Random thoughts

I have both the time and the inclination to write a few random thoughts:

1) I really like baseball, even when the Cubs aren't involved. Watching the level of play in the playoffs is very much like watching the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Much appreciation for the skills. I am starting to think that there should be more use of replay, though. If the announcers in the broadcast booth can clearly show a mistake was made within seconds, a member of the umpiring crew in the booth could do the same and relay the information to the field. I don't think anyone, years from now, would look back fondly and say "I miss the days when botched calls could affect the course of a game".

2) Every winter is harder for me to approach. This year, we have had a very sudden transition, coupled with the fact that summer wasn't that warm to begin with. I'm feeling depressed and I know that temperature and shortened days have a major role. Moving south is looking more and more attractive.

3) If Iowa can beat MSU in East Lansing on Saturday, I'll start believing they're for real this season.

4) I enjoy the challenge and variety of working on pianos, but I also miss playing music with great musicians.

5) In spite of some things, life is, actually, pretty good right now.

6) The balloon parents should go to jail. That's all I have to say about that.

7) Facebook is interesting, intimidating, and annoying, in equal measure.

Taking one's own advice

The past few days have been an exercise in practicing what I preach, especially in terms of job applications. An opportunity has presented itself, one that I would have told anyone else they'd be crazy not to pursue, and yet I hesitated. "Applying doesn't mean anything except that you've applied" is what I would say, "it's free, and is infinitely more likely to result in something positive than not applying." "Let things take care of themselves from there". Good advice - and with the help of others, I took it, hopefully not too late to effective. We'll see.

Re-creation

Getting back into the swing after some time off and an excellent week spent at V's family cabin in NW Wisconsin. An actual vacation, my first in some time, and it really did what a vacation is supposed to do: rejuvenate and restore my energy. Now I feel ready to move forward in a way I didn't after returning home from T'wood. I needed some time to absorb the experience, I suppose. So - more letter-writing, resume-sending, phone-calling, and general pounding of the virtual pavement, in addition to responding to a couple of contacts attempted while I was out-of-service in the north-woods. Also getting ready to make a work/play circle through Iowa starting this weekend.

I'm glad there is - V

I listened to this twice on the way home on Saturday. It seems a part of the culture now, but I wish I could go back to 1969, with my 48-year-old ears, and hear this for the first time again. There is just SO MUCH here to delight the active listener. As a bassist, I can go through it and marvel at Sir Paul's playing; so active and melodic and ahead of many of his peers. The songwriting, well, not much to say there that hasn't been said elsewhere and with more eloquence. The guitar sounds! From clean to the dirtiest, all at the appropriate times. The singing, from all four boys. The Medley: pure inspiration, and I don't care how much of it was George Martin's idea. The metric modulations in "The End" and in the transition from "Mean Mr. Mustard" into "Polythene Pam" were the first I ever identified in pop music back when I was just learning what the phrase meant. I can't help but wonder how many times Freddie Mercury and the other members of Queen put this on their turntables before recording A Night At The Opera, and in particular, "Bohemian Rhapsody".

A recording completely of its time, yet still timeless.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

Ahh, nothing like being home again after an extended absence. Keeping busy with work, including updating the resume and preparing contact items for my existing customers. Also getting back into domestic duties, which feel surprisingly un-mundane right now. I made an heroic foray into the email in-box this morning, which had swollen to over 100 items in need of varying degrees and types of attention. Now down to only 3. I'm starting to formulate plans for a near-future trip to Iowa, for purposes both piano related and not.

Sadly, my Cubs appear to be backsliding into the bottom half of the NL Central, with uninspired play and silly mistakes abounding. I continue to blame Larry Rothschild (pitching coach), but that's an ax I've been grinding for years now. Here's hoping that in another month things will have turned around, in time for the game V and I will attend in Milwaukee to actually mean something, but it seems unlikely at present.

