Public pianos might sound like they have the potential for disaster, but YouTube is full of videos of talented men and women sitting down to delight crowds with impromptu performances.
Yamaha has two public pianos in their #platform88 program – both in underground train stations in London. You can find one at the Canary Wharf station and the other at the Tottenham Court Road underground.
And anyone can play!
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“The global Yamaha philosophy is to enrich lives through music. We know public pianos connect music fans – often with magical results. #Platform88 is the perfect opportunity to bring players and listeners together.”
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They urge visitors to “play to your heart’s content” – and that’s just what Patrick Hynes did one day.
Hynes is well-known to Londoners who walk by the city’s public pianos, as is Brendan Kavanagh, also known as “Dr. K.”
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They both play a style called “Boogie Woogie” which is fast, fun, and generally improvised on the spot.
One day, passersby were treated to a duet by the duo – one that went on for while a while, in fact. It gathered a larger and larger crowd as time went by and people realized they were hearing something special.
The video of the pair was uploaded in June 2019 and it’s been viewed a whopping 22 million+ times since then!
While both performers like to pretend their shows and “guests” are random, it’s clear they’re not (at least not usually). But that hardly takes away from the fun.
The performance begins with Hynes at the piano, getting his boogie on while one fan stops to listen.
But soon, Dr. K joins in on the high keys.
Then, the pair play a series of songs together as people look on and record.
“Absolutely fantastic. Two talented gentlemen simply enjoying themselves, really heartwarming,” raved a viewer.
We know we’d be tempted to get out our phones as well, but it seems like such a shame to watch people try to enjoy the show right in front of them through their tiny screens.
Then again, without the recordings, we’d never be able to enjoy these moments from afar.
Watching the rousing video sure put people in the mood to be out and about and amongst the music again.
“I want to see things like this happening everywhere once’s covid’s gone. People full of joy and playing music together,” said a commenter.
Sadly, due to the pandemic, the piano is in lockdown mode at the moment.
But everyone is looking forward to the day when the music rings out at the station once more and we find our new normal.
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If you’d like to get some more tips on Boogie Woogie after watching the video, you can visit Dr. K’s YouTube channel here.
In the meantime, be sure to scroll down below to see the gentlemen’s duet from last year.
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