How To Play Piano Chico Marx Style, Pt. 1

[JazzKeyboardist1]

thanks,,excellent, the flicking takes practice ,,,,, I heard one of the thousands of bets chico lost was,,,, he bet a cocktail waitress that he would come while she was pleasuring him, before he finished the minute waltz,,,,,,,,,,,he said he never cared about losing that bet

[SimuLord]

Pronouncing Chico's name properly is the sign of a true Marx Bros. fan.

[kansaspacific]

21 people don't like guns in the lobby of the Hotel California.

[freeble123]

great!

[jimisweak]

the notes are right, the finger styling is right, but it still sounds so wrong compared to chico.

[MrJonasimage]

nice close encounters finish!

[FishingtonBurpPuzzle]

How do you use the orange?

[bluejay02920]

chico name is from him being a womanizer. He was very good at picking up chicks...

[amonster8mymother]

ya ya I finished the fifth grade nobody said anything about perpendikucular

[aspergershawn]

I tried this but with the middle and fourth fingers - keeping my index perpendicular to the keys as you suggest. What I got was a perfect chromatic glissando - I put the middle finger on the black notes, the fourth on the white notes and by keeping them in that position (by maintaining my index in a perpendicular orientation to the keyboard). I could do one before but in two other ways (with two hands, and also with other fingers. Is this what Chico did, a chromatic glissando?

[Rawr5649]

his name Chico is pronounced wrong on purpose, therefor it's pronounced correctly as "chicko"

[angiehorse]

You are adorable, however the piano sucks.

[Chicagopianoman]

where is pt 2.? by the way , don't tune the piano .. thats how its suppose to sound. thnx

[MegaStephanie6969]

Up yours

[Kasinek]

Great lesson, buddy!!!! Thank you!

[pacoperkid13]

Please Tune That Thing

[1eclipsedheart]

Great video...Thanks Oscar

[m0n0nen]

haha, keep trying dude, you'll never be as good as Chico was, nobody can. he was unique. but nice vid tho

[CharlieChaplinsAngel]

he pronounced it Cheeko. OMFG THAT DRIVES ME NUTS! I'm like groucho when it comes to that, he got so pissed off one time because someone was pronouncing is brother Gummo's name as Gumbo haha

[MckyMseNTarotCrds]

Haha. I love how he assumes most of the viewers will be idiots. "And if you don't know what perpendicular means, I suggest you finish the fifth grade." And who on Earth pronounces forte as "fort"? I think his mother was an overly-strict English teacher, perhaps. Great video though. I'm going to try that slide technique.

[gmaureen]

@MckyMseNTarotCrds Well, fort is the correction pronunciation. Most Americans just don't know it. 

[MckyMseNTarotCrds]

@gmaureen Really? Well, you live and learn....and I just realized, reading over my comment, that I put a hyphen in "overly strict". Hyphens are a no-no if the preceding word ends in "ly." Me stupid. Bah.

[wwwuser7]

Lieben Dank für die Einstellung, eine wunderbare Entscheidung.

[charleychaken]

Worst piano I ever heard, must have been dropped down the stairs.

thanks for the tips though.

[itshurleytime]

Should have taken that $65 and gotten a few strings on your piano tuned...

[sirtinycreep]

Fascinating.

[sclogse1]

Thanks...can't wait to start my new career...the coffee table gig was starting to be a pain...

[SwellTelevision]

I miss you... you idiot.

[plumbersteve]

oh yeah...Peter Szleztger. Great interpreter of idiosyncratic piano playing.

[superhetoric]

i don't know if you're still replying to/looking at comments, but i'm an all ears player and have no musical knowledge whatsoever - what's played on the left hand?

[ritafab]

you are hilarious

[fluffino]

chicko marx lol... chico was taught by a teacher how to play piano with just his right hand and he fake played with his left, but he got lessons from a real teacher how to play the right way, you can tell by his hand movements that his right hand is stronger than his left!

[stargate121]

FREEBIRD!!!!

[AnotherSchmoe]

Awesome video!! =D

[dannyj7704]

"And if you don't know what perpendicular is, maybe you should finish the 5th grade." haha

[Thecheckerchex]

LMFAO, "well there's $65 of info, now here's HOTEL CALIFORNIA!" lmao, wtf.

[jeanieperkins]

Loads of fun! Thanks!

[ThatOneDude88]

Tune that THANG!!!

[freeble123]

great!!!!

[TexRitters]

Did you get the piano from a saloon in the wild west?

Great tuition, thanx.

[criss1956]

I've got everything down except for flicking the keys. I just can't get it smooth or fast.

