[CAUT] Prepared pianos

[Horace Greeley]

At 05:37 PM 1/31/2011, you wrote:
>You're a wildman! <G>

Years of practice, and, apparently, a certain genetic proclivity do help.

...the bells....the bells....

HG


>JB
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf 
>Of Horace Greeley
>Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 6:35 PM
>To: caut at ptg.org
>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Prepared pianos
>
>
>Hi, Jim,
>
>At 05:21 PM 1/31/2011, you wrote:
> >Fred,
> >
> >Actually, I think that touching the strings was
> >the problem. Crayon and dirty fingers? I can't
> >see how else they could make the strings that
> >dirty. You're right about the word usage though.
> >It could be better. Thanks for the suggestions.
> >And yes, I guess I was overreacting, as usual.
> >But what I would have LIKED to have written
> >would involve removing fingers and putting them up certain orifices.  :-)
>
>Don't think so narrowly!!
>
>If you're into non-terminal (e.g., "corporal")
>punishment, do something creative!  Secure their
>greasy little paws to a table where they can
>watch, put their fingers into thumb cuffs, then
>tighten the cuffs...over time, the bruising will
>heal; and, if you can get the tension just right,
>bones with neither break nor crush...so, they
>will live to offend another piano another
>day.  Removing fingers is so...permanent...
>
>...even Caligula usually stopped at 1,000
>cuts...of course, the eyelids never grew back....
>
>Cheers!
>
>Horace (whose son has fully functional eyelids)
>
>
> >
> >Jim
> >
> >From: caut-bounces at ptg.org
> >[mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred Sturm
> >Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 3:25 PM
> >To: caut at ptg.org
> >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Prepared pianos
> >
> >On Jan 31, 2011, at 2:44 PM, Jim Busby wrote:
> >
> >
> >You might be interested to know what
> >precipitated this "problem" we have at BYU. I
> >have been finding sticky notes, and have noticed
> >"coloring" on the strings. I came to find out
> >that this was crayon someone was using to mark
> >nodal points. (Anyone know how to clean that
> >off?) So.... I put notes in every piano with the
> >sticky notes that said "Please don't touch the
> >strings or dampers of this or any BYU piano. If
> >you want to do some "inside the piano"
> >compositions please let us help you."  The
> >teacher took umbrage with that note and wrote a
> >nasty letter to the Director about "how dare
> >we..." etc. so, now the debate and fight begins.
> >
> >             Hmmm, I guess I'd have to say your
> > note was a bit of an over-reaction. Not that
> > the results of what the students were doing
> > isn't annoying and at least cosmetically
> > damaging, but better to address it as that:
> > "What you have done has made this pristine
> > looking piano look like crap" is the message to
> > convey, and so I'd offer alternatives and
> > suggest they come to you for additional
> > suggestions and help. "Crayon is not a good way
> > to mark nodes, it is hard to get off the
> > strings. Please do X instead." "Please remove
> > your sticky notes when done." That sort of
> > thing. Prohibition is not an effective policy,
> > it just causes resentment and tends to be
> > ignored anyway. And "touching the strings or
> > dampers" was not really the issue, was it?
> >Regards,
> >Fred Sturm
> ><mailto:fssturm at unm.edu>fssturm at unm.edu
> >http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/FredSturm
> >