Doctor Who theme, player piano

[channing28270]

Is this on a Compact Disc? have you ever played the Compact Disc in a Jam Box?

[Keeper1st]

@channing28270 It's a MIDI file. It was on a floppy disk.

[JJJocarra]

Do you happen to have the sheet music available for this?

[Keeper1st]

@JJJocarra I never scored this arrangement because it isn't meant to be humanly playable. It could be orchestrated, I suppose.

[JJJocarra]

@Keeper1st Yeah, heh, I could tell by watching/listening it wasn't going to be playable by one person ;P Would have been fun to have a four hands-one piano arrangement, though! But that's fine, thanks anyway!

[Keeper1st]

@JJJocarra This arrangement was inspired by an attempted four-hand arrangement (which had some really bad harmonies in it), so a four-hand version could be made from this, probably, if you use the MIDI file as a guide. The MIDI file is not aligned to the MIDI clock properly as a result of converting it from the Amiga DMCS format into a MIDI file, but when you know the rhythm of the tune already it probably wouldn't be too difficult to write down.

[cheesecake22511]

if i were in my bed and my piano started playing it's self like that i'd be terrified. but still this is very good!

[EmeraldVideosNL]

wow, creepy to see a piano play itself o.O really nice piece. not something an actuall person would be able to play, with the keys used so far apart.

[Keeper1st]

@EmeraldVideosNL Self-playing pianos have been around for more than 100 years, so it shouldn't really be creepy anymore. Indeed this arrangement was not intended to be playable by humans. That's a big part of the appeal of player pianos; all the best arrangements are made specifically for the player piano and are not humanly playable.

[EmeraldVideosNL]

@Keeper1st Really that long? I had no idea XD

It's just a pity all those best arrangements can never be played by humans. But still, pretty awesome these pianos make it possible to hear this :)

[Lunatic1603]

weeeell ... this is quite creepy

which doesn't mean that it isn't good ;-)

[auqablue400]

Imagine walking into a room and hearing the doctor who theme, and seeing the piano play itself? O.O

[JeniferHayley]

Curious: How do you programme the piano to do that.

Excellent arrangement. In a word, courtesy of Nine: "FANTASTIC."

[Keeper1st]

@JeniferHayley It plays MIDI files. You just have to make sure there's enough note separation for repeated strikes. While a synthesizer can play notes with no separation, a real piano needs time for the hammers to fall back before being restruck.

[JeniferHayley]

@Keeper1st Thank you. :)

[MrJacMac1986]

Very good you deserve a Jelly Baby

[MrJacMac1986]

Were player pianos in the Old West like in Tombstone circa 1881?Like in the Star Trek episode Spectre of the Gun.Or were they invented around 1900?You always hear them when you think of a western saloon circa 1876-1890.

[Keeper1st]

@MrJacMac1986 No. While the first pneumatic player system was patented in 1880, they were slow to develop and didn't really begin to make an impact until about 1896 or '97. The "88-note" player system didn't come into being until 1908.

[xxAngelxxxxxx]

Woah..... how does the piano do that!

[Keeper1st]

@xxAngelxxxxxx A row of solenoid valves.

[thechelsey100]

OMG i saw this video, and I freaked out. Because I own a player piano, and I love it. second, i just ADORE doctor who. Wouldn't it be cool to have arrangments from doctor who with songs like 'this is gallifrey' and 'i am the doctor' ??? wicked!!

[ethansavoy]

Modern player piano!

[ilyverymuchly]

DO WANT.

[mushroomshrub]

I'm sorry, I can't comment on your arrangement. I was too busy watching the freakin ghost piano play itself.

[QuietPrincess71]

Whooooah!!  That was awesome! Can you fix your video so that it is straight? lol

[MilkweedTheif]

do you have sheets?



[Keeper1st]

@MilkweedTheif Not of this arrangement; it was programmed straight into a MIDI file.

[CheapHorror]

You sir, are brilliant! This was amazing! :D

[thisismitra]

At first, I was like "Well, why doesn't he just play it on the piano himself...?"