[MelonHeadFilmz]

thanks for the tuition. i've now improved my Chico Marx style but i've still got to make my hands more charismatic when playing full songs tho

[jcincosiete]

excellent!

[elmovhossenfopp]

Very nice little lesson. I've been doing it, but not as "refined" as you have it. Thanks a bunch.

[msb0000]

Is an out-of-tune piano required, too? j/k. Great video. 5*

[itsaguinness]

a lot of broken keys. Glad you did this though, sheer practice I found out the glide pretty quick while watching the movies as a kid. You can see it as the lil kids practice at the start of big store

[stalepie13]

How do you know it was pronounced chicko? Was it true there was really another brother of them named Gummo?

[itsaguinness]

stalepie13, there was a brother named gummo. Chicko pronounced his name this way as did groucho at any time as well as tv. Chico said he was named this because he was always chasing the chicks

[MoJoPiano]

THANKS-A-MILLION! This is AWESOME! I've been fooling with the keyboard for 45 years and this is something new for me to fool around with. I can't thank you enough for sharing this. Thanks to my friend ivoryticklermama for sending my way. I'm "flicking" up a storm now buddy! Mike in Missouri

[antimagster85]

yay!!! 65 dollars worth of info!

thanksss

now you should do a tutorial about how to do that marx bros song you did in the beginning

[lelandb123]

You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear somone pronounce it CHICK-OH.

[Grazllok]

thx alot man =)

[Nd179]

Hahaha. Hotel California, Chico style. Nice!

[darkwood777]

Please tune your piano.

[FritzOmnibus]

More sustain!!

[arcadiandelsol]

been a Wayne Federman fan since he showed up doing local commercials on Baltimore TV.

Also, people complaining about that piano have no idea what 'ragtime' is. DONT TUNE IT!

[darkwood777]

Even ragtime pianos should be in tune. This one obviously hasn't been tuned in years.

[kimsanleanne]

Oh Gawddd that PIANO.... not even if it were in tune would it be good enough to post an instructional video.

[musicISmyLIFE635]

You should really post a video on how to play some of the songs that Chico

(Chick-o) plays. I have trouble reading music when it comes to piano and I can't find any instructional videos of the songs he plays. BTW you forgot a fundamental: he drums his fingers on the lower keys to make a rolling sound. Thanx for the video!!!!!!

[musicISmyLIFE635]

whoops!!!! i just read the info on you vid (sorry!)

[martinschmit]

also chico did not have to support his middle finger with his thumb when he slid across the keys. watch the movies again. $65 dollars down the drain.

[joniwo]

looks to me like his finger is supported by his thumb when he and Harpo play Mama Yo Quiero.

[cunderkoffler]

DUDE. You shot the keys in HOTEL CALIFORNIA.

There is a medal for you, somewhere, composed of exotic matter.

Thank you.

[CaptainSteelRain]

Also, maybe /you/ should finish the fifth grade because the "shooting" finger was parallel to the piano, not perpendicular. xD

Regardless, awesome video.

[EyalHoltzman]

He said "to the keys", not the piano, wise guy... It's parallel to the piano but perpendicular to the keys...

Awesome video it is, regardless.

[yabyum11]

hilarious! thanks. "and if you dont know what perpendicular means, maybe you should finish the 5th grade." ROFL.

[Jinxterman69]

This was really, really good! I appreciate the effort you went to to demonstrate and tape this for everyone! Good for you!

[jokeiii]

Can't wait until part 2!!!!

[iShamwow]

The beginning tune that you played? What movie is that from? Or what piece of Chico's is it?

[Gioeli76]

It is from A night At The Operas

[okrk]

Wayne

I was always was facinated by the playing of Chico since i was a child. I was really inspired by your description of the "Chico glide" so much so that i figured i would try my hand at transcribing again. Haven't done it much for a while.

So I many hours this past weekend transcribing Chico's clip from the night at the opera. I think i did a pretty good job.

I wish you would post more i would really like to see how you do the hand smash. I came up with what i think he (cont)

[okrk]

(Cont) does but i am not completely satisfied. If you are interested i could send you my transcription you could critique it. I would be interested in your suggestions. I scored it all in Finale i will convert it to PDF as soon as i get a chance.

Thanks

[afufkin]

Hi I would love to see your transcription

[afishen]

Boy with frineds like that I would seriously reconsider! 65 dollar slide.

[Zendishwasher1]

nice,always loved the marxs bro. they were all so talented.

[lazurm]

Another thing he did was the break, sounded sort of like a rumble. You may want to show what that was constructed from.

