Thanks for writing, Don. While I couldn't remember the exact source of the story, I remember almost falling out of my seat the first time I heard it. And it still brings a smile to my face. In the future I'll see that you get proper credit. And some people think I make this stuff up as I go along! :) Les On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, Don Rose wrote: > Hi Les: > > The kid was me! And the piano was a Henry Herbert blonde oak 40" console. I > eventually became a piano tuner and the dip was 1/4 rather than 3/8. > > At 10:16 PM 3/24/97 -0500, you wrote: > >Greetings, all! > > > >It probably comes as no surprise that I have a short, true story to tell > >for the benefit off all who offer a vacuuming of the interior of the piano > >as part of a normal service call. The story came to me from an adult who > >was recollecting a personal experience from his youth. Here goes. > > > >When "Jim" was about eight years old and taking piano lessons, his mother > >always had the piano tuned by the same gentleman, apparently because every > >time he tuned the instrument, it took it apart and vacuumed it thoroughly. > >By thoroughly, Jim said, that on their old upright, the tuner would re- > >move the front , the fall board, AND ALL THE KEYS and then proceed to > >vacuum out the dirt under the keys. All this technical stuff apparently > >really impressed Jim's mother. Anyway, one day after removing the keys, > >and having just started to vacuum out the dirt, the tuner had to use the > >bathroom. As he left to use the facilities, he handed Jim the vacuum and > >asked him to finish up. Jim was determined to do a good job, so, as he > >relates it, he vacuumed up not only all the dirt, but all the felt and > >paper washers around the key pins as well. When the tuner came back and > >saw what jim had done he slapped him across the face and took care of the > >situation as follows: He put all the keys back into the piano, without re- > >placing a single one of missing regulating felt/paper washers, somehow > >managed to tune the piano in record time, took his tuning fee and left. > >Jim said that in response to subsequent phone calls, the tuner refused > >to ever return again. The moral of the story is WATCH OUT FOR LITTLE KIDS! > > > >Les Smith > >lessmith@buffnet.net > Regards, > Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T. > "Tuner for the Centre of the Arts" > drose@dlcwest.com > 3004 Grant Rd. > REGINA, SK > S4S 5G7 > 306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner > >
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