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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That Public use pianos are annoying and should be removed from station?

83 replies

Creambun2 · 16/03/2018 11:22

I was waiting for an arrival at St Pancras recently and was driven mad by the "public use" piano that was there. It was 100% being "used" by French students hammering it to make as much noise as possible and laughing and the occasional toddler tapping keys.

What is the point of these anyway? Or do top solo pianists waiting for the 18.04 to kettering randomly play some Rachmaninoff?

Stations are noisy anyway without adding more!

OP posts:
theunsure · 16/03/2018 11:50

Oh no, I love them!

I have stopped to listen to some beautiful playing before now. So no, I want them to stay!

But then I love the noise of a station - I also love people watching and it is a paradise for that.

Spudlet · 16/03/2018 11:50

I've heard some beautiful music played on them. It brightened my whole day.

YABU - it's a busy train station, not a library. Noise is to be expected. Get some noise cancelling headphones if you need peace and quiet (a need with which I empathise, but you can't expect it wherever you go).

Ummmmgogo · 16/03/2018 11:53

yabu. it's lovely when someone good plays and less annoying than many many things at the station.

lifetothefull · 16/03/2018 11:54

I didn't know about these, but now I'm tempted to go and play. Hmmm. Maybe I should start on the one in my own house first.

Redpony1 · 16/03/2018 11:58

I don't use public transport, I've never seen one! But i can imagine it's lovely when someone can actually play it well, but awful if not...

NewYearNewMe18 · 16/03/2018 11:58

There was Chinese lass belting out some Mozart at Lewisham a little while back.

There also one in St Thomas hospital, al l manner of people stop and play, concert standard. I often wonder what happened to them in their own countries that they have to come and litter pick here with such obvious talents and education.

In the main they don't harm any one. But you've always got a curmudgeonly fart who wants to habitually complain about anything and everything.

Kokeshi123 · 16/03/2018 11:59

I love them. It is a very "social capital" idea.

I think it's quite sad that someone playing music in public is seen as "showing off."

NoqontroI · 16/03/2018 11:59

It's nice. I like them.

deplorabelle · 16/03/2018 12:05

When we didn't have a real piano at home DH's fingers itched next to any piano, public access or not. Now we own our own he's too shy to play in public which is a real shame. I shd think there are a lot of people in London who don't have space for a real piano and would love to have a go. I think they're great and I love to hear them being used.

The background noise in most stations is so loud you'd have to be standing pretty near the piano to be disturbed by it.

C8H10N4O2 · 16/03/2018 12:07

I like them and have heard some great players at St Pancras.

The station itself though is so noisy that its hard to hear sometimes unless you are very close to it.

HellonHeels · 16/03/2018 12:09

I like them. Recommend ear plugs for you.

musicposy · 16/03/2018 12:10

My daughter often plays one in our local shopping centre and usually draws quite a crowd. People always offer to buy her soft drinks, food, coffee etc. Maybe because she's a teen and young. She's always said no thank you but it might be a good way to earn her food once she goes off to uni!

She's an amazing pianist, has her Grade 8 well behind her, composes loads of her own music. I could listen to her all day. However, she gets as annoyed at people abusing the pianos as you do, OP. Little beginners, she loves hearing those. But people just randomly jabbing and bashing at it, not so much!

ArcheryAnnie · 16/03/2018 12:11

I love them. There used to be one in Charing Cross Hospital and when I used to have to go, there'd often be some old boy in a dressing gown over his hospital pjs, playing something beautiful. It really made my day to hear it.

Allthebestnamesareused · 16/03/2018 12:12

Yes YABU

Another person who.has heard some great music being shared.

PoorYorick · 16/03/2018 12:15

I love it when people play those pianos. If it sounds awful (rarely), I simply go somewhere else. It's not as though there isn't space in there.

TheJoyOfSox · 16/03/2018 12:20

I’m with you op, yanbu at all. There was one under the champagne bar in the bullring shopping centre (I haven’t noticed it there lately so not sure if it’s gone or just moved )
If someone who could produce a tune was playing then all well and good, but that was a rare event, usually it was just kids making annoying noises.
I’m much happier in the actual piano bar at the theatre where they employ a proper pianist from the conservatoire (music school) and they are a pleasure to have in the background.

manicinsomniac · 16/03/2018 12:21

I think YABU; they're a great resource and, though I would never dare use one in public myself, I love that they're there for anyone of any standard who wants to..

If they were in a small, enclosed space that people who were annoyed or distressed by the noise couldn't escape from then I'd agree with you. But stations and shopping centres are huge - just walk away if you don't like it or can't cope with it.

jainaproudm · 16/03/2018 12:21

Leeds always seems to have someone playing gorgeous music, so personally I love it :)

TheJoyOfSox · 16/03/2018 12:23

Maybe the public space pianos should be rigged up to some sort of cattle prod device, that was operated by the ‘audience ‘ then when you have a group of teens just banging away and making a noise they could be shocked! (Obviously I’m not entirely serious, a bucket of goo suspended above their head would probably be enough)

KaliforniaDreamz · 16/03/2018 12:25

I heard a guy playing at Tottenham Court Road on MOnday - he as good. i thought it was cute but imagine kids banging on them be very annoy9ng.

FindoGask · 16/03/2018 12:25

"They strike me as a bit show-off-y."

What a perfectly British thing to say.

GaucheCaviar · 16/03/2018 12:26

YABAC (you are being a curmudgeon).

Mercurial123 · 16/03/2018 12:26

The most annoying thing about St Pancras is the huge number of French school children being loud and obnoxious blocking exits, singing and playing with a football etc. The piano playing however is always welcomed.

TheDishRanAwayWithTheSpoon · 16/03/2018 12:28

Aw YABU op! I go through st Pancras pretty regularly and most of the time it's good! I've heard some great playing and even if its not it's in the middle of the shopping area which is noisy and stressful anyway, so crap piano is better than the noise of 100s of people. I like It. It's not on the platform, you can easily move away from it.

ppeatfruit · 16/03/2018 12:53

YYAB extremely U. What's with these complaining types? I go to St Pancras regularly and maybe have heard only ONE bad pianist. (That wasn't bad enough to have asked him to stop) The rest have been brilliant. There were 2 pianists playing jazz on one piano SOO well that the crowd were dancing and taking pix etc.

It set me up for the day, it was great!!!!!