Margaret Leng Tan performs Eleanor Rigby on toy piano

[JeanDavid8]

@scoundrel555 You should get the score for the composition, "Four Minutes 33 Seconds" by John Cage. You close the cover over the keyboard of the piano when playing this. I believe it is published by C.F.Peters. You can get it from SheetMusicPlus for cheap.

[JeanDavid8]

@scoundrel555

What cage? If you are referring to John Cage's 4" 33' composition, it would not actually be required to close the cover of the piano keyboard, but it has become traditional. I infer you have never heard it performed.

You can get the score from SheetMusicPlus. I had it, but I cannot find it at the moment.

[5610winston]

Remarkable that a toy piano can sound like that, and that she can make it sound like that!

[emakengkau]

She makes Wendy Mae Chambers' music sound like a 4-year-old banging it out.

[misslavey]

i had an mp3 of this probably about 10 years ago and lost it a few computers ago.. been dying to hear it since. love it.

[averyellis]

oh, my, god, she is HUGE!!

[yoyopro]

Yes, for a person who is about 5'5", 190 lbs, she is remarkably huge! :))

[JeanDavid8]

@yoyopro I have only seen her live once, and I question 190 lbs. I would have thought much less.

[JeanDavid8]

I was wondering why she needed a folding cover for the piano, but then it became clear: so she could play John Cage's 4'33" that involves closing the cover during the performance of each movement. 8-)

[yoyopro]

Exactly! The entire score is played in three parts, so it is actually longer than 4'33'

Good observation.

[stellarsounddublin]

What model of Schoenhut Toy Pianos is that? Sounds great!

[yoyopro]

Ahhh . . . good you should ask!

That is a custom made Schoenhut piano. They made it just for Margaret. It does sound great!

You know, if you are interested, we can find just the right Schoenhut for you also.

[stellarsounddublin]

Definitely! I'm in Ireland though. Do you sell them?

[JeanDavid8]

Is it really custom made? The one at the left looks like their 379B and the one she is playing looks like a 6625 or 6637. The latest ones look slightly different.

[yoyopro]

Ah, my mistake, the upright piano she is playing is a standard model. The grand piano behind her is the custom built one. In this scene, you can't see how different it is from the standard. Margaret's has a foldable keyboard cover and foldable sheet music stand. The top also tilts open, but the standard version does that as well.

[JeanDavid8]

OK. My 379M does not have a keyboard cover.

The sheet music stand on mine will come off easily without tools, but does not fold.

I basically like it, but the keys are not the standard width that they claim, but very slightly narrower, so I sometimes hit two of them when I just want one. If I just played it and not a regular piano, I would probably get used to it quickly. The 37 keys take 19 3/8" and a real piano takes 20 1/2"

[philodrummond]

Hey what was that subliminal message you put in there at 1:27? All I know is that I had an irresistible urge to pee then.

[yoyopro]

That, my dear Philo, is what youtubers call "thumbnail manipulation". You will notice that most of my vids have a perfectly titled thumbnail. That is because I insert a frame at the center of the video, which youtube chooses as the default thumbnail. There are some youtubers who do this for deceptive purposes, I just do it to create a well titled thumbnail. The urge to pee is just a handy side effect.

[blazinboomer]

inspires me to learn toy piano pieces!

[meveggie]

Margaret Leng Tan i Salute you for speaking about Animal Rights @ the Inaugural President's Command Performance Concert 2009 @ the Esplanade in Singapore..Bless You!

peace,love & global respect : )

[goofballed95]

she performed this piece for the president's command too and i heard it in person, it's really nice and tingly

[longboard56]

Beautiful! Who needs the cellos with that arrangement.  Very compelling when I recollect the lyrics over the many times I have heard this song.

[yoyopro]

I agree, beautiful! When you hear the clapping of the toy piano keys, it is every bit as expressive as an orchestra arrangement. Can't tell you how much I enjoyed hearing this in person.