Passionate piano lovers the world over are constantly in active pursuit of their musical hobby. Whether they are accomplished musicians or novice players, they, without a doubt, spend lots of time on their precious instruments. Most of us would be familiar with the two major types of pianos: Upright and grand. While upright pianos are popularly found in apartments due to their small footprint space, larger premises like bungalows and upmarket commercial places like hotels love to feature grand pianos.
However, to some people, the piano goes beyond being a functional and aesthetically-pleasing instrument of music. The piano comes to life in various forms which are truly interesting and intriguing!
Consider the Schimmel K208 Pegasus. Sporting groovy curves and decked out in rosso corsa (“racing red”), the famous colour synonymous with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo vehicles on the racetrack, any player who is fortunate enough to play on this instrument must experience a sense of excitement and exhilaration as he or she taps the fingers on the ivories. Given the high-end positioning of this instrument, the Pegasus probably does not come cheap. So, don't be surprised if you have to pay USD400,000 for this racing car-lookalike.
Sometimes, love for an instrument does not necessarily equate to imitating an object from a fast lifestyle. It could mean simply going back to basics, to something as elementary as simple farm life. An animal lover has cleverly fashioned a piano out of a pig’s statue. Black and glossy, the pig is in every way a majestic symbol of the animal kingdom. However, a closer look reverals a movable panel on the left side of the pig’s body. Lifting this secret door reveals a short version of a keyboard. This must surely be a surprise to passers-by of the mall in which this pig is placed. Now, anyone can produce music from the belly of a pig, of all places!
Coming away from the animal kingdom and into the world of fairy tales, one would surely picture a wonderful, magical world of fantasy. Well, girls who harbour even the slightest thought of living in a fairy-tale world will not be disappointed! Damien Hirst's beautiful piano is in bright pink, and lovingly adorned with blue butterflies that seem to be hovering around the instrument. The piano that seems that have come straight out of Cinderalla’s story stands ready to be played by a girl of equally rich imagination. Playing the piano while dressed in a princess-like costume, to the mist created by dry ice vapour that envelopes the piano, will surely bring the player to a faraway world where he or she can be one with music and magic. This pink Steinway piano which was painted by artist Damien Hirst was sold for an impressive $450,000 to art dealer Larry Gagosian on 15 Nov 2009 at the 30th Anniversary of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Known as Pianocktail, this is a piano that aims to mix drinks according to the combination of keys played. It was first introduced by Boris Vian in his novel "L’ecume des Jours", and then realised by Géraldine Schenkel. The piano has been outfitted with a cocktail machine that sits on top of the instrument. Looking every bit like a scientific experiment that ought to be found in a university’s laboratory, this cocktail bar serves up potent combinations of spirits and mixers, depending on what keys are paid. This self-fashioned piano bar really stretches the mind to achieve something intoxicating – something that probably nobody else has thought of. If this musical machine of a bar is not innovative or mind-blowing, we don’t know what is!
