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Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 08:57:56 -0800<BR>From:
tvaktvak@sbcglobal.net<BR>Subject: Re: ergonomics/Plumber Envy?<BR>To:
pianotech@ptg.org<BR><BR>
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<DIV>Musicians have complained for decades about being asked to come in
through the kitchen door, so maybe it's just a music thing. There's
even a joke about St. Peter asking the musician to enter heaven through the
kitchen door rather than the Pearly Gates. (I guess the piano tuner
version of that joke would be that the plumber goes through the Pearly
Gates, but we're asked to enter through the back door?)</DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=593482020-13012007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>Some years back I serviced a piano in a very large home owned by some
very affluent folks. They were nice folks but they did rather want to be sure
everyone was in his or her proper place in the social pecking order.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=593482020-13012007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>I was always greeted at the front door by a maid/secretary/PA (or
whatever) and taken directly to the piano. On one of these visits I noticed that
another service man of some sort who came to the front door was asked to go
around back to the service entrance. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=593482020-13012007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>I must have looked surprised because the maid later explained. It seems
that several years before I came along the family was throwing a big party which
included live music in the form of a well-known local pianist. The piano had
been tuned earlier in the week and had been moved to a place of honor in the
center of the "entertainment room" and everything was good to go.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=593482020-13012007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>The pianist showed up at the front door at the appointed time and was
asked to go around back to the service entrance. It was, it seems, a dark and
stormy night and the treck to the back might have looked some daunting. Or,
perhaps, the pianist was just irritated at what must have seemed like a strange
request since one could fairly easily see the piano through the open front door
and he could have walked directly to it. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=593482020-13012007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>For whatever reason, without a word he simply turned around, returned to
his car and drove away. It was obviously too late to find a replacement and the
party went on without live music. And from that day on anyone having anything to
do with the piano came in through the front door while the rest of the various
service people it takea to maintain a house like that came in through the back
service entrance.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=593482020-13012007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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