Getting in Tune
After being moved 3 times in as many years, our poor piano finally got a proper tuning this morning. I’d forgotten how cool it is to see the whole instrument opened up like that.
I bought the piano from a co-worker of my mom who was moving and didn’t want to deal with the big, old beast of an upright piano anymore. I don’t know much about its history, but I do know that it’s a Victor piano made by the Bush & Lane Company. It was originally a player piano, but all of the mechanical parts have been removed.
I did a little online sleuthing and found out that Bush & Lane was founded in 1901 in Chicago. The company later relocated to Holland, Michigan, and began making player pianos with the brand name “Cecilian” around 1917. My piano is clearly marked Chicago and no mention of Cecilian, so I’m guessing it to be from the 1901-1917 period.
The tuner today was especially fascinating to watch because he is blind. Another gentleman came along to assist, but Larry did most everything himself by touch. I always find house calls to be rather awkward (Am I supposed to stay and watch? Do I need to keep quiet? Should I offer him a snack?) — but Larry clearly enjoyed my curiosity and company. He quickly put me to work holding screws and gave me a crash course in piano tuning 101 as he went along.
At one point, they called up Jim back at the shop to consult about a malfunctioning key. Yup, Jim woud need to bring out his tools and expertise and take some more things apart in order to get this fixed. They chatted a bit more, and then Larry’s voice saddened and he soon hung up. Well, he told me grimly, Jim’s gonna charge you an extra $75 to come out here and do this repair, and I don’t suppose you want to pay that today. I agree that it’s not in the budget to do that right now (and besides, I need to get back to the office). So, I told him to just skip that part and I’d schedule a follow-up appointment for the other.
Well, a dab of Elmer’s glue, a bit of cork, and a few prods with an ice pick later, and wouldn’t you know Larry had rigged up some mysterious means of getting that key to play again for $20. I was appropriately shocked and amazed, and Larry explained that it just wouldn’t be right to have a tuned up piano that was missing a very intregal mid-range B-flat.
So, tonight I’m looking forward to digging out whatever sheet music I can find when I get home. One thing’s for sure… I won’t be able to blame the piano for any wrong notes this time.