[Trevie3]

where's part 2?

[thomasojii31]

Wonderful, I love this style of play

shown here.

Thank you.

[Blueroverz]

I don't play but have always had an appreciation for shooting the keys.

Nice job!!!!!!!

[Seveq]

Davey647, haaah, I knew someone remembers this sound! I love that movie.

[bradyoil]

I just finished the 5th grade and still had to look up purpendickular. Now was this Chico in the Eagles? Cuz i thought they sung Hotel California, not the Marx Brothers.

[coconutgrove8]

AT the very beginning when I heard that quick little demonstration of chico's style, I heard it and it just filled me with such joyeus memories! thankyou! i remember hearing Chico and thinking, "wow I wish I could play that song"

[hopefulever]

Very Good!! Loved Chico and all the boys.

[unkahdet]

That's the stuff.

[JRKtheAdobeDude]

i for one thank you very much for pronouncing his name right! and this was an awesome vid, i learned. maybe someday i can play like him, or you.. :D

[ZzCyuga]

aparintly he was cald chico because 1) they liked nicknames that ended in o 2) because he chased chickens. (his real name is Leonard)

[Turtl3Dov3]

Actually, he he chased the "chicks." he was a notorious womanizer.

[ZzCyuga]

Well back then they called the "chicks" chickens and Chico himself referred to them as chickens in an interview (one of the few he gave) regarding the names of the brothers. Also Harpo said in his autobiography that Chico was named fore his fondness for the "chickens."

[Bocamycter13]

can u give a tutorial with the exact keys to play???

[Balerina3]

Love the Marx Brothers! Good Job!

[debbiedeb007]

i didnot learn but good! JOB!

[xXxTHEBEATMAKERxXx]

huh?

[marcandrepaquin]

Perpendicular... classic.

[sirtinycreep]

Thanks for the lecture.

[WaywardMist]

A glissando in the style of Chico Marx! That makes all the difference! XD

Also, the guy says (at the least) he's a comedian. He could be bsing the $65

And why use Orthogonal when you can use perpendicular? The object of communication is communicating after all.

[teflonmagnet]

i like the forte/(fortay) analogy. nobody buys it when i explain the correct pronunciation. nice vid.

[BounceMC2000]

excelent... thx

[HarpoSpoke]

Very cool! I've always loved Chico's playing. He the most underrated of the brothers if you ask me.

Thanks for pointing out the proper way to say his name. ...and unlike some here...I loved the joke about the 5th grade.

[richiew84]

awesome, chico is a hero :)

big fan of the marx brothers

[Paracelsus23]

lol cool man

[MadisonBlythe]

I thought it was funny. Thanks Wayne.

[scunnewman]

You should have spent the $65.00 on having the dam piano tuned before you posted the video. Man I hate Hotel California.

[kmikeyd]

I can't believe so few have commented on how miserably out of tune this guy's piano was/is. Frankly, I wouldn't tune it for less than $125.

[CaptainSteelRain]

Agreed.

[EyalHoltzman]

I think it's the recording bending the sound. I don't think someone who plays that well doesn't care to tune his piano.

[kmikeyd]

It's entirely possible that you are correct. Few instruments are more difficult to record than a piano with its beginning percussive sounds. However, after listening to a number of amateur recordings on Youtube (that sound so much better than this one), this one sure sounds to me like a lot of "should be" unisons that desperately need attention.

[Trystaticus]

very cool. I thought the "close encounters" at the end was great

[mansonman1]

The marx brothers were so cool. i miss them.

especially chico

[marcparella]

It would have been better to spend the $65 on a piano tuner. You missed the other great Chico effect: the hand slap in the lower register.

[Tumpsheid4Scotland]

i kant finish the 5th grade

im not american

[1Thenextmanstanding1]

finaly!!! i never no what the thumb was doing with the gun THANK YOU

and the piano playing was good too :p

[mabacdabatmaban]

maybe you should ask for your money back.

[ledzepdennis]

"If you don't know what perpendicular is, maybe you should finish the first grade."

Brilliant.

Also, great help on the piano as well! Thanks!

[mabacdabatmaban]

fifth, he said fifth! not first.

[DrexelGal]

Perhaps, if they had spelled his name "Chicko", we would have known better ... just as most of us never knew that Harpo's wig was RED and not BLONDE (B&W movies). Playing on a TUNED piano would have been a deft touch. The esoteric manipulation of the fingernail of the middle finger is somewhat akin to the esoteric handling of chopsticks ... which is tres-tres IRONIC, given the "Chopsticks"-piano connection. Am I funny, or what? [Don't forget the TALL brother ... "Stretch" Marx.]

