In Tune

I’m having my granddaughter’s piano worked on today.  It’s old and needs a little face lift.  It’s amazing what a little TLC will do.  Face lift is probably not the right word choice, because it’s the inner workings of the piano that we are exploring.  To put it bluntly, we are working on the guts of the piano.  It’s an inside job.

Last week the tuner replaced a broken string and then did a thorough tuning.  Today he is regulating the piano, which means filing the hammers down, making them round and smooth again.  He’ll probably have to tune again.

Piano hammers take a beating.  Piano playing gradually wears away at them, and not in a good way.  Eventually those hammers become worn out. They still work but the sound gets muddy. 

 I get wrinkles in my face.  Piano hammers get grooves in the fleshy felt.  It’s similar, only I can’t file away my wrinkles.  The difference in the sound of the piano after having it tuned and regulated is huge.

Pianos should be tuned about every 6 months.  Most of us put it off too long.

While we were inside the piano regulating, the tuner removed the keys and cleaned out the bed underneath the keys.  It was disgusting.  A lot of dust and dirt accumulate there over the years.  This piano had been stored in a garage for a number of years.  A very nice garage, but a garage, nevertheless.

In the key bed, we found a lot of icky stuff, most notably a mouse’s nest and all that goes with it.  No mice thankfully.

It felt good to clean that up.  No one could see it, but it was nice to have it gone.

I have some icky stuff stored inside of me.  Like the hammers on a piano, I have grooves where I would like to be smooth.  Like the bed underneath the keys, I have accumulated some gunk.  It isn’t pretty, and it doesn’t serve me well.  You can’t see it, but it would be nice to have it gone. 

I need a different sort of tuner for this work.  A face lift would be nice, but I would like to go deeper.  This is an inside job.  I’d call it a work of heart or soul.

My soul tuner is available 24/7.  His rates are reasonable.  All I have to do is call.  

He does good work too.  I try to see Him regularly, but sometimes I put it off too long. 

I recommend Him highly.  I love the difference He makes in my life.  

“Oh, may my heart in tune be found, like David’s harp of solemn sound.”

Linda Garner

p.s.

If you need a good piano tuner try Eric Harmson.  Contact him at 801-492-3608, 801-808-0276 or  eric@eric harmsen.com.  To get a discount log in to www.pianostress.com.