Musical encounters (10) – Airport Pianos - World 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 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! 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!

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!

Departures vs. Arrivals – Whether you’re traveling yourself, dropping off a beloved one ór picking someone up after a long-time-no-see, think of what it does to you. If you see tears at Departures, they’re likely to express sadness vs.

Arrivals with sheer tears of joy! Money-Money-Money – Most international airports are part of a multi-million-Dollar industry, with KPI’s on customer experience and all that. As a result, you’re likely to play a well-tuned grand piano in a perfectly airconditioned environment, with comfortable waiting seats and clean wash-rooms around you.

Think of that when you’re playing your next upright outside a bus-terminal in the pouring New Orleans Rain at 11pm, with a bladder about to burst :-p. 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…

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! Airport pianos ContinentCountryAirport AmericasBermudaBDA - Bermuda St.George's - L.F. Wade International Airport AmericasCanadaYVR - Vancouver International Airport AmericasCanadaYYC - Calgary International Airport AmericasUSAATL - Atlanta - Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport AmericasUSACHS - Charleston Airport AmericasUSACLT - Charlotte Airport AmericasUSADFW - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport AmericasUSADTW - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport AmericasUSAHSV - Huntsville Airport AmericasUSALYH - Lynchburg Regional Airport AmericasUSAMSP - Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport - Land-side domestic AmericasUSAORD - Chicago O'Hare International Airport AmericasUSAPDX - Portland Oregon International Airport AmericasUSAPIT - Pittsburgh International Airport AmericasUSARIC - Richmond Virginia Airport AmericasUSASAN - San Diego International Airport AmericasUSASFO - San Francisco International Airport AmericasUSASJC - San Jose Airport AmericasUSASLC - Salt Lake City International Airport AmericasUSASNA - John Wayne Airport Santa Ana Asia PacificArmeniaEVN - Zvartnots International Airport Asia PacificAustraliaMEL - Melbourne Airport Asia PacificChinaCAN - Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Asia PacificJapanSHM - Nanki–Shirahama Airport Asia PacificJapanTTJ - Tottori Airport Asia PacificJordanAMM - Amman - Queen Alia International Airport Asia PacificNew ZealandCHC - Christchurch International Airport Asia PacificSouth KoreaICN - Incheon International Airport Asia PacificSouth KoreaTAE - Daegu Airport - South Korea EMEABelgiumBRU - Brussels - Zaventem Airport EMEABelgiumCRL - Brussels-Charleroi Airport EMEACzechiaBRQ - Brno - Tu?any Airport EMEACzechiaPRG - Prague - Václav Havel Airport EMEAFinlandOUL - Oulu Airport EMEAFranceCDG - Paris - Roissy - Charles de Gaulle EMEAFranceTLS - Toulouse-Blagnac AirportTLS - Toulouse-Blagnac Airport EMEAGermanyFRA - Frankfurt International Airport EMEAGermanyMUC - Munich International Airport EMEAHungaryBUD - Budapest - Liszt Ferenc Airport EMEAIrelandORK - Cork Airport EMEAItalyAHO - Alghero - Aeroporto Fertilia EMEAItalyFCO - Rome - Leonardo da Vinci International Airport EMEAItalyPMO - Palermo Airport EMEAMaltaMLA - Malta Airport EMEANetherlandsAMS - Amsterdam - Schiphol Airport EMEAPolandWAW - Warsaw Chopin Airport EMEAQatarDIA - Doha International Airport (a.k.a.

Hamad Airport) EMEASouth-AfricaDUR - King Shaka International Airport EMEAUnited KingdomGCI - Guernsey Airport - La Villiaze - Guernsey EMEAUnited KingdomLHR - London Heathrow Airport EMEAUnited KingdomMAN - Manchester Airport Last: most linked songs in this blog were written and performed by Louisiana Hall of Famer and Monroe, Louisiana born Doug Duffey. Man, do I Love My Baby!! Stay safe, enjoy playing your next airport and make sure to catch your flight!

Share this pageCategory: Musical EncountersJanuary 30, 20213 CommentsTags: Airportpublic pianosStreetpianosworldpianosPost navigationPreviousPrevious post:Songs of Inspiration (7) – Four Notes – Paul’s TuneNextNext post:Admin’s Log (13) – Gyokuto spotlight pianoRelated PostsMusical encounters (9) – BEST-STAY-HOMEMarch 22, 2020Musical encounters (8) – Hospital PianosMarch 1, 2020Musical encounters (7) – Boogie CrusadersOctober 13, 2019Musical encounters (6) – Brexit Cheer-upOctober 6, 2019Musical Encounters (5) – Sister ActSeptember 8, 2019Musical Encounters (4) – Storm to RescueJune 23, 2019

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