Be Careful Out There

[Avery Todd]

List,

(Some of you have already seen this post elsewhere, so sorry for the
duplication but thought others might get a 'kick' out of reading it.)

Just as a reminder for everyone, concert work "can" be dangerous.

I though I might relate what I guess could be called a "near death
experience" that happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

I was tuning for a piano concerto with our orchestra. The pit had been
raised for the piano. The artist bench wasn't there at the time, so I just
grabbed a chair from the violin section. As I got up to the highest octave
or so, I moved the chair closer around the end of the piano to maintain
tuning lever position to clear the case.

You already know what's coming, I'm sure. :-) Well, I forgot that the chair
had flared out legs on the rear and I was very close to the edge of the
stage anyway, so......... over I went, down on the floor on my back with
the chair with me.

As I'm sure you know, one's reflex is to grab whatever might be near to
stop the fall, so of course, I grabbed at the piano. The treble leg came
over the edge of the stage and came to rest on top of the railing for the
orchestra pit!

This is one time I'm very glad we DON'T have the big brass wheels on the
legs!!!! It would have probably kept rolling right over the edge of the
stage onto me! Right now we only have the shop cup type of wheels on it and
when it went over the edge, the cup came off. Talk about an adrenalin rush!
:-)

I went and got a couple of students and we lifted it back onto the stage
and everything was fine except for a little wood damage on the edge of the
stage. Nothing on the piano. And only a little bleeding cut on my left ear
where I'd banged my head and a very sore muscle in my left tricep area
which I must have hit on my way down. Oh, and I'm going to have to get a
new watch. :-)

At the time, I didn't think of it but later, I wish I'd had a camera and
taken a picture.

I'm usually extremely careful in those situations but this time, I simply
forgot about those flared out rear legs on the chair. That's one mistake
I'm quite sure I'll never make again.

May none of you EVER have this happen to you!!!!!!

Avery

P.S. "Only" 35 recitals/concerts from April 23 through April 30! That's our
last class day. Hallelujah! Last Saturday I did 5 pianos and a harpsichord
and on Sunday, 3 pianos. This Saturday (today) is also 5 tunings but only 2
on Sunday! I'm definitely ready for a break! :-)