Mel Bay's Creative Keyboard® Webzine | Gail Smith - ALLIGATOR PIANO IS A TREAT NOT A TRICK

ALLIGATOR PIANO IS A TREAT NOT A TRICK

No trick, it was just a treat to play an alligator piano. Yes, no joke, there is a piano in Palm Beach, Florida made of 68 alligator skins that is just incredible. The piano is in Giorgio's of Palm Beach on Worth Avenue and is for sale with a price tag of $975,000.00. The piano is brilliant and plays like a dream. It took five years to have it made. The instrument is caramel-colored. No need to worry about getting a scratch on the wood with this piano all covered in alligator skins. Under the skins is an exquisite concert grand Bosendorfer piano. The tone is beautiful beyond belief and has the extra keys in the bass. One doesn't expect to find a piano in a store that sells alligator shoes, belts, chairs, handbags and everything else made of alligator skins. Alligator is the trend this season and is very expensive. The demand is great for furniture as well as shoes made of alligator skins. This piano is definitely one-of-a-kind. I enjoyed my afternoon at Giorgio's playing all my favorite piano solos on this fabulous piano.

Another piano was discovered in an antique shop that was quite unique. It is the aluminum deco piano pictured. It was built in the Netherlands circa 1950. It sells fro $95,000. So from alligator to aluminum.the choice is yours.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder for sure. I simply love pianos, all kinds. Each piano has its own special voice. When playing a piano for the first time, I gently touch the keys and start playing a soft melody and then play an augmented chord followed by a whole tone scale ascending to the top treble notes of the piano in an accelerated crescendo of notes. Next I might play the Minute Waltz by Chopin to see how fast the piano action is. I enjoy playing a slow progression of chords such as Chopin's Prelude in C minor to test the depth of the key bed and hear the full sound of the loudest possible chords struck with a full arm attack. Playing the Khachaturian Toccata on a piano can help you size up the repetition response of the piano as you play the repeated notes a tempo.

Whether you are playing a piano for fun or playing it to possibly purchase it, you need to know what kind of piano you want and try a variety of pieces on it to be sure it has all the qualities you are looking for.

What is your "Dream Piano" like? If you come across an unusual piano, please let me know.

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