I saw the photo this morning of the assault-weapon-wielding protester at the Obama rally, and it made me shake my head. Can anyone truly see this as reasonable? I wonder: for people who support gun rights in general, but haven't given it any deep thought, does the image of someone toting an AK-47 at an outdoor public rally give them pause? Maybe there will be an effect from this photo that will surprise the nuts who support this piggyback fringe aspect of the gun laws. I'm no gun-control supporter, generally, but this is just plain silly.

Final Tanglewood post

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 75

Bernstein Pavilion, 8.50 a.m.

Waiting for the rest of the team to arrive at Ozawa for a final coffee run together. Last night was the last supper:


L-R: Steve Carver, John Stothoff, Yours truly, Emily Townsend

A nice gathering, with much talk of the future.

This morning I tuned the B in Maple one last time. This is a lovely way to wind up, as it was also the first B I put my hands on here, way back some ten weeks and 70 or so posts ago. Speaking of posts, I just noticed that I have surpassed 50 pages of writing in the Word document containing this blog; it’s been a great way to keep track of this amazing experience, and I’m hopeful that the writing bug will continue to afflict me in the months to come, back in Illinois.

In the spirit of keeping track, this was my reading list for the summer:

• Shopclass as Soulcraft; An Inquiry Into The Value Of Work, by Matthew B. Crawford
• The Lenox School of Jazz, by Jeremy Yudkin
• Slippage, by Harlan Ellison
• Foucault’s Pendulum, by Umberto Eco
• Four Freedoms, by John Crowley
• Girl With Curious Hair, by David Foster Wallace
• Armageddon in Retrospect, by Kurt Vonnegut

I hope to write a little about some of these in a future entry.

This will most likely be my final post from Tanglewood, as I leave very early tomorrow morning and will be spending most of the balance of today in preparations.

Wrapping up

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 74

Bernstein Pavilion, 8.44 a.m.

A grey morning, with sprinkles. Yesterday it was different at Ozawa Hall:




And tomorrow it should also be nicer, perhaps starting later this afternoon.

I’ve covered two pianos already this morning, the last two I really needed to check this week. I’ll probably tweak a couple later today and tomorrow, but for the most part, I’m done. One of the pianos this morning was a little exercise in speed tuning I set for myself, and I accomplished a complete tuning in 40 minutes. Not my best, to be sure, but not bad, and certainly better than I found it. Ten weeks ago I wouldn’t have been capable of that.

Today we get an opportunity to purchase Tanglewood-related items at the gift shop at a 30% discount, bringing it near the realm of the affordable for the itinerant piano technician. Also later, a last meal with the team. Really winding down now.

PotD – the C & A B in Ozawa Hall I:



II:

Lasts

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 73

Bernstein Pavilion, 4.46 p.m.

A couple of missed days, due to primarily laziness, but also schedule and lack of internet access. Nothing terribly important to report, other than a lot of “last”s, as the week winds down and I perform certain tasks and activities for a final time.

Monday was our trip to NYC, where we visited Steinway Hall, including the Concert & Artist section in the basement, where virtually every major pianist of the past 100 years has set foot in order to test and select pianos for performances and recordings. Tone of history in a very modest, unassuming location in a basement in midtown Manhattan. We also visited a few other dealerships along “Piano Alley” on 58th St. and also wandered around Central Park for a short time. The weather was truly summer-like, very hot and humid. We left to beat the traffic and were back at the grounds around 6 p.m.

A very nice lunch and visit with my Aunt Dianne yesterday. My dad’s sister, she has been a musician and teacher for most of her career, and is recently retired. Had a good time catching up on the activities of my cousins, whom I haven’t seen in quite a long time.

Finalized plans for the week, including keeping up with a couple of pianos which see significant use between now and Saturday. Otherwise, it’s really a matter of finding things to do, as most of the pianos are idle at this point. Looking forward more and more to being home, but not perhaps to the drive: 14 hours is going to be more of a challenge for me at 48 than it was at, say, 25.

New coffee

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 70

Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield, 9.41 a.m.

It’s a grey-ish morning, but I’m still on my normal Sunday schedule, with a new wrinkle – a coffee shop I had known about for some time, but hadn’t visited. If their hours of business were more agreeable to my morning schedule, I would have been here much sooner, and that would have been an improvement over the Lenox shop in terms of value and atmosphere. A decent Americano, and Talking Heads on the sound system, even.

