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So recently I have been wondering if I'm just a weirdo, or if there are more people like me!

My little obsession is that whenever I spot a piano, i get this intense urge to play it no matter what. I sometimes go into museums and our local church to play on the magnificent grand piano's there. I have my own grand at home... but i just love going around playing the different pianos, feeling the different actions hearing the different sounds and acoustics.

I once went to a piano store (we have few of those in Norway) ... And it was like being a child in a toy store... It was sooo awesome i loved all the different feels and looks of the pianos.

But am I the only one that gets that little temptation to play every piano they see?

That's normal but I might get a secound opinion from your therapist.By the way, your KG2C is 5'10"

There! now I fixed that - I see very well then I'll keep enjoying the Church Steinway without feeling "special" :P

I recently got to play a Kawai 9 foot concert grand piano in front of 3000 people; the song I performed was one that I wrote and composed myself. My performance was not as stellar as I had hoped, but the “high” I got from the experience was extraordinary. I felt like a Rock star, even though I can’t play a piano worth a damn!

I too, want to play every piano I come in contact with, for better or worse.

Take care,

Rick

I remember once i was all alone in church playing Chopin's Nocturne Op 9 no 2 and when i finished suddenly a crowd of people were in the room clapping, it wasn't exactly 3000 people, it was more like 50 very quiet ones. I just love it when people enjoy my performances

Yes, to me, friendly piano stores are like candy or toy stores. Actually, I think I enjoyed it too much and bought a piano after only 3 visits . Now I don't have an excuse to go piano shopping any more!

I've got the same thing... I just can't get enough of pianos! White grand pianos are my biggest weakness.

I love playing all sorts of nice pianos but the large grands are my favorite. Nothing quite like the power and tone you get with these beasts.

Yeah its so nice to see the 9 foot grands in a room.. and you just walk closer and closer wondering what brand it is... SO EXCITING!

I totally share your addiction to pianos, at least grands, uprights if they're big, but consoles and spinets not so much. I love to experience a new type of piano. I get to play on a Steinway D and a Yamaha CFIII on a regular basis, a Bosendorfer 225 and a Bluthner Model 4 (6'10") as well as my Knabe. But I always get itchy to go play pianos I am not familiar with. I go take a seasonal run through the Steinway dealer's showroom; they also carry Boston, Petrof, and Nordiska. I love to play the Yamahas, though they are often too bright, the keyboard feel is wonderful. There's a dealer that carries Brodmann, Bosendorfer, Bechstein, Mason & Hamlin, Sauter, and may get Hailun (want to try one of those). But it is like an obsession. I find things about each that I like, more often things that make me think, "this is not THE ONE..." and every once in awhiile, I feel like I'd give anything to have the piano in front of me at that moment... mostly with the Bosendorfer 225.

I've gone to Piano Row in NYC at least 30 times.

Am I addicted??

hey Oblacone......

sorry just a quick question

when you play on those pianos...do you improvise or do you actually play a real piece?

Oh my gosh! I thought it was just me! My kids panic if we enter a piano showroom, they know I will play as many as I can. I love feelilng and hearing the differences from various brands and sizes. The best part is my kids (they do play) are starting to do the same, so now I don't get as much resistance. I am so glad to know it's not just me...

I don't have an urge to play just any piano I see anymore. It has to have potential...a well-maintained major maker, an obscure but respected maker, a good rebuilder, or some "sixth sense" that draws me to it (pheromones?)

There are not very many piano stores in my immediate vicinity. There is one small piano store nearby that sells Young Chang Bergmanns and is a Story and Clark dealer, but only has no more than two or three grands in the store at a time. I don’t get a chance to go to Atlanta much, which is where most of the piano stores are located, particularly north Atlanta. So, I don’t have the luxury of playing lots of other pianos besides my own.

I have had an itch to trade-up/purchase another larger grand than the one I have. However, in the process of developing my piano tech skills, along with my playing skills, my piano tone seems to blossom and sound better and better to me the more I work with it, especially in the area of hammer voicing. A week or so ago, my sister and brother-in-law visited and my BIL plays a little so he played my grand piano while is stood back and listened. I had no idea my piano sounded so good, from a distance anyway!

I still may trade up one of these days. There is always a better piano to be had, I guess. We will see…

Take care,

Rick

Pretty much the same here. I'm not too far from Cleveland, but its hard to justify driving out to play a bunch of pianos when I know I'm not going to be buying one. There's a showroom closer, but the neighborhood its located in is not the thriving commercial area it once was, and I don't see the point in putting myself in an unsafe area just to play pianos I know I won't be buying. I have the urge to play pianos whenever I walk past one, I just don't walk past many.

I've also noticed that my piano sounds better when I'm not actually sitting at it. Even when its just the kids banging I notice a difference in the tone from other areas of the house.

I consider myself to be somewhat of an enabler when it comes to the piano, too.

I love to listen to others play as frequently as I enjoy playing, but not quite as frequently.

Glen

We only have two piano stores... and they are far away! Also they don't have too many pianos, but the ones they have are great!
However i have to take the train to get there so i rarely play in the piano stores. but i still prefer to play in churches and museums because of the acoustics, - I'm glad i live in a small town because then there aren't many people visiting our local church


I play "real" pieces - I'm just an amateur, i can't really improvise that much :P

I too have a strong desire to play on every piano I see. Piano stores are great.

Me too! I remember several years back I was playing at a mall piano store and one of the sales rep asked me to stop but gave me the option of continuing my playing in one of the practice rooms in the back. Lol, I must have been really horrible! Haha!