To err sounds human.
I used to work the houses on the beach and always wondered about the piano on “Two and a Half Men” my customers said the salt water messed with their pianos.
An operating engineer had to teach me, “to avoid cross-threading a screw, you turn it backwards until it clicks, then you are at the correct insertion rotation point”. I never knew such a thing.
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This is really, really important. Especially in replacing sheet metal screws.
A little harder to perform on the new cars, with plastic fittings and maybe previous cross threading by the dealer’s ‘technicians’.
Although on a much smaller scale, similar problems with guitars and fish.
I tune the B string on my guitar a few cents down for that bluesy-type note that's almost "there" but not quite.
I don't even want to think about tuning a piano. Three strings per key? Nuts!
They are all keyed up.
In my high school there was a piano tuner who came through once a year, or as needed.
He was an elderly man who needed to be escorted from one piano to the next because he was totally blind.
He did good work.
Fascinating info, Charles. Thanks for writing that up. Like any great craft, so much of the art is hidden away, taken for granted, and never appreciated. It’s amazing what goes into making a great piano.
I grew up with a Baldwin upright in our house. Mom was a good pianist and church choir singer. She tried very hard to instill that in me and my two sisters, but it didn’t stick. I remember well the long hours of drudgery trying to learn to play the piano competently. I could barely progress beyond “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” I kept asking to end my lessons but mom kept me going for a few years and finally relented and let me quit. Of course, that’s one of the regrets of my life.
You can tuna fish but you can’t tune a piano?............
I’m fortunate that my little brother is a graduate of North Bennet Street School Boston, in Piano Technology. Then trained at Steinway in NY. (He was there on 9/11.) He restored a Steinway for me a couple years ago.
Even though we don’t live close to each other, he knows how to identify the best techs in our area.
Humidity is the killer. As it swells the wood, the strings tighten and go sharp, as it dries, they loosen and go flat. Keep the instrument in a climate controlled room with a constant level of humidity.
The newer electronic pianos are offering interesting sounds, with weighted keys at a lower cost. Only getting better for newcomers who can eventually graduate to an acoustic grand if their talent warrants it.
Read later.
Yeah, uh huh, that's what I blame my performances on. Haven't had this one tuned in forever. Afraid the strings will start popping like in a cartoon.
The other night, the cat wouldn't come inside so I opened the windows and began playing. Whoosh, in she ran. She insists on playing and everyone better get out of her way until she's finished. Up and down and up and down. It was grandma's old piano so I'm sure she wouldn't be very pleased but kitty sure is and it makes me smile.
Wowza.
Always more detail.
In everything.
'S'okay. Everyone's ears have their own standards. As a piano banger and composer, I get by with whatever and adjust as needed.
Besides, quirky can be a source of inspiration. Legend has it that Chopin had a bum unregulated c key when he was composing the Op. 53 Polonaise (Heroica) and took advantage of it with that off-beat accented c in measures - 40 something to 50 something? A few measures right before the recap.
That is fascinating detail. Computers will never replace the love of an art and the craftsmanship it takes to produce it.
Makes me miss my friend who built harpsichords and a concert pianoforte before he passed at age 45. He also built well-crafted parts of my house.