Inordinate skill! Piano playing.. with balls.

[Flippy_D]

You'll see what I mean.

(Banners not too business-friendly, work-bound AGSers).

[Barbarian]

Some peoples with strange talents out thereÃ, 

Here's another good one. The "Maestro". He's covered in bicycle horns.

The Maestro

[Flippy_D]

Seen that one too. I love his rendition of popcorn 

[auhsor]

You'll see what I mean.

(Banners not too business-friendly, work-bound AGSers).

404 error. Well at least that page is pretty funny, with the server taking to you.

Some peoples with strange talents out there 

Here's another good one. The "Maestro". He's covered in bicycle horns.

The Maestro

Thats hilarious. Heh that is so cool.

[Flippy_D]

404? Works for me... try again now.

[Moox]

While watching the balls, I kept thinking how drugged up he was.

[bspeers100]

Just so you know, I think the video that's travelling around right now is a guy copying Dan Menendez's classic routine, but not nearly as well, and faking it on a midi sequencer (if you get a good look at the keys, you see they don't depress, + at one point he hits a key and it makes no noise at all).

Now Dan Menendez, is a lot better overall, though I still don't know if his keyboard is real or not.  His "bounce cello" is however, definately real.

[Flippy_D]

The video is none-too-clear, and the sound isn't always in sync with the picture... but maybe you're right, I don't know.

[sedriss]

Whoa! That was awesome!Ã,  :o

[evenwolf]

http://www.pianojuggler.com/DanMenendez2.wmv


seems to me that first piano juggler could simply hit his keyless piano anywhere with a ball and it will play the next note regardless.

[DragonRose]

Ooooo! This is from Just for Laughs!  It's a huge comedy festival in Montreal. (Thus explaining why he plays O Canada) The festival probably wouldn't have let the camera men get a look at the keyboard if it was fake.

[remixor]

I highly suspect that first video is fake (Even probably has the method correct).  The stuff he's playing would require hitting black keys as well, and the black keys seem to small for the balls he's using.  Also, when he gets really fast at the end, it would be almost impossible to hit notes in as wide a range as he's playing them given how tight of a focus the balls are actually keeping if you watch them.

[Ghormak]

That second one looks fake too, unless the keys are not arranged like on a normal keyboard. The low tones during the faster bit are way lower than any other tone he's played before that, but he's still only throwing balls on the higher end of the keyboard?

[Evil]

I wanted the horn guy to play Let It Be, I can settle with Beethoven's 5th symphony.

[bspeers100]

Yes, I believe they are both gimmicked pianos which respond to rhythms, not notes.  Which is why Menendez is a bit better, as he can juggle 5 balls much longer, at a fairly complex rythm (plus, he invented the trick).  But both are highly gimicked (this is old juggler trivia, which is why I had heard this stuff), but their juggling is pretty good.  Matching rythms alone with bouncing balls is pretty tough.

Of course, a lot of really good bounce jugglers use no gimicks at all, but they don't get on TV as easily.

It's how show business works, I'm afraid.

Still, enjoy the clips.  The show is no more gimmicked than a magic show, and the rhythms are well done + the juggling is pretty good + it's fun just to watch people's reactions.