Piano fever sweeps UK as online lessons and street instruments fuel take-up

Outdoor pianos, celebrity names and free tuition videos combine to get Britons tickling the ivories once more

For years, it seemed like the piano was disappearing from British public life. The bulky instruments were cast out of homes and schools and offered for free online.

But now - despite all the digital entertainment alternatives and conductor Simon Rattle's stark warning last week that UK classical music was fighting for its life amid funding cuts - the piano seems to be making a 21st-century comeback in homes, on streets and online.