sustain pedal, and the whimsical beauty of the art on the piano featuring ocean life. And the view from the piano. The covered area served as a nice shelter for this piano!

As I was taking pictures, a man with a Russian accent approached the piano, and asked if I was a pianist. I answered that I wasn't a professional but I had just finished playing. He sat down and played... like a professional! I was impressed, and so was a couple that approached the piano to take videos and listen. They were asking him all sorts of questions while he was playing, and he handled both the answers and the playing with such ease! It turns out he was playing original compositions, and it was a pleasure listening to him and I let him know that before I left.

The man from the Bronx standing next to the Jessica Chastain lookalike at the piano.

The view from the piano.

I love you, Opus!

The well-trained and talented pianist.

Piano #39: Riverside Park - Pier 70. After a dinner break at my favorite falafel cart at Lincoln Triangle, I walked up to 72nd Street and caught the crosstown M72 bus, as I learned from two years ago that it would drop me off close to where I needed to enter the park. Pier 70 is also one of those locations where the pianos have been all three times. The first time, I walked there with my friend Meghan. The second time, I got off the M72 bus one stop too early. The third time, I was a Goldilocks travel pro, and everything was "just right."

The sun was setting as I made my way to the piano, and a man (pictured below) was playing beautiful improvisational music with hints of songs that you'd be able to recognize. Everyone was really impressed with him, and he was one of those pianists that could keep the music going without taking a break between songs or musical passages. I wanted him to keep going, but at the same time I was also itching to play before it got dark and no one else was around. So I asked him if I could play one song, and he smiled and let me do so. There were still other people around. He and one other man gathered at the piano, and when I did the chromatic scale, I was shocked at how many keys weren't working. How am I going to make this work? How did the man who played before me make it work?! I didn't get very far before I was ready to give up, but the man was very encouraging. He told me that once he learned which keys he could play, he enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what to play and that I could change things up, too. For someone who strives for perfection when possible, this was a really great note to take in. By chance, my own "go to" song, "Arithmetic," ended up working out without having to change things up. Some notes didn't get played and the sustain pedal didn't work, but it still sounded fine! When I finished, the other man asked me if I had written the song, and it's always my pleasure to say that, no, I didn't. (I remember this happening at the 2011 piano at Pier 70, too!) The man who had played before me said my voice was well suited for the piano, and he told me to check out Regina Spektor's music because it sounds improvisational. So I will. (As it turned out, the one of two teenage boys I talked to at Central Park's Cherry Hill also mentioned Regina Spektor but in the context of her playing a street piano.) So even though I didn't catch his name, I am grateful to the man who taught me brief lessons about making music even when all is not perfect. This is another one of those inspiring, magical moments that I want to remember and also what makes this public art project so fantastic.

Making my way to Pier 70 at sunset.

The brilliant improvisational pianist.

Stay tuned for Day 12!

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 10

Hello again! It's still Saturday, June 22nd, and I'm going to squeeze in another day from my Sing for Hope Pianos extravaganza. Day 10 was a one-piano day, and it's a good set-up for Day 11.

Piano #33: Morningside Park. After a very early morning check on the piano in my neighborhood, I made the decision to head down to Morningside Park before work and play the piano while nobody else was at the playground. My planned worked!

The gate around the playground was closed, but upon closer inspection I realized I could open it up -- yes, I admit I did contemplate climbing over the gate in the brief period of time when I thought it was locked.

There was a forecast of more rain that day, so the tarp was covering the piano, and the lid was shut. I removed the tarp and took pictures because really, that Broadway/food piano combined with the view & sounds of a waterfall was pretty close to perfection.

Yes, I included my organic banana on the bench, which I had for breakfast while sitting closer to the waterfall after playing the piano.

Unfortunately, the keys were in pretty bad shape. I tried to play one of the songs I had memorized, but I had to stop. It just wasn't working with so many unplayable keys.

There was, however, a melody playing in my head that I hadn't yet played on any piano, so I played it for the first time in the upper keys. I like the way it sounded. It was in a key I wouldn't have picked had I had a fully functioning piano. I still hear that melody in my head from time to time. It's a nice little musical mantra.

Playing around with my camera's settings. I wanted to capture all the lovely green I was seeing.

As I was leaving Morningside Park, I saw this statue across the street and decided to take a closer look.  Upon a Google search tonight, there's another statue like this in Paris.

Stay tuned for Day 11...

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 9

Hello! Today is Saturday, June 22nd, and although I have settled into a nice groove of daily recollections of the 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos, I need to increase the output before my upcoming trip to Denver! Here is Day 9, which took place on a very busy Sunday.

Before meeting up with my friend Beverly at noon for the 3rd National Animal Rights Day in Union Square, I raced the clock and squeezed in one piano. Day 9 was an exercise in patience and flexibility, but it all worked out well.

Piano #28: Astor Place. When I got off the 6 train, nobody was playing the piano, but I ran anyway. I was cutting it that close to noon. I played two songs. The piano sounded good, and I would have liked to have stayed longer to play more songs and take a picture of people resting in hammocks (aka the view from the piano). Instead, I quickly took pictures of the piano and then caught the uptown train at just the right time.

The National Animal Rights event didn't start at exactly at noon, so Bev and I chatted in the shade. We participated in reading an excerpt from the Declaration of Animal Rights, tossed flowers in front of sad photos in a remembrance ceremony, visited the various tables (free food & drink samples? don't mind if I do!), and my favorite part? We did yoga in public! No mats or anything, and the poses & movements were easy enough for beginners, although Bev and I did laugh when we had to lift each other back-to-back with our arms linked. We weren't sure if we were doing the lift correctly, and therefore we laughed. At the end of the class, our harmonious om at the end allowed me to feel the group's connectedness and energy.

