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

[Creambun2]

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!

The most annoying thing about St Pancras is the huge number of French school children being loud and obnoxious

You NEVER get that with British kids at the gare du nord

YABU.

St Pancras is such a big, bustling station, I can't imagine how/why you were near enough for long enough to find it annoying. Plenty of other places to stand.

I think it's a brilliant idea and have often done a detour through there on my way to Kings X just to see who's playing. I've heard people of all ages and abilities, but mostly very good and always respectful. Shame about the teenagers just banging on it (I agree that's annoying) but it's not always the case at all.

I really wish that I could play a few fun things from memory, then I'd sit down too. I was stuck at Lewisham station the other night, trying to get home to Kent from London, and saw the piano sitting there and could think of nothing to play. Disappointed in myself.

I think it started as an international initiative called 'Play Me I'm Yours' - they have a great website/Facebook page. So lovely to watch people just having fun with music.

What I don't like, on the other hand, are amplified buskers: they really do get on my nerves as there's no escaping from them. They have them sometimes at Charing Cross which is a small, enclosed, overcrowded station and there's nowhere to hide. That's really unreasonable.

As for the 'showing off' comment - what a shame to feel like that.

I think they’re a lovely idea and I’ve seen them used for wonderful music, but then you get the dick heads and it takes all your restraining power to hold back from jabbing then in the throat

YABU OP but only because I love the one at Lewisham station. It warms my heart to see/hear teenagers play beautiful pieces on it and if you know Lewisham, you'd appreciate it is lovely to see young people in a positive light for a change!

RolyRocks

I'm really glad to know that the one at Lewisham gets used. I sometimes change trains there and haven't yet seen it played. And, yes, I know Lewisham - bit of a mixed bag. Glad it hasn't been vandalised!

I'm hoping to upgrade my piano one day soon, and had thought of offering my old one to a public space for free.

I really wish that I could play a few fun things from memory, then I'd sit down too. I was stuck at Lewisham station the other night, trying to get home to Kent from London, and saw the piano sitting there and could think of nothing to play. Disappointed in myself.

Butchmanda, I often feel like that too! DD has a whole host of stuff memorised, but I'm so music-bound most of the time. Or I can remember the first few bits of lots of pieces but not enough to sit down and perform. I wish I was more jazz trained and could improvise better!

A station is a point on a journey, not a destination. If you don't like it, keep moving!

They have them at Heathrow every seating area and at every 2 gates or so. Stopping my kids from banging them is a complete headache. I don’t get the point. I’ve never heard anyone play one beautifully.

I'm not sure that I would want to work in one of the shops nearby e.g. Hatchards, where you can't escape it all day long!

I do think the "idea" of these pianos is really positive, and sometimes you do hear some amazing playing, but equally you can hear some terrible noise that just goes on and on.

There is something marvellously spontaneous about it though, and it is a real vote of confidence in the safety of our stations. I am not sure that I would ever put my bag down at St P and start playing the piano. I would be forever angsting over whether someone is about to come rushing over and steal it. Only last night, on a train between St P and home, a woman had a bag of clothes shopping stolen by someone sitting on the seat next to her who just picked it up and walked off.

One of my bugbears with these pianos is that the sound quality is usually so honky tonk, irrespective of the person's ability to play well. Not sure why this is.

I hear nice sounds coming from the Tottehnam Court Road one as i fly through. It's a but tinny but I love the hear someone plating (note 'playing' not 'murdering'). I've also heard the one in Kings Cross making lovely music.

We used to live next to a concert pianist and I loved it when he threw open the windows and played. not so the bagpipe player.

I love them. I even search YouTube videos of people playing station pianos. Some great stuff.

We had a "play me I'm yours" guitar outside my office one summer. That was fun when we'd all been in the pub opposite!

Good to see the Mumsnet misarati out in force. People out enjoying themselves in public? Needs putting a stop to, will only lead to strangers interacting with each other and maybe even smiling. And theyre all just making a racket or showing off, shameful.

There are some really sad little people on here.

One of my bugbears with these pianos is that the sound quality is usually so honky tonk, irrespective of the person's ability to play well. Not sure why this is. it’s because the temperature of the station environment is forever changing therefore the piano doesn’t hold its pitch.

The best way to stop annoying children banging on pianos in stations would just be to ban children instead .

YABU. Hull Paragon had one for awhile- not sure if it still does, I've moved- and I heard some beautiful pieces being played on it.

Last time I was at St Pancras, some guy was playing Liszt!

Although, to counter that, last time me and DH had a rare night out, some twat was hollering Christmas carols next to one in a restaurant

The one near us brings a moment of joy to my day whenever I go past it. There's a gentleman who may possibly be homeless who plays the most beautiful music on a regular basis, seemingly just for the love of it.

I like them.

Mind you Paddington station its own band giving concerts on a Friday night

londonist.com/london/features/meet-the-members-of-the-band-that-s-been-entertaining-commuters-for-nearly-100-years

I think they're amazing. YABVU.

You NEVER get that with British kids at the gare du nord

I don't think British kids are too bad overseas, it's the British adults who are embarrassing. Especially the stag and hen do groups. Just why? Cringe.

As for pianos, I wish there was one at Waterloo!

Ok, so I know this is now an old thread by MN standards, I just saw this. Classic (although I really think it's St Pancras, not Euston, but that's by the by).

slippedisc.com/2018/03/how-many-cops-does-it-take-to-stop-a-piano/

I generally think they are a good idea but I would love to see other instruments instead for a bit of variety. Steel drums would be good.

YABU. We can’t have a piano in a block of flats like ours. Street pianos are the only time mine get to access a piano which they both want to learn. Let the poor children get to plink plonk on the keys because that’s the only opportunity they get.

We have one at our local (Zone 5 London suburb) train station.

At first I was very ‘ugh are they trying to make this St Pancras??’ but actually in rush hour people are too busy getting their train to play, it’s not like a big London terminal where people wait around.

However a few times I’ve come up the stairs from the platform (normally outside rush hour) and people have sat their playing it beautifully, so I am a convert!

Recently I was coming back from a night out and a young man was playing the Edward Scissorhands theme so beautifully I nearly teared up…although I had a few wines, which might have helped my condition!