Had a very nice, if brief visit with friends D and G yesterday afternoon; gave them a tour around the grounds, introduced them to Steve, and then headed down to Lenox for a late lunch. Afterwards, I went to the grocery store, then for a run, and then home for a relaxing evening and an early crash. Touring around the Tanglewood facilities, I was reminded of the tour I was given back on June 1st, how odd it felt to be leading others around, and how it seems like that was so long ago. D is doing well, with some work coming in and some more on the horizon, which gives me a good feeling about getting back and getting A is A running again.

The rest of the plan is for one last Berry Mtn. hike, and also a final stop at the Olde Forge. Tomorrow is our team trip to NYC and Steinway Hall. One week from today, barring any alterations in plan, I will be home with V enjoying the Sunday Trib and home coffee.

Bear sighting?

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 69

Bernstein Pavilion, 12.08 p.m.

Yesterday’s technical session was very good. Lots of excellent information presented about Steinway (also Boston & Essex) regulation, with good visual aids and some work inside the piano as well. Eight attendees all told, and we were each given as a party favor the new CD-ROM of the Steinway Technical Reference Manual – no small gift, that. By the end of the day we were all pretty fried, and a few of us headed to the brewpub for refreshments.

This morning I tuned in the Chamber Music Hall (both the B and the 163), and after a cup with SC went to Hickory where I found the 163 there to be significantly flat, due to our recent spate of dry weather, no doubt. One thing that has definitely improved during the course of the summer is my ability to tune at an accelerated rate. The 163 in the CMH this morning was really just a touch-up, and I got through it in about 40 minutes. Otherwise, I’m consistently completing decent tunings in 90 minutes or a little less, with more accurate and detailed work still taking me closer to two hours. Much faster than when I arrived here 10 weeks ago!

I’m hanging around the grounds now waiting for the arrival of friend and former CSPT classmate DS and his wife, here for this evening’s Shed concert. I’ll give them a tour of the grounds, hopefully have them meet the other techs, and then perhaps head out for lunch with them up in Lenox. After that, I plan to head home for a run. The weather today is nearly ideal, and many people are already arriving for the afternoon and evening activities. There was a report of a bear sighting near the grounds this morning, but I haven’t seen any evidence that it’s curtailed the movement of people out and about.

Press Porch and Productivity

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 67

Bernstein Pavilion, 3.11 p.m.

Piano of the Day:



This is the Steinway Model L that lives in a space called the “Press Porch”. Connected to one of two old residences on the grounds, it is used for pre- and post-event broadcasts and at times for the media to meet visiting guest artists, conductors, and other dignitaries. It’s one of my favorite pianos here to tune, and also one of my favorite locations. It doesn’t get used often, though, which is a shame.

I’ve had a pretty productive day, starting with a tuning on the B in the Chamber Music Hall (actually needed, as it was in use on the recital last night, and during the night it got quite chilly, sending the instrument south of 440), followed by a brief session with Steve on the M in Manor House room 6, where he helped me to diagnose a sostenuto problem I discovered late yesterday. Of course, he was able to identify the cause immediately, just by the noise being made. Someday…

From there I went to the Ash building for tuning and an hour of regulation work before lunch. Mostly successful. After returning to the grounds, we met as a team briefly, and then I went off to tune in the Maple space. This is a piano which I will be tuning tomorrow morning for evaluation by Steve, and I wanted to check it today to make sure it wasn’t doing anything funny. Good thing I did, as it really needed to be raised in pitch as well, probably for the same reason as the B in the Chamber Music Hall. So I got that out of the way, leaving tomorrow morning open for a fine-tuning.

The weather is cooperating once again, and I plan on a run after heading home shortly. Tomorrow after my tuning evaluation we will spend the rest of the day on a technical presentation from Kent Webb of Steinway, visiting from New York for the day. He’ll talk about action regulation, and a few other area techs will join in for the fun.

First call for work after my return to Illinois came today – a good sign.

