Prepared Piano

[nicepace]

I found an interesting article that mentions Christine in the context of a musical technique the article calls "prepared piano." Although the article is about a German avant garde musician known as Hauschka, it mentions Christine on a list of musicians who have used "prepared piano," and the article defines this technique as "altering the original use of a piano—preparing it—to make new sounds by shoving tacks and wooden blocks in between strings or plucking them like a guitar."

Here is the link:

http://feministreview.blogspot.com/2...carwrecks.html

And here is the text:

Once you’ve mastered an instrument, you have two choices: move on to another, or tinker with the one you know and love. No stranger to critical acclaim, German composer and avant garde pianist Volker Bertelmann’s work as Hauschka makes use of the latter technique. Known as prepared piano, Hauschka’s unique sound is derived from altering the original use of a piano—preparing it—to make new sounds by shoving tacks and wooden blocks in between strings or plucking them like a guitar. Why hire an entire percussive ensemble when you can make many of the same sounds yourself?

Snowflakes and Carwrecks reenergizes fans and warms up unfamiliar audiences for Hauschka’s upcoming tour across the US. While instrumental tunes may not immediately inspire a concert ticket purchase, a live show with fractured and reworked instruments might make you think twice. Listening to the soothing, complex layers of this short album—what I’d call “work music,” something to which I can listen while I work and not become distracted—is great for both a rainy Sunday or a walk in the woods. While reminiscent of the cold German winters that likely inspired it, Snowflakes and Carwrecks is at turns both somber and hopeful. Winter ends eventually, and you’d better have some music to pair with the returning sunshine.

Prepared piano has been used by everyone from Elton John to Ben Folds to Christine McVie. It can be described as the audible equivalent of using expired film in an ancient camera without casing. You may not be certain of the results, but bringing an art form down to its most basic, primitive state, you can find new ways to start all over again, from the ground up.

Does anyone know what the writer of the article is talking about, and on what songs does Christine supposedly use this "prepared piano" technique? Has she been asked about this in any interviews?

[David]

Originally Posted by nicepace

Does anyone know what the writer of the article is talking about, and on what songs does Christine supposedly use this "prepared piano" technique? Has she been asked about this in any interviews?

They talk about it in the Contemporary Keyboard cover story from 1979:

http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.ph...x_v2&id=11&c=2

The console, a Yamaha, is used during two songs in the concert set, "Sara" and "Not That Funny" (both from Tusk). During the former tune, a metal bar on a rail is moved against the strings to produce a honky-tonk effect. The console is set on a stand that raises it a foot and half above the platform so Christine can stand while playing. A microphone has also been mounted on it to allow Lindsey Buckingham to sing harmony by her side on "Sara."

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

A microphone has also been mounted on it to allow Lindsey Buckingham to sing harmony by her side on "Sara."[/I]

Awwww.

Michele

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Awwww.

In't that cute? But I heard he yanked it off and threw it at Nicks in New Zealand.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by David

In't that cute? But I heard he yanked it off and threw it at Nicks in New Zealand.

Before or after he kicked her...

[michelej1]

That rehearsal where Stevie is saying she doesn't hear any harmony on Sara and then concludes, "because you aren't singing any" is just hilarious.

Christine is also apologizing to her for messing up the keyboard intro to Sara.

Michele

[nicepace]

Originally Posted by David

The console, a Yamaha, is used during two songs in the concert set, "Sara" and "Not That Funny" (both from Tusk). During the former tune, a metal bar on a rail is moved against the strings to produce a honky-tonk effect.

So ... Christine only used this in concert, not on any recordings?

[David]

Originally Posted by nicepace

So ... Christine only used this in concert, not on any recordings?

I can't think of anything with prepared piano on it, except maybe "Sara," but that would not have been the same upright that Christine was using on tour in later years (especially if it was recorded with Stevie's friends, as the story goes).

