J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images
Billy Joel is the “Piano Man,” and the song is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Originally released on Nov. 2, 1973, Joel’s signature song isn’t even the tune that made him a star—and Joel admits he doesn’t think it’s necessarily his finest work.
“It’s like a kid: Sometimes it pisses me off, but I always love it—I wrote the thing, you know? I do think ‘Piano Man’ could’ve been better,” he told Vulture. “There’s quirky things—people think, ‘What a cheap rhyme: Davy in the Navy.’ I’m sorry: The guy’s name was Davy! There was actually Paul, in real estate, and the guy was writing a novel. I used the real people’s names in the song. I suppose it’s hard for some people to believe that.”
In 2015, The Library of Congress selected “Piano Man” for the National Recording Registry for its cultural and historical significance.
Billy Joel penned the semi-autobiographical tune all by himself about his time as a lounge performer at a bar called The Executive Room in Los Angeles.
“It’s pretty accurate. It’s what really went on when I was a piano man in this piano bar,” he told The Library of Congress in 2017. “All the characters have the same name: there was John at the bar, the bartender; Davy was in the Navy; a guy named Paul, who was a real estate agent and was trying to write the great American novel, and the waitress, who was my girlfriend at the time and then became my wife.”
Joel, who says he was “hiding out” from an allegedly exploitative record label at the time, said he wrote the song over the course of several weeks, explaining, “I had the idea to write a song about that particular job. I was like, ‘I’ve got to get a song out of this!’ So it took place over a period of time. I came up with a melody: ‘Sing us a song, Piano Man…,’ and then, little by little, I filled in the characters, and the scenario.”
George Michael once called The Beatles “the strongest force in popular music”
by Arun Starkey via faroutmagazine.co.uk
The late George Michael was one of the finest pop stars the world has ever seen, creating music that sends fans into a bout of euphoric abandon in some instances and, in others, melodies so piercing that there is no option but to reach for the tissue box. Incredibly authentic for an artist of his stature, Michael’s originality was there for all to see, and it was due to this authentic character and undoubted talent that he established such a remarkable legacy.
Having a natural propensity to keep fans on their toes, Michael surprised the music industry when he purchased John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ piano for an eye-watering sum. Reportedly, when the iconic instrument went up for auction at London’s Hard Rock Café after previously being on show at the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool, the former Wham! leader – a longtime superfan of Lennon and The Beatles – outbid the Gallagher brothers and Robbie Williams for the instrument.
When sitting down with People, Michael discussed his motivations for buying the upright Steinway piano that Lennon composed ‘Imagine’ on in 1971 at his home in Tittenhurst Park, Berkshire. He said: “It is so symbolic of the best elements of the ’60s and ’70s youth culture, great music and a desire to change things for the better. As a songwriter, it’s such an amazing thing to own, and as far as paying the $2.1million, it’s worth every penny.”
After this point, the ‘Careless Whisper’ musician was asked what The Beatles meant to him. Openly, he was a big fan of the Liverpool band, to the point that he covered classics such as ‘Get Back‘ and ‘The Long and Winding Road’ in his time, so he gave a candid answer. Whilst Michael admitted to being too young to say he grew up with the Fab Four, he maintained that they remained “the strongest force in popular music”, despite it being 30 years since their breakup.
He said: “I wish I could say that I grew up with them, but I was too young, and my parents’ only Beatles record was ‘Let It Be.’ But like so many others, I found them for myself many years later. They remain the strongest force in popular music simply because they were the first and—more important—the best.”
Michael was then prompted to outline what he felt was “best” about the music of John Lennon, replying: “Pure quality. Simplicity and heart. That is really all that great pop music needs. Of those three elements in combination are not too easy to find these days, which is why generation after generation come back to the Beatles and look to them for inspiration.”
The purchase of a piano is often the largest single musical investment a person or family will make in a lifetime, and choosing the right instrument from a reputable business with longevity, a track record of excellence in service after the sale, and many decades of combined expertise in their professional staff (not to mention the quality of products they offer) will make all the difference in the world.
“I had the surprise planned out. The moment our new au pair arrived at our house, I would pull the dust sheet off his welcome gift and say, “Ta-da!” His jaw would drop at the sight of a Steinway baby grand piano.
