Thud.

Went to watch a “Piano Drop” this evening at MIT Baker House. A semi-regular (based on availability of irreparable pianos) event, though none occurred during my four years there. I brought Clara and Tyler with me, thinking it would be a hoot for them. There were plenty of people there, news crews included, and a helicopter overhead for good measure.

Well, after all the build-up, it was honestly something of a disappointment (and it pains me to say so). They had two pianos, so it should have been spectacular — a grand piano on the ground, with an upright dropped on top of it from six stories up. In theory, practice should be more like theory. But in practice, it rarely is.

Here’s video from the original event, back in 1972. Thank goodness for the internet and YouTube, or I’d never have known what it’s supposed to look like.

A good part of the problem is that after 1984, they moved Amherst Alley (the street behind Baker House that runs parallel to Memorial Drive) away from the building. Subsequent drops (as far as I know) have been done on the Memorial Drive side, in other words, onto the ground instead of a hard surface. Ah well.