Finding a practice piano: suggestions?

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Genie
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 09:26 PM

Hey, Mrrzy, if one of my trees jumped out in front of a car, I'd take it out, too. *G*

Sorry about the ill-fated drive in the snow. Hope you folks weren't hurt. And sorry about the $$ it cost you, but glad you've got a keyboard to practice on.

Jeanene

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Jan 03 - 12:01 PM

Well, a relative had a keyboard they'd lend me for free, so I went to get it last RThursday in the snow - that free keyboard is going to cost me over 2.5K after I slid into a tree (nice man got us out again, said he was going to take that tree out anyway) and then, later and more slowly, into a ditch (nice man pulled us out, nice lady whose lawn it was said hey, we were the third car this season, did we want hot chocolate)... but I'm practising!

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: treewind
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 04:32 AM

An organ is a very poor substite for a piano if you need to practice playing to a high standard. Most organists have a very heavy and uneven touch on a piano.

Similarly any electronic keyboard without touch sensitivity and preferably weighted keys, which I why mentioned both those features in my earlier posting. It costs a lot more but there are good reasons.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Bert
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 03:27 AM

Hi Marion,

I know that Gargoyle comes across a bit rough at time but his message makes a lot of sense.

Most professionals spend at least 8 hours a day at their jobs. Why should musicians be any different from say draftsmen or programmers?

Take a look around thrift stores for a used keyboard of piano, or even, heaven forbid, even an organ. I picked up a Wurlitzer for $50 that needed cleaning and a little work on three of the keys. Not that I can play it, of course, and it was only a domestic model, but I just couldn't let it sit there at that price and I had great fun finding out how it workled and fixing it up.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: open mike
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 02:23 AM

i find the local university has a bunch of practice pianos
enclosed in sound proof rooms. there are usually a few open
for just pulling up a bench and going at it...playing piano
that is! I heard a sad story tonite about a piano that was
transformed into a plant propagation area/window box. It was
in bad shape. so now it is used to start strawberry plants...

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Genie
Date: 15 Jan 03 - 08:54 PM

Marion, One way you could utilize the senior-residence community for practice, without jeopardizing your standing as a professional music provider or as a musician, might be to find a small adult foster home near where you live that has a piano. Many of these smaller homes (3 to 6 residents) really do not have a budget for paid entertainment, but they might enjoy you coming in several hours a week to practice, especially if/since you will be practicing your nursing/retirement-home repertoire. Or you might find a couple of them that would let (encourage) you to come in once or twice a week to practice.

I doubt that you would develop a reputation as a second-rate musician because a handful of people heard you practicing your new numbers -- especially if you discuss that potential problem with the owner ahead of time. The same goes for the issue of being cast as a "volunteer."
You could make it clear that part of your symbiotic arrangement is that your playing for them "free" is not to be publicized.

Just a thought.

Genie

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Jan 03 - 08:44 PM

Hee hee, wonder if the ceiling would fall in if I tried that approach... anyway, any new ideas? My new year's resolution is to learn to play an instrument, I've had 2 piano lessons now but have no piano upon which to practice...

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Marion
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 12:01 PM

Well OK Rick.

You know, I once started a thread about portable PAs...

McGrath, that would be an interesting angle to play for the church piano. I'm sure I'd be a much better Christian if there were more fringe benefits...

Marion

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 11:49 AM

Hi Marion. Bring up your 'portable PA' thread.

Rick

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 06:44 PM

If you go to church only once or twice a year that might well make the minister (or whatever, according to denomination) keener on inviting you to come on in any play to your hearts content than if you were a regular.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 02:45 PM

I'd go along with Treewind and get a second hand full size keyboard
electric jobbie.If you are doing gigs I assume some sort of P A so
Practice at home with earphones and plug the piano in at gigs,then you arent dependant on availability and you'll have an instrument
you know,and not some possibly dodgy lump of junk.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: pattyClink
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 01:55 PM

I'd revisit the church scenario before giving it up. Find a time the church building is open anyway but nobody's using the piano, that way you're not making any big demands on them. Like Wednesday night prayer meetings or whatever. Pop in one night when everyone's arriving and ask the preach if you could use the piano that time every week? If you're actually on shaky terms with your church, try another one. They might be thrilled and ask you to substitute when their regular player is on vacation or whatnot.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Grab
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 12:38 PM

You checked out the local church hall?

Graham.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 09:18 PM

Keyboards...you can sniff them out.

Perhaps, the grandest was a massive pipe-organ in a stone mausoleum that I could play on weekends. In a chaple, in the form of a cross, sitting before the third story console, the notes from some of the pipes were like playing a carrilion...delayed and off beat to the player's ear but a delight to those below....the mausoleum was delighted to have the bellows "exercised."

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 09:11 PM

Marion - something is not right.