One of the reasons I’d hired our au pair — aside from him being an experienced babysitter — was his musical talent. He was a classically trained pianist from the Czech Republic. The video on his application showed him sweeping back the tails of his tuxedo and playing a grand piano.
I saw him teaching our kids how to play. I imagined him entertaining our friends with an impromptu performance or two.
We couldn’t afford a new piano. I appealed for a secondhand model on the neighborhood-networking site Nextdoor. A few people sent me photos of their “well-loved” — and, dare I say, ugly — pianos. They were literally on their last legs. It wouldn’t have been worth my while paying the exorbitant moving costs.
I couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted the ‘free piano’
I found a decent-looking upright Yamaha on Craigslist. But it cost $5,800 — plus an estimated $1,250 relocation fee.
So I couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted an ad on Facebook Marketplace for a gleaming baby grand piano by Steinway & Sons. Not only is Steinway the Lamborghini of pianos — John Lennon played an exquisite white Steinway in the video for “Imagine” — but the piano was free.
I messaged the seller. “Yes, it’s still available,” they said. They told me that they were acting on behalf of their sister, Joyce Ehle, a recently widowed doctor who was downsizing. I sent her an email.
She replied the next day. “I’m hoping to give it out to someone who is a passionate lover of the instrument,” Ehle wrote. “It’s currently going to be with the movers I employed to move my properties from my house which is it’s on the move,” she added. I failed to notice her poor grammar. “If you really don’t mind making new arrangements with the movers, I can attempt to get in touch with them to reroute it,” she went on. “This should not attract too many charges since the distance can be recovered within a day or two.”
I saw a photo of the dismantled piano, seemingly in transit
Things moved fast. Ehle sent a link to the freight company and her order number. She said to communicate with them via online chat. The only favor she wanted in return, she said, was a photo of her husband’s piano in its new home.
The website of the freight company looked professional enough. I typed Ehle’s order number into the chat and asked about the reroute. They sent a photo of a disassembled piano inside a shipping container. It was wrapped in packaging material, but I could see the outline of the lid of a piano. I wrote my name, address, and telephone number into the chat. The operator set the delivery for a week later.
The “freight company” sent this photograph of the supposed piano in transit.
I followed the instructions, sending the agreed $340 moving fee via PayPal. The payee was a Yahoo address. They wanted a screenshot of the transaction. I sent a thank-you email to Ehle, assuring her that the piano would be in good hands.
I couldn’t wait for my bargain Steinway to arrive. I hadn’t figured out where to put it yet. “It’s going to be tight,” I thought. “But it’ll fit somewhere.”
Two days before the expected delivery, I received an email from the freight company. They apologized for the late notice, but there was an extra charge. They said the owner had failed to complete some paperwork in time. I was liable for an “interstate fee” of $370. If I didn’t pay by Zelle, the delivery of the piano would be canceled.
I realized I’d been scammed
I thought about contacting Ehle. “Maybe it’s not too late for you to sign the paperwork,” I planned to tell her. Then I felt guilty. It would be heartless to pester a grieving widow. The total cost of the piano may have increased to $710, I thought, “But it’s still a pretty good deal.”
I went to sleep without paying the $370, thinking I’d Zelle it the following day. But I tossed and turned. Around 3 a.m., I sat bolt upright in bed. I thought about the “interstate fee” — something I’d never heard of before. I’d never spoken to anyone on the phone about the piano. The arrangements had been made either by email or chat. “It’s a dirty, rotten scam,” I thought.
I got up and Googled “grand piano scam.” There were dozens of hits with titles like “Avoid Baby Grand Giveaways” and “Don’t fall for the Grand Piano Scam.” The warnings were all over media, consumer, and police websites. I read some lengthy Reddit threads. I was the victim of a sophisticated con which, judging by the dates of the reports, had become increasingly common in recent months.
Astoria, the popular northwest Queens enclave, is still home to one of the world’s most famous brands despite its rapidly changing demographics and buzzy avenues.
Tucked away at the top of the neighborhood at 19th Avenue and Steinway Place, the Steinway & Sons piano factory still builds its iconic pianos from start to finish on the same property it’s owned since the 1870s.
If you’re like me and you have lived in Astoria without knowing Steinway & Sons is still in the neighborhood, now you know it’s not just Steinway Street’s namesake from long ago. It’s actually still operating and turning out their gorgeous pianos.