Weightlessness

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 66

Bernstein Pavilion, 1.06 p.m.

The performance of the Mark Morris Dance Group last night was excellent. Unfortunately I was driven from Ozawa Hall by a literal swarm of mosquitos before the end of the first half, bug spray notwithstanding. I can now say that I’ve seen Yo-Yo Ma perform live and in person, however, no small experience. The dancers were extraordinary; I’m always struck by the sense of weightlessness on display at such a performance. An illusion, and a carefully crafted one, but no less entertaining for all that. It also inspired in me a desire to re-investigate yoga as an exercise alternative.

A good session on voicing this morning in Manor House 7 on the Aspen L. Steve demonstrates good hammer-filing posture and technique:



A closer look reveals felt taken from previously-oversized hammers. Enough, even, to assemble a small sheep:



Proper relaxation techniques are essential to quality voicing work:



Small frustrations are beginning to pop up. In addition to yesterday’s unnecessary tuning in Maple, the concert for which I tuned yesterday in the Chamber Music Hall turned out to have not a single piece on the program that used piano. Sigh. I’m also swearing at pianos more often than I normally would. Still and all, I continue to learn new things every day, and the good far outweighs the not.

Dryness

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 65

Bernstein Pavilion, 6.42 p.m.

Two beautiful days in a row! I think the last time this happened was some time during the first two weeks here, near the beginning of June. For a change, it was actually pleasant to walk across the lawn by the Shed, instead of taking the “dry cut” around the paved/gravel pathways that skirt the grounds. No soggy feet – yippee!

I managed to squeeze in two tunings before 9.30 this morning, in a space where it appeared there was going to be a rehearsal using both at the same time. Got them tuned together, and reasonably well, only to discover later as I walked by that it wasn’t two pianos, but a piano four-hands part. Oh well – it never hurts a piano to put it in tune. After that Steve, John and I went for coffee, and I continued on with pianos in the Press Porch and the Chamber Music Hall, where I checked out the tuning I had done yesterday afternoon, and brought in a few unisons that had drifted, in preparation for a recital there early this evening. From there I headed to the East Barn, and touched up the tuning on the Boston there. That took me until about 2.30, at which point I couldn’t stand it anymore and headed back to Pittsfield for a run. I managed the long one again, third time in a row, but my legs were complaining by the end. In a good way, though. Stretched, showered, and hit Miss Hall’s for dinner before coming back here where I’ll attend the open dress rehearsal for the Mark Morris Dance Group.

There’s definitely a sense of “time to go” circulating around the grounds, and through the piano team. Unavoidable, I suppose, and I’m as susceptible as anyone, especially given what V’s been going through and my desire to be there to help her. In some ways, next weekend can’t come soon enough.

Work and Music

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 64

Bernstein Pavilion, 10.48 a.m.

Had a very relaxing weekend, with my usual exercise and a bit of traveling around for coffee and beer. I’ll miss the Olde Forge, but it will be great to get back to Firkin in Libertyville as well. The weather cooperated for the most part, or at least enough to let me get my hike in yesterday morning. Also hit the bookstore one last time, to pick up something to get me through the rest of the evenings at the apartment.

This week I’ll be concentrating on getting all of my pianos as playable and stable as possible, with the idea in mind that they need to be in great shape and well in tune when I finish up next Friday. That means regular visits to the performance venue instruments, particularly the Bs in the Chamber Music hall and Maple studio. Fortunately, the instruments are generally tending to stabilize, although pitch is still somewhat of a mystery; one would think with all of this rain and humidity things would always be sharp, but in fact I’ve done more pitch raising than lowering. Probably has something to do with the unusually cool temperatures.

There are also good concerts to see this week, starting tonight with an all-Stravinsky concert featuring the Firebird, Pulcinella, and the concerto for piano and winds with soloist Peter Serkin. This will be my first TMC fellows orchestra concert (as opposed to the BSO). Tomorrow we’re invited to the dress rehearsal of the Mark Morris Dance Company performance which features Emmanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma. Should be a treat. On Friday Kent Webb, a technician from Steinway will come to deliver a couple of tech sessions to the team, and then a week from today we’ll pile into SC’s car for a trip to Steinway Hall in NYC.