Who knows -- for "Sara," they might have actually tampered with one of the acoustic grands in the studio. At piano camp, we used to throw pieces of paper, pencils, and hairbrushes into a grand piano in between the strings & the sounding board, & then play Beethoven & Debussy on it. It twanged & buzzed & clopped & thunked. It was cool!

From YouTube, John Cage piano sonata:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4TCth0gGM

P.S. Why isn't embedding working any more on The Ledge?

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

That rehearsal where Stevie is saying she doesn't hear any harmony on Sara and then concludes, "because you aren't singing any" is just hilarious.

Stevie always sounds nervous when she voices criticism directly to Fleetwood Mac.

Christine is also apologizing to her for messing up the keyboard intro to Sara.

This might sound crazy, but I think Christine is doing that on purpose. Chris liked to screw around as much as the others, but she would then feign ignorance to make it look authentically unwitting.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

This might sound crazy, but I think Christine is doing that on purpose. Chris liked to screw around as much as the others, but she would then feign ignorance to make it look authentically unwitting.

Well, Christine's apology is excessive, when one considers the mildness of the infraction. So, I wouldn't say that she was . . . so sincere about being sorry.

It seems like the prepared piano thing comes up often. I read that she did use it on the Sara recording. Well, the rumor was, it was quite literally, a tack piano. Where she put thumbtacks in the felt hammers.

Anyway, whenever you see prepared piano, they always seem to throw her in. It was in a blurb I posted about a German musician last year: http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showpo...0&postcount=33

Hauschka has successfully combined the chamber music aspect of prepared piano (see composers Henry Cowell, John Cage, Christian Wolff, Max Richter, Maurice Delage and Arvo Part) with pop, rock and electronic sensibilities. Incredibly, this puts him in league with such diverse artists as easy listening duo Ferrante & Teicher, rockers John Cale of the Velvet Underground, Tom Constanten of the Grateful Dead, Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John, the Waitresses, Eddie Van Halen and Tori Amos; electronica's mad scientist Aphex Twin; Ernst Horn of the Darkwave ensemble Deine Lakaien, jazz pianist Brad Mehldau and Terry Adams of NRBQ.

[michelej1]

From the Just Anime blog

http://www.just-anime.co.cc/mokenstef-hes-mine/

Christine McVie, former pianist of Fleetwood Mac, used a prepared upright piano (metal bar attachment) on “Sara” from the album Tusk.[citation needed] A piano like this was also used on the Tusk Tour.

[David]

They might also have tampered with the strings on one of the grands Chris used on "Don't Stop" in the studio.

These days, there's not much point in actually tampering with the sound board or the string block because the digital age has brought us no end of such simulations with every electronic piano sold.

When Christine started playing her modules onstage (1987), she went for a much brighter, honkytonk piano patch on those songs that used acoustic piano patches: "Say You Love Me," "Don't Stop," "Sara," "Has Anyone Ever Written," & "Songbird."

On earlier tours, her acoustic piano EQ was always much more compressed & had a drier signal. I loved it. Starting in 1987, it just got too bright & wet.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by David

On earlier tours, her acoustic piano EQ was always much more compressed & had a drier signal. I loved it. Starting in 1987, it just got too bright & wet.

I agree.

On another note, her application of "prepared piano" on Sara is pretty modest, very simple, and yet, as is often the case with hers and Mick's playing, extremely effective in that simplicity.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by David

On earlier tours, her acoustic piano EQ was always much more compressed & had a drier signal. I loved it. Starting in 1987, it just got too bright & wet.

Which pretty much was the standard late 80's keyboard sound. Kind of like the obnoxious gated drums that Phil Collins unfortunately started.

[GypsyNikita]

Originally Posted by David

From YouTube, John Cage piano sonata:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4TCth0gGM

ah yes, I studied this last year in college, its crazy how u can make the piano really sound like a percussion instrument - which technically it is but u know what I mean! it's all about rhythm!

I'm not surprised that Christine used prepared piano on Sara, especially since the Tusk album was after all very experimental