No subject

>From Sy Zabrocki--RPT
(snip)

You all must have experienced dog incidents while out tuning.

(snip)

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One time I was tuning a Mason & Hamlin A.   The owner had gone out of the
house.   The family Basset Hound ("Wallace") wandered into the room.
Friendly old dog, we were already pals.  We exchanged greetings, then I
went back to tuning and Wallace relaxed under the piano.  Pretty soon he
started baying/howling ("ow-WOOOOO......").  I stopped tuning, held the
damper pedal down, and let the strings and soundboard resonate louder and
louder with the dog's aria.  It was funny, wonderful, and actually
beautiful, especially in the spaces between howls, when the piano would be
well, howling.   Sounded like the old air-raid sirens. The phone was right
next to the piano, so I called my wife and gave her a listen.

I suppose this illustrates that the tension resonator should never be
adjusted, or something.

On a related note: several years ago I designed (and gave to Don Mannino) a
multi-purpose custom voicing tool.  To facilitate deep needling hard
hammers, it was *extremely* heavy.  The handle was a ten pound barbell. It
was a gag, okay?, and no I don't have any more of them.  Make your own.
Anyway, one of the specified multi-uses was: strongly discouraging
crotch-sniffing dogs.   (Can we say "crotch" on this list?)    I don't know
if Don ever actually beaned anybody with it.

It never fails to amaze and amuse me how the owner will stand there at the
door smiling, while the Doberman gooses me up one side and down the other
with surgical precision, leaving no part ungoosed.   If  my tool kit wasn't
weighing me down, I'd be hitting my head on the ceiling.  After years of
experience, my advice is:  relax and try to enjoy it.

Bitten:  only once.  One of those wretched little lap Terriers shook my
pants cuff pretty good, nicked the skin underneath without drawing blood.
The owner thought it was hilarious.   Did they apologize?  Of course not.



Regards,

Myler, Tom

"Perhaps the greatest wisdom is
       the knowledge of one's ignorance"
                                                   John Steinbeck