Things are moving very quickly.

"P"otD

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 62

Bernstein Pavillion, 10.00 a.m.

Yesterday turned into a ridiculously rainy day; flash flood warnings and all. I was quite busy in spite of that, until early/mid afternoon, when I ran out of schedule space. Managed good work in the Chamber Music hall, Manor House, and on the harpsichord in Birch before calling it an afternoon and heading home for a late lunch and some reading. Returned for an artist’s piano selection only to find that he was delayed by the weather, and might not arrive until much later. Steve, Emily and I repaired to Chez Carver for a light dinner, good Belgian beer and conversation until around 8.00.

This morning the sun is shining, and the sky is blue – we’ve gone from one extreme to the other yet again. No complaints here. I spent 2+ hours in Maple, tuning the B that appears to be the one in use now; surprisingly, even with all the rain and humidity, the pitch had sagged to a shade under 440, so I raised it and tuned it, and checked out all the functions. By the time I finished tuning there were fellows arriving for a rehearsal, so no further work was possible at that point. Back to the courtyard to wait for a team meeting and then over to Birch to tune the harpsichord again for the afternoon’s rehearsal before leaving the grounds for the day. Another perfect afternoon for a long run, and I’m going to take full advantage; it won’t be long before I’ll be back to running on flat roads exclusively, so I’ll enjoy the hills while I can.

If all goes well, and I can keep my pianos in good shape, Steve says I should be able to take off for home two weeks from today. The next two weeks will be full of work, and will go very quickly, and that’s good – this Fellow is ready to be home again.

“Piano” of the Day I:



II:



III:



The harpsichord, in the piano room in Ozawa, after my first attempts at tuning it. Two manuals, able to be coupled to play unisons on two sets of strings, plus a 4’ set of strings wwhich can be engaged and coupled to the upper manual. Tuning is actually a breeze; after tuning a temperament (using primarily 4ths and 5ths), one simply tunes pure octaves out in both directions from the middle on the lower manual, then couples the upper manual and tunes the unisons created by the coupling. Tuning the 4’ (which I haven’t done yet, as the shift rail is frozen by humidity and unusable) involves tuning more pure octaves from the top (uncoupled) manual, which plucks both strings. It’s a nice change from piano tuning, and something I wouldn’t mind doing more of down the road.

Sonic soda cracker

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 60

Bernstein Pavillion, 3.47 p.m.

In spite of starting off the day by realizing that my tools were not where they needed to be (at Ozawa instead of with me where it would make for an easy drive to Miss Hall’s for the morning’s work), and the subsequent late start caused by the need to go and get them, the day has been better than yesterday. No coincidence, I think, that the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I tuned a Boston 163 at MHS, then headed to Hickory on the grounds. This is one of the charming “huts” scattered around the south edge of the grounds, the only one with a piano, and pretty much open to the elements otherwise. The weather has not been kind to this building, and the roof has developed significant leakage. The piano is now covered by a large sheet of plastic, and most of the floor around it was wet when I arrived. The piano tuned up okay, though, and I took care of some stickiness in the damper system before putting up some warning signs asking the fellows to please re-cover the piano when not in use, and to close the windows and doors. Headed downtown for a cup and a muffin, then back to Ozawa for our team meeting at 1.00. John is gone for the coming weekend, and Steve and Emily are very busy, so I volunteered to learn to tune the harpsichord for the weekends’ rehearsals, taking that little item off their plates. Spent the afternoon working on that skill, which proved to be quite relaxing, after a fashion. Physically it’s much less demanding than tuning a piano, and harmonically it’s simpler, due to the lack of inharmonicity in the much thinner wires. For me, sort of a much-needed palate cleanser, the piano technician’s equivalent of a soda cracker, helping to clear my head of some junk that’s been floating around for the past 24 hours or so. Now heading home for a run, which should finish the job.

The Rainy Wall

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 59

Miss Hall’s School, 5.18 p.m.

