Carillon batons are almost never played with the fingers as one does a piano, though this is sometimes used as a special carillon playing technique. The keys activate levers and wires that connect directly to the bells' clappers; thus, as with a piano, the carillonneur can vary the intensity of the note according to the force applied to the key. In addition to the manual keys, the heavier bells are also played with a pedal keyboard. These notes can either be played with the hands or the feet. The world's first international carillon school, the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn", is
Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt slightly more tuneful than the more ambient, experimental second section[...] Mostly what you get are Frusciante's acoustic-guitar scratchings and stream-of-conscious ramblings." The first "Rolling Stone" review of the record, however, was positive: "All in all, [the album is] a mess—but definitely a fascinating, often lovely mess. As one might expect of an album titled "Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-shirt" this is twisted, cool stuff." The "Boston Herald" said that while the album was "a stark display of Frusciante's acoustic guitar virtuosity" and "eerily beautiful", the singing was "terrible; his high notes will drive the neighborhood dogs into a