Below are five “secrets” we learned about the factory during a recent visit.
1. Steinway Street in Astoria is named after the company
Steinway & Sons, which was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street, has owned and operated the same land in Queens since the 1880s. In fact, it owned 400 acres of land in the area and built a sawmill, a foundry and a streetcar line, eventually creating “Steinway Village” for its workers with a school. Eventually, it all got incorporated into Long Island City, but Steinway Street remains.
It has seen a lot of history, including World War II, when it manufactured glider parts for the government and G.I. pianos for the troops.
Photograph: courtesy of Steinway & Sons
2. It only makes 1,300 pianos a year
Because making a single piano is such a long and painstaking process (they’re each made by humans), the factory creates only six a day, and 1,300 a year. From start to finish, a single piano takes 11 months to craft. A single grand piano has about 12,000 parts.
Between its New York and Germany factories, Steinway & Sons makes 2,500 grand pianos and a couple of hundred uprights, according to Anthony Gilroy, the company’s vice president of marketing and communications, who took us on the tour.
“When you see how big these places are—there are about 225 union workers to build six pianos a day—then you realize how much is going into each of them,” he tells us on our tour. “Walking through the factory, you see hundreds of pianos in different stages of manufacture, but it’s an 11-month process.”
A single piano will move through various departments in the factory. Workers first select the wood crafting the rim, including rock maple from the Eastern U.S. and Canda, sugar pine and Alaskan Sitka spruce. The rim is bent into the iconic piano shape, which was patented by C. F. Theodore Steinway in 1880. Then, the case is dried again for several months and is trimmed to get rid of excess corners. It then goes to the “Belly Department,” where “belly men” remove excess areas of the piano’s bridge called “notching the bridge” and manually nail hundreds of pins in it to guide the forthcoming strings. A Steinway piano carries up to 40,000 pounds of tension from its strings.
Nearing the end of the patented process, the piano is sent to Keys & Action, where technicians use weights to check the weight and balance of each key. They ensure “fullness and brilliance of sound” by fine-tuning the instrument with an extensive tone regulation process. The keys are integrated with the piano and tested in the “Pounding Room,” where each key is played up to 3,200 times and adjusted until it reaches “perfection.” Finally, it is finished after it is sanded, painted and hardened.
3. 75% of its workers are immigrants
Steinway & Sons has unionized employees, many of whom have been working there for as long as 50 years and the majority of them come from other countries. It’s always been that way, Gilroy says. “Today, the workers are mostly from Latin America, the Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Europe … our workforce is all coming together to do something special, they’re building something that’s best in class and known as a luxury product.”
Photograph: courtesy of Steinway & Sons
4. Celebrities visit the factory
Beloved musicians like Billy Joel and Regina Spektor among others have visited the factory because they exclusively use Steinway & Sons pianos (their signed posters decorate a hallway). Cole Porter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Duke Ellington, Igor Stravinsky, Nina Simone and Arthur Rubinstein were some of the company’s most illustrious customers while they were alive.
5. It recently sold land to Robert De Niro’s forthcoming studio
Remember how the company owned 400 acres of land in Astoria? It sold off more of it (a storage area for finished pianos) in 2019 to Wildflower Studios, a massive film studio backed by actor Robert De Niro.
When it opens this year, the studio will be made up of “a mix of interconnected spaces” that includes office spaces, 11 sound stages, a fitness center, a slew of lounges, cafes and production-support areas.
The Bjarke Ingels Group designed what is apparently to be the first “vertical commercial film, television and film studio” in the world.
Playing the piano benefits your brain in a multitude of ways, according to a new study…
A new study has found that playing the piano improves the brain’s ability to process sights and sounds, and can boost your mood.
Researchers at the University of Bath placed 31 adults in a randomised control study, and separated them into three groups: music training, music listening, and a control group.
Beginner pianists with no prior musical training undertook weekly, one-hour piano lessons over a period of 11 weeks. The second group listened to music for an hour, while the third used the time to read and study quietly.
After just a few weeks, the beginner pianists reported significant improvements in recognising audio-visual changes in the environment and reported less depression, stress and anxiety.
One of the authors, Dr Karin Petrini said: “We know that playing and listening to music often brings joy to our lives, but with this study we were interested in learning more about the direct effects a short period of music learning can have on our cognitive abilities.”
