Musical encounters (10) – Airport Pianos

“I wrote this song on an airport piano I was the guy disturbing your journey from security to gate 23A“ Opening lyrics from Airport Piano by Tim Minchin lyrics Airport Piano Tim Minchin Goodness me, do I miss traveling…! Playing public airport pianos is one of those guilty pleasures for piano pilgrims and most of us have a couple of dozen under our belt. I plead guilty, your honor 😊!

Over the years, I’ve been privileged to play airport pianos on all continents, many more to come when this pandemic is over! piano pilgrims What’s different playing an airport piano? Whether you’re comparing airport pianos to street pianos, those in hospitals or at your local library, there’s a number of reasons to plan an extra half hour before your flight! hospitals First, notice a 4-panel playing field: Land-side vs. Air-side – Think of land-side airport pianos as luxury street pianos, reasons below.

Air-side pianos offer you a similar luxury, but with your audience in a different mindset (and maybe yourself too…), at a different pace, again reasons below. Some airports (e.g. AMS, CDG or LHR) will offer you both kinds.

Try them, try what songs work where and be very welcome sharing your experience! a New York state of Mind – So, with an optimum of comfort available to you and your potential audience, let’s see what traveling does to a human being. Whether it’s your 1st flight ever or your 10th within a month, it brings you a certain level of excitement. To some, that translates into tension where others will switch to Sweet Disposition mode.

You’re behind security, practically in no-mans land, so regardless your origin or destination, your language or your color, you’re invited to speak the 1 out of 7117 languages we all understand and make some friends for the day! Time in a bottle – Some songs work at 6AM (Grieg’s Morning Mood), others work better at 10PM (It’s Raining Men 😉), right?! Funny thing about playing international airports: Local time means little to both departing and arriving passengers.

As a player, you have some more room to maneuver, experiment based on observing the energy around you. Give it a try, it’s quite funny to get an impromptu sing-along around breakfast time… But Now You’re Gone – Again, airports give you a little more room to experiment, make an occasional mistake and get away with it.

Usually it’s quite noisy around you, so adjusting your volume to the environment gives you a few extra options. And even in case of a complete breakdown, you’re gone forever before anyone blinks an eye. Compare that to playing your local library piano on daily basis…

First, notice a 4-panel playing field: Land-side vs. Air-side – Think of land-side airport pianos as luxury street pianos, reasons below. Air-side pianos offer you a similar luxury, but with your audience in a different mindset (and maybe yourself too…), at a different pace, again reasons below.

Some airports (e.g. AMS, CDG or LHR) will offer you both kinds. Try them, try what songs work where and be very welcome sharing your experience!

Land-side vs. Air-side – Think of land-side airport pianos as luxury street pianos, reasons below. Air-side pianos offer you a similar luxury, but with your audience in a different mindset (and maybe yourself too…), at a different pace, again reasons below.

Some airports (e.g. AMS, CDG or LHR) will offer you both kinds. Try them, try what songs work where and be very welcome sharing your experience! a New York state of Mind – So, with an optimum of comfort available to you and your potential audience, let’s see what traveling does to a human being.

Whether it’s your 1st flight ever or your 10th within a month, it brings you a certain level of excitement. To some, that translates into tension where others will switch to Sweet Disposition mode. You’re behind security, practically in no-mans land, so regardless your origin or destination, your language or your color, you’re invited to speak the 1 out of 7117 languages we all understand and make some friends for the day!

Sweet Disposition 1 out of 7117 languages Time in a bottle – Some songs work at 6AM (Grieg’s Morning Mood), others work better at 10PM (It’s Raining Men 😉), right?! Funny thing about playing international airports: Local time means little to both departing and arriving passengers. As a player, you have some more room to maneuver, experiment based on observing the energy around you.

Give it a try, it’s quite funny to get an impromptu sing-along around breakfast time… But Now You’re Gone – Again, airports give you a little more room to experiment, make an occasional mistake and get away with it. Usually it’s quite noisy around you, so adjusting your volume to the environment gives you a few extra options.

And even in case of a complete breakdown, you’re gone forever before anyone blinks an eye. Compare that to playing your local library piano on daily basis… Disclaimer note – !!

Warning !! Playing airport pianos can become quite addictive: Before realizing it, some diehard travelers amongst us do indeed adjust their itineraries, just to play new airports 😊. Oh and make sure to catch your flight!

Before realizing it, some diehard travelers amongst us do indeed adjust their itineraries, just to play new airports 😊. Oh and make sure to catch your flight! Airport pianos ATL - Atlanta - Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport CDG - Paris - Roissy - Charles de Gaulle TLS - Toulouse-Blagnac Airport Louisiana Hall of Famer Doug Duffey I Love My Baby

From the original worldpianos.org blog, restored by Sing for Hope.