Player Piano

It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves; If Johann Sebastian Bach were alive right now, what would he say about the state of music today? Well, OK, he wouldn’t say much of anything except pained groans and rambling about a need for braaaaains – with the occasional exclamation about our crazy modern world (“Egad! Metal horseless carriages!”). But if he wasn’t a 330 year old songwriting spectre, I’d imagine he’d say something like, “Nobody appreciates a good piano concerto anymore.”

Well worry not, zombie Johann Sebastian Bach! For there are music lovers out there with an appreciation for the 1700s equivalent of “No More Tears Left to Cry,” (because honestly what were the likes of Bach, Beethoven, and Debussy but the Ariana Grande’s of their time?) With his loving crafted grand piano build, Piccho is just the kind of music aficionado Bach would appreciate.

Piccho is one of those rare Minecrafters who started his building career using real world materials.

“When I was a child, I enjoyed making secret forts out of cardboard,” Piccho remembers fondly. But like all builders, the desire to build bigger and better just could not be satisfied by cardboard and glue alone. “One day, I saw my friends watching a video on how to make a piston door in Minecraft. Attracted by all the freedom in the game to build what you want, I decided that Minecraft was for me.”

Piccho made his Minecraft debut, trading cardboard for… tofu?

“In Japan, Minecraft players often describe box shape buildings – like the ones a new builder would make – as a “tofu building.”

“But wait!” Zombie Johann Sebastian Bach interjects, “What does this have to do with music?”

Patience my decomposing composer, I’m getting there. In addition to having a passion for construction, Piccho is an avid lover of music. In fact, he’s a bit of a composer himself.

“I’ve made many note block songs because I thought it was the only way to express my love for music in Minecraft. However, I discovered I can also express my love by building instruments like this piano.”

Talented Minecrafters astound viewers with their creations that make use of scale, creativity, detail, or in truly awe inspiring cases, a mix of all three. While this piano build isn’t quite as massive as a living island, nor as unique as a mystical music box, where this piano shines is in it’s detail.

Looking from the outside, the piano looks like one solid piece of construction. Something made of wood and strings like a regular piano. You’d never guess it was actually composed of thousands of blocks of stone, wool, charcoal, sandstone, and more.

“The piano string was the most difficult part,” Piccho tells me. “Strings in a piano run sideways, but there are few blocks that emulate that shape in Minecraft. I was really lucky to find that fence posts suited my purposes perfectly.”

Though this piano is meticulously constructed, Piccho is not that big of a musician and he doesn’t have to be. “I can't play the piano at all,” Piccho admits. “But I wouldn't have built the piano in such great detail if I didn't love music.”

Speaking of loving music, Piccho does have a favorite piece of piano music.

Zombie Johann Sebastian Bach perks up.

“I listen to all kinds of music, but I’m not that familiar with piano songs. But, if I had to choose, I’d pick Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu.”

Zombie Johann Sebastian Bach goes back into his grave.