A mini grand piano that sparks creativity and complements your living space, now available at the lowest price ever while supplies last…
If you’ve longed to own a grand piano but were discouraged by the cost or weight, then the Roland GP607 could be the perfect addition to your home. A stylish digital mini grand piano in polished ebony or white, the GP607 pays homage to the classic grand piano form with an imposing-yet-graceful design. And although its appearance is traditional, explore a little deeper and you’ll discover the very latest technology. Bluetooth® connectivity lets you wirelessly stream songs from your tablet/phone through the GP607’s powerful 4.1 multi-channel speakers, filling your room with rich, clear sound. SuperNATURAL Piano Modeling technology offers supremely realistic piano sound and, along with the expressive touch of the new PHA-50 keyboard, provides a playing experience that will satisfy the connoisseur. And a host of onboard learning features—including connection to piano education apps—will ensure that you’ll stay motivated and your piano skills will constantly improve. Whether you want a strikingly beautiful addition to your living space or a sophisticated mini grand piano that supports your family as they learn to play, the GP607 brings beauty, elegance, and evocative piano performance into your home.
Think you’re too old to learn piano? Learning to play piano as an adult has many advantages.
Contributed by Belinda Williams for the Roland Australia Blog
It might feel like you’re behind the eight ball when choosing to learn piano as an adult, but the opposite is actually true. The benefits of learning piano as an adult can be incredibly rewarding and you might discover things you never expected.
You’re the boss and you can choose how you learn
As adults, we all have so many responsibilities including work, family and parenting. Life can often feel like an endless list of to-do tasks. That’s the refreshing thing about learning piano as an adult. You’re learning because you want to, not because someone told you to!
When you decide to learn piano as an adult you’re in control of the entire experience. You can choose when and how you practice and what sort of songs you play. For more on what to expect when learning piano as an adult, you can also read our blog post here.
Learning piano as an adult is good for you
So often as adults we’re told to do things because they are good for us: exercise, the right amount of sleep, eating well . . . the list goes on. One of the benefits of learning to play piano as an adult is that not only is it fun, it’s good for you too. Sitting down to play a tune after a long day at work can be a great stress reliever. I find that as someone who is an over-thinker and a worrier, nothing beats playing piano to keep me in the moment and to give me a much-needed break.
Scientists have also found that learning a musical instrument when you’re an adult helps to make the brain more efficient. This even extends to protecting against dementia as we get older. So it really doesn’t matter how old you are, the piano is an instrument you can play for life
Piano can be a fun, creative outlet – even for adults
When was the last time you did something because it was fun? Often as adults we forget to make time for fun like we did as kids and piano can be a great way to factor some play time into your life.
Piano also allows you to be creative with absolutely no demands. As a writer, my professional life is creative, but that comes with deadlines and demands. Nothing beats being creative just for creativity’s sake. Often at the end of a busy day of writing, I’ll play piano and sometimes I’ll even end up writing a new song just because I can! Even if your job isn’t creative, piano can be a fantastic outlet to let your creative juices flow outside of work.
There’s no pressure when you learn piano as an adult
Possibly one of the best things about learning piano as an adult is there’s no pressure. You only have to pass an exam or perform if you want to. Everything else is up to you. In fact, when else in life can you choose to follow your heart without any risks? If you’re considering learning piano as an adult, I recommend seizing the day.
About Belinda Williams
Belinda is a pianist, songwriter and singer who performs in a cover band whenever the opportunity allows. By day, she writes professionally as a marketing copywriter and fiction author. She enjoys nothing better than combining her love for music and love for words.
Colette Maze, now 107, began playing the piano at age 5 and defied the social conventions of her day to embrace it as a profession rather than as a pastime. Her son first arranged for her performances to be recorded when she was in her 90s. She has just released her sixth album.
Colette Maze, now 107, began playing the piano at age 5 and defied the social conventions of her day to embrace it as a profession rather than as a pastime. Her son first arranged for her performances to be recorded when she was in her 90s. She has just released her sixth album.
PARIS — Colette Maze welcomes me warmly into her apartment on the 14th floor of a building overlooking the Seine River. From her flowered balcony, she has a view of the Eiffel Tower. She offers me a whiskey or a cognac — along with a hearty laugh as it’s 10:30 in the morning.
It’s that humor, a sense of optimism and her beloved piano that have buttressed and comforted this centenarian through an often difficult life. Maze has just released her sixth album at the age of 107.
