CNN iReport

You may remember articles (and posts) about the pianos in the streets of London,  placed outside where anyone could play them.

And later, a similar project  in Brazil.

Well now the concept has come to America.

Ybor City  (pronounced E-bor) Florida (Tampa area) to be exact.

My friend Kathy  pointed out an article in the St. Petersburg (FL) Times about 10 pianos placed  around the city, OUTSIDE where everyone and anyone can play them.

That  was all we needed to hear, the quest was on!

Today (Sat. Nov. 14, 2009)  we paid a visit to Ybor City and tracked down all 10 pianos. I played every one  of them (well, 9 were playable, 1 was beyond bad).

Each piano was  decorated by a different artist. Some were in pretty reasonable musical  condition, others not so much. But that didn't matter, half the fun was in  tracking them down and playing them, kind of like a musical treasure hunt, and  seeing what the artists concept was. We had our little map, and found out  quickly that the folks in Ybor are very friendly.

The whole thing is  actually pretty clever. It's exposure for the artists and a fun way to get  familiar with the area, discovering shops, restaurants, theatres, etc. along the  way.
It was interesting to see the different artists interpretations, and to  "test" each piano we discovered.

Following are some pictures, (yes, I'm the chubby guy in the pictures with the typical  Florida outfit on). The displays will be in place through Jan. 9, drop by and  play them if you get anywhere near the area.

As the founder and host of PianoWorld.com, I've also posted additional pictures and video on our world famous piano forums. Feel free to drop by.