George and piano playing

Something that old moon recently posted got me to thinking about this. How well could George play the piano? I used to think he didn't play much at all, just peck out notes here and there, but perhaps I'm mistaken?

To be honest, I only know of two piano playing Beatles, John and Paul. Sorry George if I somehow missed the fact that you also played the instrument.

In the Let It Be movie, when George is helping Ringo with Octopus's Garden, they´re doing it at the piano, especially Ringo, so I guess they knew at least the basics.

I don't think he was of concert pianist standard. However, the most delightful intro to 'Just for Today' from Cloud 9, is George and a piano, nothing else.
As a side note, if ever I want to get completely swept away by his music I put that one on. I have to set the stage though. I have to be travelling alone in the dark in my car (excellent acoustics) on a country road with no traffic. The bit where the piano changes to guitar. [img]graemlins/heart1.gif[/img]

One day when I met George I asked him if he played piano he told me only with two fingers and I answered him you also played bass in Old Brown Shoe and he said yes.

Originally Posted By joan:
One day when I met George I asked him if he played piano he told me only with two fingers and I answered him you also played bass in Old Brown Shoe and he said yes.

<font size="2" face="Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif">wow, that sounds really neat!

He also says he can't play guitar.

One quote, "I admire people who can play fast, because I'm so slow that I can't put more than four notes together in a run."

That's George for you. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

In his book, "I Me Mine" he mentions working a song out on the piano. I have to go back and check which one.

Joan, please tell us about meeting George. How well did you know him?

George plays the acoustic piano on "His Name Is Legs". But there is also an electric piano and a 'tack' piano, so it is kinda hard to hear just George. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

....and just what exactly IS a tack piano?? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

"The phrase prepared piano is also sometimes applied to other kinds of preparations. Lou Harrison, for example, used something he called the tack piano, a piano with small nails stuck in the hammers to produce a more percussive sound."

[img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] David Foster plays it on ET (not George, and definitely not Danny Kootch) [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

If I'm not mistaken, he says the first bits of "Something" were written on piano. He's also credited in many songs with organ, synthesiser or keyboards, so I guess he could play the piano after all. The pianist in The Beatles was Paul McCartney, of course... John Lennon after him, and then George could manage himself to play some bits, but he wasn't a "concert pianist", as old moon expressed.

Also agreed in the intro for "Just For Today". Just gorgeous. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I believe not so long ago Hari's Chick posted something about the way George played piano. The three finger method.

That's in fact also how I play piano mainly, but, it works.

"Something" is the song in I Me Mine where he says he wrote it on piano, but there are more. I believe e.g. Isn't It A Pity, a piano player can recognize that this basic melody line comes from a three finger piano player.

Obviously he was no McCartney on the piano, or even as good as the comparatively limited Lennon, but I'm sure there is a story of George going into an Australian casino some time in the 1990s and playing their piano for a couple of hours or so. The Brainwashed EPK also shows him playing a few chords on the organ so I reckon he could probably play a bit. As for Just for Today, I thought Elton played the piano on that track.

Thanks everybody! Sounds like he could plunk out notes and play a few chords, which is what I thought, but just didn't know for sure.

Originally Posted By IAN TATERSHALL:
As for Just for Today, I thought Elton played the piano on that track.

<font size="2" face="Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif">Er..hmm...No!

According to an interview with a certain Scott Muni in 1989, our George said;

"It's done on a piano that I have in this big room in my house, this big oak hall. So it has a very ambient sound. The first part of the song is just me and a piano, and I've not really done that before. It's like being naked."
[img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I've seen that quote from George before too, but I also read somewhere else recently (I don't remember where) that Elton played piano on this song. I tend to believe George though! [img]graemlins/wink1.gif[/img]

I'll drop another one on you.

I am almost sure that I have read somewhere that it's Gary Wright on piano.

Originally Posted By old_moon_shining:
According to an interview with a certain Scott Muni in 1989, our George said;

<font size="2" face="Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif">Scott Muni is a legendary broadcaster and long time friend of George.

He wrote this review on Brainwashed;
Brainwashed is George Harrison's way of telling us that he is doing okay and he was comfortable with how he lived. George has always been my favorite Beatle because of his ability to present spirituality in a non-threatening way. Brainwashed is George's final mortal prayer that transcends our physical world and reaches out to the Heavens. I get the feeling that George is with God right now listening as the songs are played. Brainwashed is a collection of 12 great songs well produced by Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison. The look and feel of the CD is magnificent to say the least. This CD is necessary for the George Harrison Fan. My favorite tracks on Brainwashed are "P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)", "Rocking chair in Hawaii", and "Stuck Inside a Cloud". You will find favorite Classics as well.

I will write a special topic about thim, whereas he will be doing some Beatles things 'on air' soon.

Originally Posted By FPSHOT:
I'll drop another one on you.

I am almost sure that I have read somewhere that it's Gary Wright on piano.

<font size="2" face="Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif">It's this interview:

http://creemmagazine.com/BeatGoesOn/GeorgeHarrison.html


"Just to complete the list of people who’s on it, Gary Wright plays keyboard, the piano, on a song called 'Just For Today', which is a song I wrote from an Alcoholics Anonymous brochure. You know that little leaflet they give out to drunkards, to say to try to live through this day, for today only? And he also plays on 'When We Was Fab'."


You are, as always, absolutely right. I must have made a mistake because of the interview that old_moon quoted before. In one of the times George is telling the truth... we'll have to guess which one... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

See, I knew it, old Gary.

Thanks Darkhorse, where would I be without you.

Well, we'll leave it for each to make a choise, in any way I do not recognize Elton in the piano playing.

I Remember the interview from the simple but funny remark about Jim Horn.

[size="1"][ May 01, 2003, 01:55 PM: Message Edited By: FPSHOT ][/size]