NPR’s Monkey See blog has an interview with Brad Ellis, the silent-yet-always-there piano player on Glee.

So what kind of instructions have you been given about your character? “You hate all of them, and you hate children.” We even did a scene, as an exercise, where I tear all the music off the piano and storm off. But I have had occasions when some directors — we have such great guest directors — have said to me, “You can soften up here.” And in that sense I feel like I have a character arc. How often are you on set, and what’s your role [there]? I’m there two or three days a week. Basically, I am Plan B. If a producer decides we aren’t going to use a full version of a song, they look over at me and say, “Can you come up with something?” And I do. I’m old-school Broadway like that.

Brad Ellis: ‘Glee’s’ Piano Man