<HTML><BODY>
<div>As with humans, some animals have a greater affinity for music than others.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There is one piano I service where a cockatiel resides. The bird is often out of the cage, as was the case when I tuned the piano a year ago. He's a nice bird, but he gets a bit hyped-up as I approach the upper registers of the piano. Last appointment, he got on my shoulder and perched for quite awhile. He was talking quietly in my ear, but as I got further up the scale, he gave me a polite little nip on the ear. I guess he became amorous. I finally had to persuade the owners to move him along back to his cage.</div>
<div> </div>
<div style="CLEAR: both">Dave Stahl<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<div> </div>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: dlawson@davidlawsonspianos.com.au<br>
To: chchristus@earthlink.net; pianotech@ptg.org<br>
Sent: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 4:38 AM<br>
Subject: Re: Homer the singing dog<br>
<br>
<STYLE>
.AOLPlainTextBody {
margin: 0px;
font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif;
font-size: 12px;
color: #000;
background-color: #fff;
}
.AOLPlainTextBody pre {
font-size: 9pt;
}
.AOLInlineAttachment {
margin: 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader {
font: 11px arial;
border: 1px solid #7DA8D4;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .Title {
font: 11px arial;
background: #B5DDFA;
padding: 3px 3px 3px 3px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldLabel {
font: 11px arial;
color: #000000;
padding: 1px 10px 1px 9px;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldValue {
font: 11px arial;
color: #000000;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader a, .AOLImage a {
color: #2864B4;
text-decoration: none;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader a:hover, .AOLImage a:hover {
color: #2864B4;
text-decoration: underline;
}
body {
background-color: white;
font-family: "Verdana";
font-size: 10pt;
border: 0px;
}
p {
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}
img.managedImg {
width: 0px;
height: 0px;
}
img.placeholder {
width: 275px;
height: 206px;
background: #F4F4F4 center center no-repeat;
border: 1px solid #DADAD6 !important;
}
</STYLE>
<div id=AOLMsgPart_2_ae7f9484-bf0b-4db5-8a65-2e847402b48f>
<div><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mike I love this story, I have had many experiences of customers who insist on whistling the note I am tuning. Then there are the canaries and budgerigars who get louder and louder the more you tune. I have on many occasions had to put the caged birds outside so I can hear. However, my worst nightmare are jazz drummers and bass players who feel it is absolutely imperative to tune their gear whilst I am in the middle of a tune on the same stage. When it is pointed out to them that I am tuning they look at you with this strange look of disbelief that someone else has to tune too. The trouble is we have just a few more strings to cope with than they do!!</FONT></div>
<div><FONT face=Arial size=2>David Lawson Wangaratta Australia.</FONT></div>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=chchristus@earthlink.net href="javascript:parent.ComposeTo('chchristus@earthlink.net', '');">chuck c</A> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="javascript:parent.ComposeTo('pianotech@ptg.org', '');">Pianotech List</A> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, September 28, 2006 4:32 PM</div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Homer the singing dog</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Yea, Mike, make a video for the $10,000 grand prize you're sure to win from Funniest Home Videos.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>By the way, have you ever wondered why so many dogs like to be under grand pianos when you tune? It's loud enough down there even at medium loudness, let alone repeated test blows! Maybe they're trying to learn pitches?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As bad as your singing dog, for me, was one customer who whistled and hummed each of the notes I was tuning, loud enough for me to hear clearly from the next room, as if they were trying to prove to me or themselves that they can match a selected pitch. Guess they were trying to show by their audition they were as smart as some dogs, just not as humble.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Chuck<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid">-----Original Message----- <br>
From: ed440@mindspring.com <br>
Sent: Sep 27, 2006 8:12 PM <br>
To: Pianotech List <br>
Subject: Re: Homer the singing dog <br>
<br>
<div>Mike-</div>
<div>Please make a video of this!</div>
<div>(I recall a janitor who behaved similarly.)<br>
Ed<br>
<br>
</div>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid">-----Original Message----- <br>
From: Mike Kurta <br>
Sent: Sep 27, 2006 7:51 PM <br>
To: Pianotech <br>
Subject: Homer the singing dog <br>
<br>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<div><FONT face=Tahoma size=2> Every few years I run across a dog that likes to sing while I tune. I'm not sure if they are in pain or they really enjoy it. Today was unique. Homer, a black lab would howl a note at the pitch I was tuning. He would usually start out on a different note and slide up or down until he hit it. It wasn't dead on, but close enough. He would even adjust an octave up or down to stay in his vocal range. Homer's owner wasn't aware of her pet's talent, but it became distracting so we put him outside where he continued to accompany.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT face=Tahoma size=2> Any other singalong stories ??</FONT></div>
<div><FONT face=Tahoma size=2> Mike Kurta </FONT></div>
</BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></div>
<!-- end of AOLMsgPart_2_ae7f9484-bf0b-4db5-8a65-2e847402b48f -->
<div class="AOLPromoFooter">
<hr style="margin-top:10px;" />
<a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom%2Fnewaol" target="_blank"><b>Check out the new AOL</b></a>. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.<br />
</div>
</BODY></HTML>