Video – Page 2 – Melsen’s Piano Log

10-12-2013 – Hostelling International, 19 Stuart Street – Piano #37

I was so happy to be able to go indoors and order a cup of hot tea on this cold and blustery day! This was my sixth piano of the day. It seemed like nobody was paying any attention, but I really didn’t mind. So much of piano playing is an oddly interior activity. It’s public, and other people can hear it, but I find that when I’m playing, I’m much less aware of what’s going on around me. During my travels around Boston, I’ve seen many other people play, and many of them seemed like they could play for hours, mesmerized by the instrument.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-12-2013 – Josiah Quincy Elementary School – Piano #36

It was raining, so I opted for sneaking under the plastic sheet instead of removing it. It was really fun to play under a tent, and, as you’ll hear, I surprised some children who were walking by!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-12-2013 – Castle Island – Piano #35

This was probably the furthest I ventured on my bike during the street piano project. What a treat to play a piano all the way out here!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-12-2013 – Fan Pier – Piano #34

This turned into a song of seagulls and an accompaniment to the blustery day.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-12-2013 – Boston Children’s Museum – Piano #33

Look closely – can you see the puppets inside the cabinet of the piano here? This was such a fun piano – very appropriate for the Children’s Museum! The hands of the puppets had been tied to hammers for specific keys, but by the time I got there, only one puppet’s one had was still tied to a key – the E above middle C. Partway through this, I start plunking the E a lot, and the puppet dances with the music!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-12-2013 – Rowes Wharf – Piano #32

This was my first piano of the day after bell-ringing practice at Old North Church. My bell-ringing friends and I had just spent a while eating take-out lunch outside on the Greenway, and we were all pretty cold. My fingers hadn’t warmed up yet, so I elected to keep my biking gloves on! You’ll see other videos from this day where I do the same thing. Bike gloves make it a bit harder to play, but they’re warm!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-7-2013 – Cambridge Common – Piano #31

I know I already posted audio from this piano, but I went back and found a video from it as well!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-5-2013 – Old State House – Piano #25

When I got to this piano, a street musician was set up across the alley playing guitar with recorded accompaniment. I waited for a while to see if he was going to move on, but so many people just plunked the piano keys as they walked by, while he was playing, that I figured it was probably okay to play, too!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-5-2013 – Quincy Market – Piano 24

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

10-4-2013 – Harvard Square – Piano 15

I actually planned to leave work early that Friday so I would have time to play as many Cambridge-area pianos as possible before I had to be at the Cambridge YMCA to help set up the Femme Show, and it started raining in the late morning. I was so sad! But just after I biked to Cambridge in the rain, the sun started to come out! I found this piano with its plastic sheet covering it, and I felt very fancy getting to be the one to unveil it! For the rest of the afternoon, I had such good luck! I was grateful for the rain, because I didn’t have to compete with many people for time to play!

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)