Members DylanWilde Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Uprights. . . Does it cost a great deal? And is it generally not worth it? Does anyone know of any non-famous working bands that do it other than Radiohead or Coldplay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChitownTerror Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Ever try moving a piano? It's not fun. I've moved three. But to answer your question, the only other band I can think of that has done that is The Walkmen, and that's super recently. Most bands stick to combo organs (still a bitch) or synths/keyboards. It's just too much of a hassle to move a piano, and most clubs don't own any these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shaun126 Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Ben Folds travels with a grand...pretty sure Tori Amos does the same. Pretty successful artists, but not exactly "radiohead" level of success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utsapp89 Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Regina Spektor, The Fray are two Not wildly sucessful bands, still pretty known though. I imagine you'd need more than a coupla roadies to get a grand in and out of a truck day in/day out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The*Ataris Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Most of those big bands "fake it"... What you're looking at most of the time is a giant shell with, like, a Yamaha P250 inside of it. The cost and effort to move, mic, and tune a real piano every night just isn't worth it--even to those guys... The bigger bands just have to maintain an image, and ultimately, take up space on those giant stages. Could you imagine the dude from Coldplay rockin' out on a Nord Electro on a standard keyboard stand on a 100' long stage? Same principle as guitar players and their stacks of cabs... I've seen lot's of bands with Rhodes, Wurlies, and CP-30's though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members utsapp89 Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 ^Interesting points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DylanWilde Posted December 18, 2006 Author Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Originally posted by The*Ataris Most of those big bands "fake it"...What you're looking at most of the time is a giant shell with, like, a Yamaha P250 inside of it. The cost and effort to move, mic, and tune a real piano every night just isn't worth it--even to those guys...The bigger bands just have to maintain an image, and ultimately, take up space on those giant stages. Could you imagine the dude from Coldplay rockin' out on a Nord Electro on a standard keyboard stand on a 100' long stage? Same principle as guitar players and their stacks of cabs...I've seen lot's of bands with Rhodes, Wurlies, and CP-30's though... Really? Wow, I didn't even realize. . . That makes sense, though. I was wondering how Chris Martin achieved an organ sound for "Fix You" through an upright acoustic Yamaha. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The*Ataris Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Originally posted by ZepFuzz05 Really? Wow, I didn't even realize. . . That makes sense, though. I was wondering how Chris Martin achieved an organ sound for "Fix You" through an upright acoustic Yamaha. . . Exactly...One of my best friends is a big Coldplay fan (I don't hold it against him ) and wanted me to find out what kind of piano he used. Turns out it wasn't a piano at all!...and I know The Fray wasn't using a real piano at least venues that couldn't provide one. Some buddies of ours have played with them a number of times and filled me in on that one.You guys also have to consider that though. A lot of times, gear is supplied by the venue, so they might be playing with a real piano, but they're not touring with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members comfortablynumb Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Jack Johnson's band has an upright with them, but I don't know if it's real or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members birt Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 i've seen all kinds of pianos on stage. electric ones in a giant shell. semi-alectric ones in a giant shell. real ones rented on location (they're not so har to move. they get tilted an strapped on wheels, the legs go off and go onto the same base, then sides and top are put on et voila, you've got yourself a grand piano in a flightcase.). upright ones. Rhodes. Organs. Hammonds with huge leslies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sister Saviour Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Originally posted by shaun126 Ben Folds travels with a grand...pretty sure Tori Amos does the same.Pretty successful artists, but not exactly "radiohead" level of success. Ben Folds has used his baby grand at pretty much every show since the first tour. They rent one for overseas but still carry it around between venues. When they got the advance for Whatever and Ever Amen he spent it on a new one and recorded the album in his house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sir H C Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Usually they put it in the rider that they need one and have the venue rent and tune it. Tuning is the problem with touring with a piano, every night it needs to be retuned as the weather will get it out of whack. Keane tour with a Yamaha piano-like thing, it weighs like a piano, but is semi-electric. I would guess Tori and others just do the rental, moving a piano is a major pain and in the bigger markets there are sure to be places that rent them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbluetone Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Saw Tom Petty is moving a grand around on tour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members M900 Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Originally posted by The*Ataris A lot of times, gear is supplied by the venue, so they might be playing with a real piano, but they're not touring with it... Sometimes even amps are supplied by the venue; I've helped a friend locate old Marshalls for some shows he was running. c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I was The Funk Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Tori probably tours with a real piano. She endorses Bosendorffer and they probably send one around with her. She only gets acoustic tones out of it and has a synth on the other side of her for her other sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fearofnightmare Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 speaking of faking it, I saw a band recently that had a desk looking cabinet onstage with them with a Mac book and a MIDI controller for their "piano." I thought it was the venue's until I saw them take it offstage with them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Headlow Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Ocean Colour Scene always have an upright piano with them. In fact it makes me sick that Steve Craddock is equally as good on piano, as he is on guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members birt Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Originally posted by M900 Sometimes even amps are supplied by the venue; I've helped a friend locate old Marshalls for some shows he was running. c sure. amps, drumkits, Hammonds, synths... i work at a rental company sometimes as a backline tech. A lot of bands rent that stuff on location, they only bring their own guitars. Some even rent effects.(company i work for: www.kick.be ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members telephant Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 well I dont know about a full on grand piano but I know Medeski Martin and Wood tour with a few organs, a baby grand (I think) and some other keyboards... But Ataris is rught, a lot of those grand piano's you see on stage are just keyboards in a shell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theweight Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 After being a loader in Detroit, I can say from experience that loading a piano {censored}ing sucks, especially in a venue that's upstairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members godard Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 I hate the thought of even moving my Rhodes, much less a proper grand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cabrasguitar Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 I've unloaded Elton John's piano and it was a proper baby grand, It was a pain in the arse for us but when you are playing venues that size (this was at rugby park, not that big really) then a piano ain't the major pain in the ass building the 100' stage is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theweight Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 Outdoor parks and stadiums are one thing, but Ben Folds plays Clutch Cargos in Pontiac when he comes through. It takes 8 of us to move the thing, and it has to go up 3 flights of stairs. {censored}ing ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Electric Catfish Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 I play a '72 Rhodes 73 Suitcase model (the one with the 4x12 cabinet). It's a bitch to move, but it sounds great.I met Johnny Neel a couple weeks back. He asked me what kind of rig I used. I told him about the Rhodes, and he said "You've got a Rhodes? Got a bad back too, don't you?" Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr. Shankly Posted December 18, 2006 Members Share Posted December 18, 2006 I caught Man Man a few months back and they haul out some old school pianos without the aid of a road crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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