Then I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

[ellahello2]

matt smith

doctor who

police

box

call

[Keeper1st]

@ChickenLiquid There are four pianos in Chip's house. One is a grand. But this Mason & Hamlin upright is preferred by many pianists who play there. It is a very fine instrument.

[auro1001]

Why is it in D Maj and not E maj?!

[Keeper1st]

@auro1001 It isn't in D major. In fact, it's never in any sort of major (except for the bridge). It's in G minor, with the bridge in B-flat major. That's the key that the 1980-84 version was in, which this arrangement is based on. (At least, the full-length version released on 45rpm single; in episodes it was slower and a semitone flatter, I think.) Ron Grainer's original was in E Phrygian mode with the bridge in G major. The '86 version was in E minor, and the '87-89 version was in A minor.

[psion0027]

duh guys hes using his sonic screw driver to make the piano play itself its obvius

[DrakonerDE]

@psion0027 Now there are those ghost stories from. Sonic screw driver and computer-controlled piano.

[NekoChanMaasta]

needs a bit of fine tuning

[bane264]

that is awsome !!!!!

[Brooschlee]

I remember this MIDI file from the dark ages of the internet. To see it run on a piano is utterly beautiful.

[Geekout1]

Brilliant.

[PokemonDoctorWho]

This is AMAZING! Why can't I be a piano that plays itself?

[lasaboteuse]

That is so badass, I don't even

[FrankSinatra2007]

This has to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen on YouTube! I am going to share this video on Facebook!

[ButterflyofOceans]

This is amazing. Beautiful arrangement!

[98flygirl]

That's kind of completely awesome and epic!!

[Quidditchpett]

Neat!!!

Quidditchpett, over and out

[TimeWolfKuramaFan]

My friend went crazy over this. I've heard the Doctor Who theme millions of times, but this was her first. I think you may have convinced her into watching the show...if you did, I thank you. xD

Also, this was simply amazing. I keep replaying it.

[lovelyspringweather]

so wicked cool.

[2Jeff4Gordon]

I showed tmy grandmother this and she literally said: "Boy, call an exorcist, satant's gonna have a friend tonight."

[Keeper1st]

@2Jeff4Gordon How strange. One would think that a grandmother would be familiar with player pianos.

[ziggychick8]

OMG HOW IS THAT PIANO DOING THAT!?! plz explain!

[Keeper1st]

@ziggychick8 Electrical solenoids triggered by a built-in computer that reads MIDI data. It's a PianoDisc system. Virtually any piano can be retrofitted with one (requires cutting out of some of the piano's original frame). This piano has quite an old PianoDisc system, from the early 1990s.

[emiliegosse123]

@Keeper1st so your saying this is what you made because out of all the player pianos iv seen they have rolls,not a CD. can you plz make a vid about what the inside or like pull ap the front cover that shows the inside?

[Keeper1st]

@emiliegosse123 From the front, you wouldn't notice anything different. There are videos out there already that show the installation of a PianoDisc system, I'm sure. This isn't my piano, so I can't go over to Chip's house and tear it apart!

PianoDisc is a modern computerized system, like Disklavier or Pianomation, as opposed to the old pneumatic roll players. Besides the fact that you don't need to cut rolls, another advantage is that they can record your playing and play it back.

[Gallifreygirl07]

Ha I'd like to see a human play that XD

[Keeper1st]

@Gallifreygirl07 If someone could play it, it would prove that the person is NOT human!

[surfsunsoad]

these pianos still freak me out :P awesome job though! :D

[CuttlefishPi]

Love it at 1:15

[xrror]

If when a Dalek plays piano... I imagine this is how it goes =D

[BowTiesareCool12]

I WANT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[099chopper]

You could REALY freak some one out with this if you set it off when they are all alone, in a dark room.

[TransCal1]

how does it do that? its a ghost!

[CuttlefishPi]

@TransCal1 No it's Just an interdimentional life form.

