10 ways to accompany a dance class with an out of tune piano.
---by asimplesound

walking into a class, drums and a bag of goodies over your shoulder, you see a 9' baldwin and think, " alright, i thought there was only going to be an upright to play on!". so before the class starts, you set up your drums, pull out all of your tricks and toys, lift the piano lid and place your best chord down on the keys.........piano is way out of tune.
without the time and knowledge to tune the piano yourself, here are some ways to make the best your situation:
1. every piano sounds different no matter how it's tuned. so, find out what sounds best on this instrument and focus on that.
2. good music boxes are always out of tune. if the class has just started, you can go for the strings at the very high end of the piano. plucking the strings, while playing on the keys as well, can resemble an ambient music box.
3. use the piano as a drone. during a slow start to class, find notes in the lower part of the piano that can cause a quiet drone.
4. play only one note. when you are playing percussion, play one note or simple melodies at the same time on the keyboard.
5. good out of tune pianos are hard to find. random sounds that can occur after not upkeeping a piano for 10-20 years are priceless.
6. mute the strings if you can get at them. with grand pianos, you can put your hand right on the strings and press the sustain pedal for a different texture.
7. prepare the piano if you are sure you are not going to damage the instrument. well placed change and paper can alter the pitch of a note without harming the strings and sound like gamelon.
8. if the piano is really out of tune, play a honky tonk ballad. in the godfather part 1, the ballad after michael leaves america was played on a great out of tune piano.
9. roll big chords if the movement does not have meter. rolling huge chords can make soft or harsh textures, no matter what the piano sound like.
10. before returning to that class again, tell the management that the piano is way out of tune. the ballet accompanist will always thank you!