Pianos

This page records the sundry locations in which one may find a piano. Include model of piano (grand, baby grand, upright, etc.) and state of usability, if possible.

• Bernhard Music Center Pianos are available in the practice rooms. Their condition is variable, although they tend to be in tune. However, they aren't great instruments, and the acoustics in those cells are atrocious. Room 30 also has an amazing Steinway concert grand that is suitable for a concert hall.
• Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall An excellent concert Steinway, in a room with great acoustics. Note, however, that this piano is only available by appointment, and usually only to those who are taking piano lessons or are otherwise associated with the Music Department. (Though if the room is unlocked and unoccupied, no one will yell at you for practicing without an appointment.)
• Chapin Hall Home of the elusive Bösendorfer, known for its extra nine keys in the bass. Although it has a fantastic touch and is very well maintained, the acoustics of Chapin and the piano itself don't sound as nice as the Steinway in Brooks-Rogers.
• Currier Ballroom A baby grand, kept in fairly good tune depending on the temperature. The Ballroom is not well-insulated from changes in outdoor temperature and humidity, and this, combined with the fact that Facilities turns off the heat during Winter Break, results in a foul-sounding piano come January. However, they do apparently tune it occasionally for the benefit of performing groups who use the Ballroom, and overall it's quite a decent instrument -- it doesn't have sticky keys, broken pedals, or any of the other ailments of overused pianos. Be nice to it.
• Dodd House Baby grand in the ground floor event/social space. Not in great tune, but playable. However, there are rooms nearby so one may need to exercise discretion in the time that one uses it.
• Garfield House Upright in the parlor on the first floor.
• Gladden Upright in the first floor common room. Frequently beer-soaked, but playable.
• Goodrich Hall Upright in the living room or onstage.
• Greylock Dining Hall Upright in the Makepeace Room. The room to the left as you enter from Route 2. Great acoustics in this large room; your music will reverberate through the building.
• Mark Hopkins House Upright in the main common room. The quality (sound and touch) is surprisingly decent.
• Mission Upright in the billiards lounge. Many Keys don't work, most notably the first G# above middle C. And the ones that do, aren't tuned. God forbid if you need low notes. If you play anything faster than a turtle lays eggs the keys probably won't rise back up fast enough.
• Spencer House Upright on the first floor. Tuning is poor, but it has an old-timey honky-tonk sound.
• Thompson Chapel In the front of the chapel, to the right. This piano used to belong to Cole Porter. It is usually kept fairly well in tune and has a soft touch and mellow sound -- not so great for Rachmaninov but perfect for jazz or just fiddling around. Has a crappy pedal that almost doesn't work. I'm not sure what the Music Department's official stance is as far as random people just wandering in and using it, but it's not locked and there's often no one in the chapel.
• Wood House In the common room to the left as you walk in, next to the windows facing Route 2. A baby grand, mostly in tune and devoid of sinking keys as of December 2009. Its pedaling is rather wonky but the piano is nevertheless quite manageable and scarcely ever used. You can also close the double doors for some limited privacy. Note on lighting in the room: it's a not very sensitive motion sensor, which means it would turn off after you play for a while. Rapid upper body movements in the light switch's general direction tend to fix that but can be an annoying addition to your practice routine. Still, it's less work than walking all the way to Bernhard.

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