During the flower ceremony, there were extremely sad pictures, but then they were replaced with peaceful images of animals as they should be: free to live.

After visiting the various tables and eating a Philly-style empanada with salsa from V-Spot ($5 and worth it), I invited Bev to visit a piano with me near Chelsea Piers, but the M23 bus was taking forever and didn't show up, so Bev headed uptown, and I decided to change up my plans -- again, patience and flexibility were required.

Piano #29: Greeley Square. I took the subway up to Greeley Square and the piano was being played by a man who was part of a larger group. There were also people filming and taking photographs. So I sat down to listen and take pictures and videos of my own. I wasn't sure if I'd get the opportunity to play, but there was a slight lull when friends of one of the dancers came to say hello. The dancer pointed to the piano and said, "This is you!" I then figured that that dancer must also be the artist who designed the piano. Very cool! I tried performing "Arithmetic," but the piano was so out of tune to me that it seemed like my left hand was in a different key from my right hand, and my voice couldn't agree on where to sing, so I just stopped. Ha, not my finest moment, but it was just too messy for me to continue. I tried playing another song from my core trio, but my ears & brain were not having it.

Faces and body parts on the piano that the artist had pointed out to her friends.

When I got home, I learned via Sing for Hope's Facebook that I had stumbled upon Swingin' Sunday at Greeley Square. So when I tweeted one of my photos, I ended up winning a contest! I sent them a YouTube video to share, and they did!

Watch the video below. It's funny -- the piano sounds really good for the swing dancers, but it didn't work for the type of music I was playing!

Piano #30: Hudson River Park - Pier 45. After Greeley Square, I walked over to 7th Avenue and took the 1 train down to Christopher Street. Little did I know, the M8 doesn't run on Sundays, so I had to walk to Hudson River Park, but it wasn't too bad. Off the top of my head, I can't remember if a piano was in this area in previous years, but the area seemed a little familiar to me. Maybe I've been there before, or maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. In any case, it was a nice area and filled with lots of people, but not overcrowded.

I wanted to get a photo of the piano as I was approaching, and then at the same time, so did some other people!

The view of downtown Manhattan.

Wanted to capture the shape the keys were in.  Thought it felt different to play the keys, it was still playable, and that made me happy.

After I finished one song, this boy was eager to play, so I got up from the bench to let him play.

Piano #31: Hudson River Park - Pier 63. To get to Pier 63, I walked back east for a few blocks and then caught the M20 bus to 23rd Street. While riding the bus, I saw two Organic Avenue locations. There was a woman at the National Animal Rights Day event giving out samples of a green juice and coconut water from Organic Avenue. I once again waited and waited for the M23 crosstown bus to arrive, but it was taking forever. My stomach was telling me that it was time to eat something, so I walked to the second Organic Avenue I saw (on Eighth Avenue). It was a "grab & go" store with lots of raw food and drinks. I wanted a coconut water, and though it was pricy, I knew it would be worth it to splurge a little. I also bought a Thai collard wrap with sweet & spicy plum sauce. Upon returning to the bus stop, everyone was still waiting for the bus, and two buses arrived at the same time within seconds of my return! Patience and flexibility, Allison. Patience and flexibility. They were paying off.

I couldn't find the piano right away. I had forgotten exactly where Pier 63 was, and when I arrived, there was a huge yoga festival going on. LOTS of people. It was like a sea of yoga practitioners. Many, many more than those who did yoga at Union Square earlier that afternoon. (I may be biased, but I appreciated my yoga session more because our Jivamukti Yoga instructors had us repeat the word ahimsa, which means "do no harm to others.") So instead of searching for the piano (patience and flexibility), I found a spot to eat my raw meal, which was light and tasty. I walked through the festival and found the stone field with Octvia Upright! Octavia needed a tune-up, but I was able to play one song from my core trio okay, as I didn't have to sing it.

The most adorable piano this year.

Just look at that underbite.

Piano #32: Times Square. Last but not least, I made my way to Times Square by bus and subway. It was Tony Sunday, and I stopped by the Marriott Marquis for a bathroom break. As I stood at a mirror to compose myself, I stood next to a girl wearing a prom-style dress. I asked her if she was going to the Tony Awards, and she turned to me with a wide grin, and said, "YES!" I replied, "That's awesome! Enjoy!" Her enthusiasm for theatre was palpable. (I am giggling now as I write this because I have never been to the Tony Awards, yet I briefly spoke to that girl with reciprocal enthusiasm, as if I had been to the Tonys before. Is that weird? Perhaps it's just a recognized kinship between two theatre fans...)

I went on my way to find the Times Square piano. I saw the crowd in Duffy Square, ready to watch the Tony Awards on a big screen. I thought about staying, but it was hotter than I would have preferred and besides, I had a piano to find! For some reason, I thought the piano was going to be in Duffy Square, but it wasn't, so I asked a Times Square officer where the piano was, and he told me it was by the food stands between 44th and 45th. And sure enough, it was. Nobody was playing when I arrived, so I played and sang one song from my core trio while gazing at the Minskoff Theatre across the street. I saw a man eating empanadas to my left and another man standing to the right of the piano. When I finished playing, the man eating empanadas applauded. I smiled & got up, and he sat down to play something, so I took his picture.

The view from the piano.

I was getting hungry again, so I looked at the menu of the empanada stand, and to my delight, there was a vegan emapanada! Curry with shiitake mushrooms. It was only $3, so I tried one, and it was nice! Smaller than the emapanada from V-Spot, so it was more of a snack than a meal. While I was taking pictures, the man who had played the piano came up to me and showed me his phone -- he had taken a picture of me and offered to send it to me as proof that I was there.

After finishing my empanada, I headed home to check on the piano in my neighborhood, rest, and watch the Tony Awards on TV!

Stay tuned for Day 10!