[TransCal1]

@CuttlefishPi LOL

[YoMommaShugga]

I CAN SENCE THAT IS DOSE NOT HAVE THE HUMAN TUTCH OR FEEL TO IT, SOMETHING I THINK MAKES IT VERY POOR THAN IT WOULD BE. BUT IT IS FUCKING AMAZING NEVER THE LESS ! LOVE IT !

[Keeper1st]

@YoMommaShugga It isn't supposed to have a human feel to it; it is an arrangement strictly for a player piano.

[mcburney1234]

@Keeper1st  yeah the 20 keys being pressed at 1 time should have been a hint lol

[oddsee]

i think i love u aaahahaha X)

[catseye74]

BRAVO!!!

[BowTiesareCool12]

i want it

[CiaranConnollyIdeals]

damn

[willpurry]

I love this version of the da da da da diddy da part.

[chasla99]

were do u live now (i live in LA and my parents have a apartment in new York)

[Keeper1st]

@chasla99 I live just south of Carson City.

[imadoctor100]

its omega from the dead

[coolnatt]

lol, so thats how they do in the movies when a ghost plays the piano :D

[Keeper1st]

@coolnatt Depends on the movie. If it's an old movie, they probably used a pneumatic system (pneumatic player pianos have been around for over 110 years) instead of an electrical one like this.

[StuartTheGamerNerd]

@Keeper1st oh ya, I forgot they exist, and I also forgot I was on my brother's account :D

[joachoye]

Thats On My Doctor Who Screen Saver Music

[Shintsu2]

Great job, this sounds really cool! Also thanks for including a link to the Midi, most people usually don't especially when they've done such a fine job!

[PerfectSaga]

I'm Irish, living in Las Vegas, as well, but have watched DW religiously.

[danbroad9]

Its a ghost LOL

[ashishval44]

Great job dude, one of the best piano versions I've heard

[MarbleMad]

That's FANTASTIC. I'm picturing a 1920s version of Doctor Who with The Master tying the doctors glamorous assistant to the railway tracks then laughing and twisting the end of his handlebar mustache.

[DoctorWhoCenter2010]

American Doctor Who Fan's unite! Great job, I'm American/Welsh (my Dads from Wales)/Irish. And I love Doctor Who! What state do you live in? I live in Massachusetts.

[Keeper1st]

@DoctorWhoCenter2010 I live in Nevada now, but lived in California when I made this arrangement.

[KnowitallCommaMister]

@Keeper1st Oh wow I used to live in California but then moved to Vegas.

[Keeper1st]

@KnowitallCommaMister Ah cool. (or hot, being Vegas, eh?) I moved to Reno and now am in the process of moving just south of Carson City.

[kayaoconnell16]

@DoctorWhoCenter2010 woo go mass!!

[JudgeJudas]

I jizzed so hard, my mind is blown and I have no words.

[Matty09Magic]

i like it, the only thing id say is some parts like the main woo woo woo was slightly delayed by music overrunning but i surpose thats the way u learnt it so who am i to say otherwise. fantastic!

[Matty09Magic]

@Matty09Magic oh, sorry, i just missed it the first time, its right on time, dm, amazing work

[Keeper1st]

@Matty09Magic Yeah, the lower notes are delayed for an "echo" effect. Unfortunately I had the piano's volume turned up so the dynamics are gone, reducing the effectiveness, as those notes should be played quieter, and the "twinklies" should be fading in and out. I had to increase the piano's volume to keep the bass notes separated. The piano's action was a little bit slower than the MIDI file is set up for, but increasing the velocity made it also lift the notes quicker.

[LerouxRutilus]

Gold's theme?

Very, very nice.

[ATV642]

@LerouxRutilus Gold's Theme? Do you not listen to what people say? he said at the beginning "I made this arrangement around 1990" Gold wasn't around in 1990. This is a remake of Howell's Theme

[Keeper1st]

@ATV642 Indeed this is Peter Howell's version from the late Tom Baker through early Colin Baker years, which is in G minor instead of E minor, among other things (like a rhythmic difference in the second strain). Murray Gold's version has a tenor countermelody which is quite unique and I think its absence should have been enough to know that this is not Gold's, even if I didn't mention how long ago I made this transcription!