While she lives alone, on this day her 71-year-old son, Fabrice, has joined us. Maze sits down to play her Steinway baby grand — one of two pianos she owns — with her gray tabby cat, Tigrou, stretched out on the carpet near her feet.
Across the room is the Pleyel piano she received on her 18th birthday. Maze began playing at the age of 5. Her grandmother played piano and her mother the violin. She remembers concerts at their grand Paris apartment when she was a child.
But Maze, born on June 16, 1914, says her mother was severe and unloving. So she turned to music for the affection she lacked at home.
“I always preferred composers who gave me tenderness,” she says. “Like [Robert] Schumann and [Claude] Debussy. Music is an affective language, a poetic language. In music there is everything — nature, emotion, love, revolt, dreams; it’s like a spiritual food.”
Maze says she believes there is a guiding force in our lives. The fact that she grew up just steps away from Paris’ prestigiousÉcole Normale de Musique is one example. She auditioned for, and was granted, a spot with its director, legendary pianist Alfred Cortot. Maze’s other early instructors included virtuoso pianists Nadia Boulanger and Jeanne Blanchard. (She remembers Blanchard had tiny hands, just like her.)
Maze plays the piano as a young woman. “The way she’s touching the piano is very special,” son Fabrice Maze says. “It’s very rare. The way she is playing Debussy is very unique.”
The sound of music at Mercer University is about to get a lot richer and a lot more enhanced.
That’s because a large donation to the music school bought students nearly 40 brand new, top-of-the line Steinway pianos and helped refurbish seven others.
Mercer University’s chancellor, Dr. Kirby Godsey, gave $1.5 million to the Townsend School of Music in his wife, Joan’s, honor.
That money helped create the Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies and will cover annual maintenance and upkeep for the pianos.
“I was totally blown away, I had no idea,” Joan Godsey said.
For Godsey, ebony and ivory are her solace.
“I started piano when I was 7 years old and music has been my life,” Godsey said.
You can read the rest of the story, here, on WMAZ’s website.
The Boston GP-163PE benefits from Steinway & Sons’ design to create an unrivaled class and value instrument. This particular model has been further enhanced to create a Performance Edition. This features improved materials, specification and performance, which you are unlikely to find in a mid-price range grand piano.
At five-feet four inches, this smaller model of grand piano is perfectly sized to fit into most homes, while the wide tail design delivers the deep rich sound of a far larger grand piano. It features a duplex scale which has been adapted from the design made famous by Steinway & Sons. This adds a richness to the harmonics which cannot be emulated.
The Boston has a less tension in the springs than other models of piano. This reduction in tension facilitates a tapered and larger soundboard, allowing longer sustain and greater quality of tone. The GP-163PE benefits from a vast array of other engineering and design enhancements. This includes the optimal placement of the bridges, braces and ribs to accentuate the stability and tone.
The soundboard on the Boston has a larger soundboard when compared to pianos of a similar length due to the innovative design of a “wide tail”. This is a wider construction of case allowing for a greater soundboard area in smaller models. Boston quote that the wide tail design provides a soundboard area of a 6’2 piano within a 5’10 Boston. Overall, this creates a more powerful and rich sound which has creates the feel and experience of playing a larger piano.
The soundboard has been crafted from Sitka Spruce, which is widely believed to provide the greatest resonance. It is precisely tapered for freer vibrational movement. When operated in conjunction with the innovative and patented technologies of Steinway & Sons, it creates a sustained powerful tone.
The Boston GP163-PE does not merely provide a great quality of sound. The overall design and finish has been combined to create an elegant aesthetic which is available in walnut satin and polished, mahogany satin and polished and ebonized fine veneers. This creates an attractive and lovely finish which enhances the playing experience. The classic cabinet style is accentuated with these crafted touches and solid brass polished hardware.
This quality of finish and tone, together with the price range, makes the Boston GP163-PE a great choice for pianist of any skill level. It provides the perfect instrument for beginners or even more experienced players, offering a fantastic playing experience with the reassurance of Steinway & Sons design aspects. The rich sound will create the ambience of playing a far larger instrument, which can provide a deceptive playing experience. The aesthetic appearance makes for an attractive addition to any home, while the smaller stature makes it more practical to comfortably be accommodated within a domestic property.