Today has been a bona fide rainy summer day. It began overcast, and then as the morning went on it became more and more steamy, as the sun tried to burn through the cloud cover. By mid afternoon, the storms arrived, and there has been a steady rainfall ever since. Fortunately, my day at the grounds was over by then: tuning in the Chamber Music hall, a tech session with the team continuing work on the on the Aspen L in the Manor House, and another tuning in the East Barn, where I was just finishing up as the rains began.

At that point, I hit a wall of sorts. Combination of hunger, weather, and brain fatigue sent me scurrying from the grounds and apartment-ward for a light late lunch and a nap while the rain fell outside my window. Feeling slightly refreshed, I took care of some accounting business, and spent some time reviewing my notes for a presentation on bass strings from my CSPT final project which I will be re-presenting to the team here at some point in the next couple of weeks. Then down to MHS for dinner.

There’s been a lot of talk amongst the team members about the length of the stretch here, and having to fight off homesickness. As beautiful as this experience has been, I’m feeling it especially today: it’s been almost nine weeks, more than half a semester in school language, and there’s a big part of me that’s ready to go home. So – how to combat it and keep the energy going for these last days? Steve’s idea is to continue to improve each piano we’re charged with, not only tuning but trying to make it feel and sound better, whether it’s a Boston 156 or a Steinway B. Good advice, but hard to put into practice on a day like today. Here’s hoping for better weather tomorrow, which would help my mood.

Tanglewood on Parade (with cannons)

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 58

Miss Hall’s School, 6.03 p.m.

Something odd is afoot at Tanglewood this morning I:



II



III



Actually, these are merely the cannons for this evening’s performance of the William Tell overture, a part of what’s called “Tanglewood on Parade”, a rather large-ish fund raising day filled with pops-type concerts from mid afternoon through the evening. As you can see, at 7.00 a.m. things were looking rather soupy, but by 10.00 things had cleared off nicely, and it turned into a beautiful day. I spent the morning tuning in the Chamber Music hall, regulating in Maple, and working on seating and stretching the strings on a Boston 156 in the Ash space. Doing that, of course, guarantees that you’ll need a tuning, if not a pitch raise as well; I got by with some overstretching, winding up at just about 440. Since we’re a 441-type place, that means I’ll need to go over it again asap, but that’s alright as it wasn’t particularly stable after the string work anyway.

The early-morning thing seems to be working pretty well for me; I put in almost 7 hours today and was still able to cut out at 3.30 for an afternoon run prior to dinner.

In other news, the Cubs are back in 1st place, and V sounds like she’s successfully survived a big audit at her job, something for which she’s spent months preparing. I wish I could be there to celebrate with her, but we’ll have to make due over the phone. Not nearly as much fun.

Home Stretch

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 57

Bernstein Performer’s Pavillion, 10.36 a.m.

Made it through the weekend without managing to post, which might indicate business, but in fact was simply due to a combination of laziness and not being near an internet connection. It was a good weekend, with a long run on Saturday afternoon prior to a very enjoyable team dinner at our apartment, and, other than a Berry Mountain hike and a couple of weissbiers at the Olde Forge, Sunday was a do-nothing day. Much needed.

We rotate pianos for the home stretch today, and so this morning I checked on my highest-profile instruments, doing a bit of maintenance (more sostenuto issues, of course) and some tuning.

A very cool experience on Saturday, when I was working on regulating the action on the A in the Chamber Music hall. The side was wide open:



And my background music was the BSO and chorus rehearsing the Brahms Requiem in the Shed. One of those “am I really here, doing this?” moments.

Mouse House

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 54

Bernstein Performers Pavillion, 2.04 p.m.

I’m killing some time before my next appointment, which is the soloist room in the Shed; the weekends’ soloist is playing Bernstein, and I heard her practicing. Aggressive, shall we say? I’m anticipating more than a few unisons will have drifted.

