Topic by gtingley

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  • gtingley
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Topic: Pianos used on Beatle recordings

Beatle fans may like to know what pianos are heard on certain Beatle records.
There were various pianos used in various studios and locations.
Here is a starter list with plenty of room for elaboration:

Steinway Vertegrand upright
Baldwin Satin Ebony Grand
Bechstein D-280 ("Hey Jude")
Bluthner Grand ("Let it Be")
Challen spinet ("Ob-La-Di...")
Also the Baldwin Combo Harpsichord (perhaps "Fixing a Hole")

George Martin played piano on both "A Hard Day's Night" and "In My Life." Anyone here know what pianos were used in these recordings? Also that big chord at the end of "A Day in the Life" played simultaneously on four grand pianos - eight hands altogether!

Interestingly enough, one of the Pianoteq tutorials works to get a "Let it Be" piano sound by making adjustments to a Steinway D - perhaps before the Pianoteq Bluthner was released.

Anyway, I invite you to chime in.

George

Last edited by gtingley (24-12-2018 01:43)

Reply by dazric

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Re: Pianos used on Beatle recordings

Stretching the topic to include other keyboard instruments, I love the rather eerie sound of the Mellotron, as heard on Strawberry Fields:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUcfB5Whp4I
Not forgetting the harmonium, which features brilliantly in We Can Work It Out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyclqo_AV2M

Reply by Beto-Music

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Re: Pianos used on Beatle recordings

The best Beatle piano it's always the one right on being playing by Paul McCartney.
Yeah, John wasn't a good piano player...

I'm really sad Paul it's losing his voice prematurely.  And medical science probably can do little to reeally  help, since it's still on stone age of blade cuts and stiches. If he have horns, cysts, or polyps in vocal chords, there are surgery, but it tends to lower the pitch due tissue fibrosis of cicatrization process.
Elton John had a surgery many years ago but his pitch was lowered. I presume Pauls scares to dead of the same could happens with hin.

Medical field... always a garbage...

Last edited by Beto-Music (24-12-2018 16:37)

Reply by skip

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Re: Pianos used on Beatle recordings

Anyone know what piano was used on Wings "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five"? That's another excellent sound. (yes, I know, probably heavily EQ'd)

Greg.