[ATV642]

@Keeper1st i thought that it was in F#, but it still sounds good

[Keeper1st]

@ATV642 Now that you mention it, I think the TV version was indeed at a lower pitch than the record version. That's what my aged, failing memory is telling me, anyway...

[LerouxRutilus]

@Keeper1st

Sorry, I got names mixed up and I wrote Gold instead of Howell.

I meant Howell's theme.

[Keeper1st]

@LerouxRutilus It is interesting to note, however, that the latest version of the theme (did Gold make that one or have they got someone new?) does actually incorporate some of the rhythmic chords that were in Howell's version (at the end of the main theme).

[LerouxRutilus]

@Keeper1st

Gold composed the 2010 theme and the soundtrack.

I do quite like the melody he puts in at the beginning, but I'm a wee bit disappointed that the bass line has been diminished so much.

The counter-melody that Gold uses with the strings in the main melody is an addition that I think will have an influence on all future versions.

[LerouxRutilus]

@ATV642

Sorry, I got confused between Gold and Howell.

Calm your shit, sunshine. Have a cigarette.

[HTprodsDW]

You made that midi? I remember it from ages ago! Awesome arrangement,I must say!

[SirChelsea86]

Awesome - first time seeing a piano like in this kind of eh.. environment (although I am just in Record Engineering II so...)

Thumbs up

[shangyien]

That's wonderful!

Ian.

[Matty09Magic]

wow, no words to say, gobsmacked

[Megabine]

CRAZY :S

[c4clive]

Good lord, I have tried midi as a format, but it is insanely difficult to get right, even when you have the music right in front of you, well done! *favourites*

[Hazzoufc]

This is so cool. The Peter Howell theme is probably my favourite.

[professorLing]

i am i big fan of doctor who for 17 years and in fact i have the music for the theme but i never played it.

[DoctorWhoCenter2010]

I'm an American to! And I love who!

[linuxlove4004]

Ah, so it's you who made that MIDI file! I love it.

[Keeper1st]

@linuxlove4004 You've heard it before? Cool. I don't think it has traveled much beyond my web site, which is mainly only advertised in ragtime music circles.

[linuxlove4004]

Yeah, I was looking for a MIDI rendition of the Doctor Who theme and I found your version. Sounded good so I kept it. If you check out HarryMatic's channel, you can find your MIDI being played on a Roland MT-32 system.

[wwwdotcomedy]

Aaaah! A piano playing itself! It's like a scene from a horror movie! lol sounds pretty good though.

[sallangel]

It's really weird seeing a piano play itself... eventhough my granny has a pianola roll...

that's really cool!

[SoraxRikulover]

You are amazing! How did you do that? i just have to ask

[Keeper1st]

It started life on a program called Deluxe Music Construction Set on the Commodore Amiga. In the mid-1990s when I got a PC, I had the Amiga output MIDI into a PC sequencer program to create a MIDI file. This piano has a PianoDisc system that can play Type 0 MIDI files from a PC-formatted floppy disk, so I found a program to convert Type 1 to Type 0 and saved the file on a floppy.

[BachScholar]

That's cool looking.

[shanespangler]

Great arrangement - and great piano too!

[dippydawg827]

amazing!

[Mattteus]

it's weird hearing a piano be that... precise for lack of a better word

[Wolverinegal]

This is amazing. The theme is awsome enough, but somehow the fact that it's all being played, at once, on a piano is just.... wow.

[chrisw142]

awesome!

[Quietschquatsch]

Who is Dr. Who?

[Mattteus]

whawhaWHAT?!?

[Factnotfictionpeople]

THAT is a good question......................­...

[theLegendofZelda2009]

@Quietschquatsch

The Doctor, Simply the Doctor.