[OrganCat]

You forgot the repulsive Marx brother....

Barfo.

[thisusernameistaken2]

Where can I find Chico Marx music notes?

[chewreece]

Ggaaaaaaah!!!!!!! Please tune your piano or call a tuner!

[rmw5991]

i think, im not sure, but the point for it to be outa tune is to sound like an old piano found in saloons

lol

[rmw5991]

or he just has it wildly outa tune lol

XD

[CalikoKat]

Its great up to the Hotel California...which wasnt needed...why not play one of Chicos songs to end it instead of Hotel California

[customcopy]

Hey that was funny and and informative..

Thanks for posting ..You should do stand up!!!

[Herald8]

That was really interesting, thanks! :)

[pianorman]

They should have spelled Leonard's nickname, 'Chicko', 'cause he 'chased the chickens' (girls) when he was younger, but they spelled it, 'Chico', & it was probably confused with the Spanish pronunciation, 'Cheek-oh.' They all were given nicknames: Groucho, Gummo, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, Yoko, Ono, etc., 'cause I Sedso.

[massieblockkur]

heyy hun.. you rock and you're pretty good.

[nisusCGA]

Thnx man. That's great! ,-)

[michelangelo67]

Thank you for the lesson :)

[tom19931993]

errr u play too tight and the gun pointy thing needs to be more flicky and bouncy...if u catch my drift. other than that ur pretty good

[caydauden]

show off

[SwarfishSquints]

This Guy Is great. I wanted to Know how some of the things were Done Peace

[alicephrontistery]

I liked the "SNAP-SNAP!" at the end!

[bobbyslam]

"AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT PERPENDICULAR IS, THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD FINISH THE FIFTH GRADE"

YES!!! that was awesome!

[amazmace]

Those of us who are still in the fifth grade are really hurt by that.

[ubermom]

He also often told women he was Harpo. Lying. It's worked for as long as men had mouths to lye with.

[GiantRatSumatra]

And women they wanted to 'lie with'. :-)

[njattack]

Wayne Federman:

Do you know where one can obtain the sheet music that Chico used for the song in "A Day at the Races" or even the name of the song.

Can you disclose where you got Chico's sheet music that you demonstrate? You copy him quite well.

ThankU

[ShaylahShmoo]

Thank ya! I look forward to part two :D

[ShockDoc]

Cool, thanks! Now, can you post a lesson on how to be as successful as CHICKO (phonetically speaking) at picking up girls (excuse me, 'goils')?

[ubermom]

He lied and told them he was Harpo. Seriously.

[bach19nn]

Little recomendation: don´t sustain the sound while glissando and shooting the notes. But nice work!

[ThatOneDude88]

Tune that thang!

[WayneFederman]

Sorry, you are so right. This will be the last video using my old Story & Clark. The tuner-guy gave up on it last year. A Yamaha U3 is in my future.

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Don't Tune It! Let It Turn Into A Honky Tonk, You Only Need To Tune Once Every 100 Years. Your Tuner Will Never Forgive You.

[jeetkd]

Great post, was hoping someone could help us with his style! I wonder when part 2 will appear..

[ragtimefan1]

This is great. By the way, Peter Slutsker is now going by the name of Peter Marx. Coincidence? I think not!

I look forward to part 2.

[marxfan57]

Very good video. But you forgot to show the left handed "smash" that Chico usually does. And no one can imitate his joie de vivre.

[WayneFederman]

Thanks. The "hand smash" and other more advanced Chico-isms will be covered in Part 2. I completely agree with you that his unique style (I call it "playful aggressiveness") is, by far, the toughest thing to duplicate. The guy was incredible.

[marxfan57]

Playful aggressiveness is a good term for it. It made him irresistible to women, which shines through on film in spite of the silly hat and fake accent. Glad to hear there's going to be a "Part 2". I'm looking forward to it.

[PaulPaddickFan]

I only took piano for like one year...and i've been thinking about kinda going back to it...but its hard to go back to palying piano if i already play trumpet and im in 9th grade.

But im teaching myself the piano, gutar and possibly even the Clarinet.

now do you know if the music from Night at the Opera has sheet music still around?

Thanks

~Sarah~

[GiantRatSumatra]

Do you have this in sheet music form?

Great video anyway!

[WayneFederman]

Thanks for the kind words.

Sorry, I don't read music (only chords) but the main song in this lesson is from the movie: Night at the Opera.

The song is called: All I Do Is Dream of You C, G, C, F, C.

Hotel California intro: Am, E, G, D, F, C