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<u>Thought for the day:</u>
<p>Have you ever put exactly ten pairs of socks into a clothes drier but
pulled out only 19 when they were dry? One of those unexplained mysteries
in life that has no answer.
<p>I was talking with a client who was wondering why grand pianos sometimes
develop wear marks on the fall board above the keys. Admittedly I
had no definitive answer. I'm sure you have all notice this, particularly
above the sharps. Sometimes the wear can be so bad that it can extends
well into the wood. But then you have to stop and wonder how they
got there. For technical reasons you do not play the piano that close
to the fall board. In observing a pianist playing I have never seen
any kind of technique that would suggest a reason- even in aggressive playing.
Certainly there are other case parts on a piano that receive rougher treatment.
Nevertheless somehow these wear marks appear very defined and consistent.
So here then is the riddle: How do these marks get there? Is there
a particular type of maneuver required by the pianist? Is it avoidable?
Can you find the missing sock?
<p>Rob Goodale, RPT</html>