Elton John

In this Pro Sound Web article, it is stated that John uses a Yamaha CFIIIS Grand Piano, adding "Four years went into the building of the highly-modified CFIIIS Yamaha grand piano that earned its Million Dollar name prior to Sir Elton simply calling it “Blossom.”"

Elton John performed with a white Steinway & Sons Grand Piano during his 1980-1986 tours, as seen in the "Candle In The Wind" live video from the 1986 Sydney Entertainment Centre concert on EltonJohnVEVO.

"Yamaha," says Sir Elton," understands my needs as a professional musician and performer."

It has circled the globe countless times. It has been played everywhere from the Kremlin and the White House to Gianni Versace's living room. They even wanted to put it into the Smithsonian, but Elton John said, "No! I still need it to play."

It's "Piano A," the first and favorite of Elton's four 9-foot Yamaha Disklavier® DCFIII concert grands. "It's probably the most played, most traveled piano on the planet," says Keith Bradley, Elton's tour director. "Actually, Elton has four touring piano systems, which are represented by the letters A through D. Each system involves a Yamaha Disklavier piano and a rack of gear. There's also piano E, a 7'6" Yamaha grand in London that's used for most of the studio work. But Elton's deepest emotional attachment is to Piano A.

From Yamaha Directly Played by Elton John on tour, this one-of-a-kind instrument is the result of our quest to find the bare minimum required to express the qualities of a piano and features Yamaha's CFX full concert grand piano action hidden within an acrylic panel.

We employed computer graphics to gauge how stage lighting from different directions would reflect off the piano and to predict the kind of outlines it would create. This effort shows in the way the clear acrylic scatters light with a prism-like effect from the triangular legs.

The images on the LED monitors embedded around the edge of the acrylic case synchronize with the show lighting, helping to harmonize the piano with its surroundings on stage. Supported by the clear acrylic of its legs, the piano body is transformed instantaneously by these images from a bare slate into a wondrous spectacle that matches each song being performed.

The relationship between the movement of the fingers with the action and hammers can be clearly perceived through the smoked acrylic front board, asserting this piano's identity as an acoustic instrument. The design also emphasizes the delicate associations between the different components that define so much about the piano while taking into account the thermal expansion of the acrylic caused by heat from the LED monitors.

Elton John requested that this piano be a truly inimitable, almost like a high-end sports car. In response, we utilized genuine leather around the keyboard, just like that found in such an extravagant automobile. Our design stresses the importance of touch, with special emphasis on the cushioning and stitching.