The Hotel Guest Story

The other day, when I posted a short excerpt from my Christmas Eve performance (just the beginning of the first song I played) I mentioned that I had recorded quite a few songs. Not all of them, though, because I was afraid I wouldn't have enough space on my phone for such long videos so I was randomly pressing the recording button. I also mentioned that I had an interesting situation with a hotel guest and promised to tell you about the event. Surprisingly, I also have a video of it. I really didn't know that part was recorded too, I just realized that when I was listening to the videos the next day... 😱

I will post only a part of the happening here, the rest I will tell you in words.

I had already played a few Christmas songs, fitting the event and the Christmassy atmosphere. Some ladies were humming the tunes I was playing. 🎶 After one of those songs, a guest approached me, a younger woman, between twenty of thirty years old, by my free guess. She didn't tell me her name, but I heard it anyway from her boyfriend when he was talking to her. He was standing with their suitcases a few steps away from the piano (it seemed like they had just arrived at the hotel and checked in) but she came up to me and we started talking.

She said I played very well, that she admired music and that she also played the piano but had forgotten. When she heard me, something woke up in her and she wanted to play again. She asked if I could let her sit at the piano and play too. I don't think she understood that I was "working" and expected to play for the guests in the lobby and that I wasn't there just to have fun. 😁

Okay, no problem, why not? ^{I really can't say no sometimes, and how would I know that she would play for four minutes or more, i.e. trying to remember?} I cut that part out of the video, but she really tried and remembered some parts but there came a moment when she completely blocked and couldn't continue. From there you will see the video. Of course, the composition in question was Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven. Yes, it is a fairly popular composition among students and you have to be at a certain level to play it. This young lady certainly knew how to play this composition but I guess she hasn't had the opportunity to sit down at the piano for years. And it happened while I had my gig. She was so brave to ask me for this and try to remember.

I had mixed feelings. I was glad to let her play again after so long, but on the other hand... it was my job and I figured that the guests who couldn't see me, only hear me, might think it was me playing. Why would a hotel pay for a pianist who couldn't remember the piece? 😂

She thanked me several times (also in the parts of the video I cut off) and in the end stood up. She asked me about my favourite songs, and favourite composers and another question was coming my way but I already started playing the same piece that was open on my pad, so she could enjoy it and the guests wouldn't stay without music. (sorry M. I interrupted you and now don't know what you wanted to ask me).

I spotted just after some moments what happened to her when I started to play... Should I say or you just see the video?

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So, her hands started dancing to the music and wow, in some parts she synchronized with the music and "played" in the air some of the passages quite accurately!! It is amazing. The movements of her hands came back to her, maybe she would need to practice a bit (but definitely not during my gig as the guests expected performance and not practice time 😅) and she would be able to play this piece again. But this way she also had a performance - she was the hands and I was the music. If this makes any sense...

I always have some chitchatting time with the guests where I play but this was a first for me, that someone asked to play my instrument during my gig. My manager didn't say anything, I guess nobody from the guests complained. 😆 And one young lady was happy - I think it was a good unplanned and improvised Christmas gift to someone who I met for the first time, don't you think? ;)

_{P.S. Just ignore those few mistakes I made while playing 😂
I think it was the moment I spotted her hands and I got distracted and then one mistake calls another hahaha. The reality - pianists make mistakes too 😆}

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