<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" = xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" = xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" = xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10"> <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 10"> <link rel=File-List href="cid:filelist.xml@01C5FCD1.0123E060"> <link rel=Edit-Time-Data href="cid:editdata.mso@01C5FCD1.0123E060"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" = name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="time"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="date"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue style='tab-interval:.5in'> <div class=Section1>   I encountered something similar this past August, during a spell = of particularly high humidity. The piano was a recently rebuilt S&S B = with Renner shanks, and although they are usually fine I found that on the = day I was there many of them were seized right up (less than one swing). The owner = has a high-end home recording studio with a session scheduled for the next morning, and = I had luckily stopped that afternoon to check the piano just to make sure that nothing other than tuning would be necessary. We removed the action to = his finished basement, put it next to the dehumidifier, and when I returned = in the morning to tune, all was fine. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> - Mark = Dierauf<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> -----Original = Message----- From: Jason Kanter [mailto:jkanter@rollingball.com] Sent: <st1:date = Month="12" Day="9" Year="2005">Friday, December 09, 2005</st1:date> = <st1:time Hour="12" Minute="55">12:55 PM</st1:time> To: 'Pianotech' Subject: FT.com = article <o:p> </o:p> <div> A lovely article = from today's Financial Times of London (ft.com)<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <a href="http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1b588c30-6859-11da-bfce-0000779e2340.htm= l">http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1b588c30-6859-11da-bfce-0000779e2340.html</a>= <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Peruvian piano tuner's alternative medicine for a Steinway = grand By Marguerite Wolff Published: <st1:date Month="12" Day="9" = Year="2005">December 9 2005</st1:date> = <st1:time Hour="14" Minute="0">02:00</st1:time> | Last updated: <st1:date Month="12" Day="9" = Year="2005">December 9 2005</st1:date> <st1:time Hour="14" = Minute="0">02:00</st1:time> <img border=0 width=1 height=20 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.gif@01C5FCD1.0123E060"><o:p></o:p> </div> From = Ms Marguerite Wolff.<o:p></o:p>  <div style='visibility:visible' id=artAd> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 align=right = style='mso-cellspacing:1.5pt;margin-left:.5in;mso-table-lspace:2.25pt; = mso-table-rspace:2.25pt;mso-table-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-table-anc= hor-horizontal: column;mso-table-left:right;mso-table-top:middle'> <tr style='mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes'> <td style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <p class=MsoNormal align=right = style='text-align:right;mso-element:frame; = mso-element-frame-hspace:2.25pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-ancho= r-vertical: paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-element-left:right; mso-element-top:middle;mso-height-rule:exactly'><script = language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"> // <![CDATA[ if (showAd != 0){var box = new = Advert("box",thisPage.ftsite,thisPage.alladparams,thisPage.issec,thisPage= .wrap);document.write(box.adHTML);}// ]]> </script><script = src="http://ads.ft.com/js.ng/site=ftcom&pos=box&sec=1hom&artid== 1homuka&sei=XXXX&sectr=XXXX&subj=ON03&ftfund=&13=&14=&17=&1= 8=&transId=1134150653609&rsi=undefined&params.styles=artimg,artht= ml&asset=story&referrer=http://news.google.com/"> </script><o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> <NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT> </table> </div> Sir, One of the = dreads of a concert pianist is to face playing on a piano affected by humidity. The = piano can be good, bad or indifferent, small or large, the effect is the same; sluggish sound and enormous difficulty in playing rapid and filigree = finger work.<o:p></o:p> I have just returned from = <st1:country-region><st1:place>Peru</st1:place></st1:countr= y-region> giving concerts and was going to give a concert at the residence of the = British ambassador, playing an exacting programme of = Chopin-Liszt.<o:p></o:p> It was a beautiful sunny day. Everything = seemed perfect - a delightful, co-operative ambassador, beautiful music room, = above all a Steinway grand that had been tuned and a humidifier used in the = room. But alas, there was tremendous humidity. I was in despair. The tuner = returned and I begged him to use all his skills and time.<o:p></o:p> He then took the entire action out of the = piano and put it on a stone step on the terrace in the sunshine for a few few = hours, and said: "That will do more than anything I can = do."<o:p></o:p> That night at the concert the piano played = like a dream.<o:p></o:p> Marguerite = Wolff,<o:p></o:p> <st1:City><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:City> W1B 1NS<o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>