I'm working on establishing myself as a pro entertainer

The hard facts are -

Ya ain't gonna make it girl!

If you are already proficient - you can get by perhaps and hour A DAY practice.

And artisan needs to first invest in themselves - cough up 400 Canadian for a old-used student/studio and another 150 to have it tuned and tempered.

You need to become "married" to your instrument. You need it available...to caress first thing in the morning (to replicate a phrase you woke up to on the radio)......it needs to be available in the middle of the night, (when you can't sleep because of a haunting melody)and it needs to be around all weekend long so you can ....pound on it, tickle it, explore its nuances, and most of all play with it and have fun.

If you are this tight about bucks - you are sorely out of luck when it comes to the terms of becoming a "professional" - you lack the passion that others are willing to pay for.

Chicky - stay amature - pickup a plastic thingy at the thrift store....Lord forbid that I suggest you consider paying for musical lessons!

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 08:33 PM

One of my greatest joys playing piano was when Hubby was in graduate school and working nights as a night watchman at one of the university buildings. That building had the best acoustical, small auditorium on campus, so the STEINWAY GRAND was usually there onstage. I could play it to my heart's content! Boy was I good! (when nobody was listening.)

I would be reluctant to have an arrangement in someone's home, there are just too many variables. My son, however, worked during college for an elderly couple living near campus doing odd jobs on Saturday mornings. That's about the only example I know of where such an arrangement worked out.

Do you have any friends who are teachers or principals at schools? There are lots of pianos there, and the schools are usually open several hours after school. As far as colleges renting practice rooms, I had no luck doing that when I was in college. They always wanted you to be a music major or at least enrolled in music classes.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Marion
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 12:31 PM

Thanks for your responses, all.

JimmyT, I would see it as a fair exchange rather than a donation, but I suspect that they might see it as a free performance - and a bad free performance at that, if I end up using the practice time to learn something new rather than just keeping up repertoire. I've talked a lot to Genie and Musicmic here at Mudcat about the business of nursing home gigs, and they insist that playing for free is a good way to not get hired.

Treewind, not exactly; my set is mostly vocal, guitar, and fiddle, but I'd like to be able to throw in a few piano pieces for variety. So I just need to keep a few pieces ready, and if there's no piano in the room where I perform, I can just skip it. So I don't see a need for daily practice or my own instrument.

Cheers, Marion

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: treewind
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 05:43 AM

Marion, if you're trying to establish yourself as a professional piano player you'll need to practice more than once a week - unless the "pro entertainer" bit of your message is unrelated to piano playing.

Why not get an electronic piano like the Yamaha P80 - full 88 note weighted keyboard, you can practice at home with heaphones on without annoying the neighbours (if that would be a potential problem) and if you haven't tried it you wouldn't believe how realistic the sound is.

Of course there's the cost, but if you want to be a pro player you need to invest in your business and you might need to take it with you to gigs anyway - safer to have an instrument you know.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 02:34 AM

It might work, Manitas, but pub pianos are often very out of tune and have extremely poor action. Not exactly great for hand practice. You get used to what you play the most, and if you are playing a crap piano that you have to BANG the keys look out if you get to play a good one.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 02:22 AM

Is there a local pub with a piano? One of the pubs round here used to let someone practice on theirs. At slack periods of course.

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 12:20 AM

I have this piano, but I am a long way from Toronto. You can come and use it anytime you like!

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: jimmyt
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 09:51 PM

I don't consider you would be playing for free if you are getting to use their piano, do you? I mean you get something, they get something in return, sounds equitable, huh?

Subject: RE: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Giac
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 08:25 PM

Hi, Marion --

You might also consider a school with a music program. I've known of such places renting practice rooms to non-students. Don't know the cost, but if all else fails, it might be worth it.

Good luck.

Mary

Subject: Finding a practice piano: suggestions?
From: Marion
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 07:28 PM

Hello all. I'm interested in finding a piano that I can go and play on once a week or so - not for serious study, just to keep a modest repertoire intact so that I can perform it if need be. If necessary I could swap some service for the use of the piano, but it seems to me that there's probably lots of pianos in Toronto that I could borrow for free, like people who would enjoy hearing the practice or would be glad to have the family piano getting some use.

Any suggestions on how to go about finding such a situation?

I only show up at church a couple of times a year, so I'm reluctant to ask to use my church's piano. Another thing I'm considering is approaching the closest nursing home and trading the opportunity to practice for the pleasure that some residents would find in hearing it. My only reservation there is that I'm working on establishing myself as a pro entertainer and I've been strongly discouraged from playing for free.

I imagine the best bet would be a private home in my neighbourhood where the kids have moved out and the elderly parents miss hearing the piano played. Finding that home is a little trickier than going to an institution, though.

Thanks, Marion