Started the day in the Chamber Music Hall, where I worked on today’s PotD I:



II



III



IV



V



This is the A on the floor, one of three pianos in the room, and best known here as the “Mouse Piano”, in honor of it almost becoming a permanent residence to a local rodential resident, now sadly (well, not so much) deceased. The photos show the inside of the action cavity, the action itself where the mouse took material to build the nest, and the hammers where he (or she) found tasty and/or comfy felt. I’ve been trying to ascertain why people aren’t using it, opting for the Boston 163 instead. Today, after tightening up the unisons, I spent some time playing both pianos and looking at the regulation, discovering a few things that could be adjusted, but not leaving myself enough time to do the actual work before the next rehearsal began. Followed that with a tech session on voicing with the team, and then home for lunch and a run. We’re really heading into the home stretch here; Monday we rotate pianos for the last time, meaning there are just three weeks left. I have some preparations to make,but for the most part I’m getting to the point of being ready to head home and begin the work of jump-starting A is A Piano Service.

The Sostenuto Bomb

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 53

Miss Hall’s School, 5.24 p.m.

There was only one hitch to the new schedule: Barista #2 showed up extra late, and barely had the doors open at 7.00, but no coffee ready to go. So, off I went to work, and made a cup for myself at home over lunch. Their loss.

A good day today, with tuning accomplished on four pianos plus some sostenuto mechanism work on two others. This seems to be my lot here – regulating out-of-whack sostenuto systems; seems they find me more often than the others. I joked with SC at our daily meeting that he might be traveling around messing with the pianos before I get there, so as to give me the experience. “Planting the sostenuto bomb” is my phrase for it. It’s a complicated little beastie, especially on Steinways, and not something I’m likely to run into often in the field, but still good to know how to deal with it.

The PotD – the Hamburg D from the Shed, a truly remarkable piano:

Back at it

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 52

Miss Hall’s School, 5.19 p.m.

Midnight it was, or close enough to. I slept in until nearly eight a.m. this morning, and still felt wiped out all day. Thanks to Steve and John, there weren’t any fires to put out with my pianos, so I was able to work on all three pianos in the Chamber Music Hall in the morning, and hit the Shed soloist room and the Carriage House upstairs M in the afternoon. Left the grounds at 3.30, and went for a run, which felt amazingly good after all the inactivity of the past five days. Inactivity might not actually be the best word, but there was definitely a LOT of sitting on my butt. I’ve decided to alter my morning routine starting tomorrow, and get to the grounds at 7.00, stopping only for a to-go cup along the way. Getting an earlier start will save me some scheduling hassles, and also will alleviate any possible guilt at cutting out early for exercise, as I did today. I think by the end of the day tomorrow I’ll be fully back into work mode, but it’s surprising how out-of-whack I felt today. Traveling: not easy on the body no matter how you slice it.

Homeward bound, sort of

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 51

Philadelphia Int’l Airport, 2.22 p.m.

Headed back to the Berkshires after an exhausting but well-spent four days with V in Gurnee and Monroe. There isn’t any easy way to deal with the death of a loved one, and there was the expected amount of trauma, both psychological and physical. My flight plans for the way home have been changed due to a maintenance issue with my connecting flight, so instead of arriving back in Pittsfield in time for dinner, it’s possible I won’t actually be back until midnight, unless one of the standby options comes to pass. Thank goodness for free wi-fi and good books.

Tomorrow I’ll attempt to re-start my piano-tech vibe.

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 47

Albany Int’l Airport, 4.33 a.m.

Sad news yesterday that Vicky’s father passed away suddenly. I’m en route to Chicago and home for a few days to offer what support I can. Steve and John have graciously offered to cover my pianos at Tanglewood until I return, most likely Tuesday evening.

Back in the Middle again...

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 46

Lenox Coffee, 7.20 a.m.

PotD: the M in Manor House Room #6:



This piano falls into the “Looks like a million bucks, but needs work” category. Case is of a beautiful African Pommele veneer. The action is a work in progress, though. Not all Steinways are great out of the box.

Better news from Schaff re: DH’s health – a serious situation is now serious-but-stable-with-a-positive-prognosis. Another health situation has arisen, this time in V’s family, which is not looking so good. More positive thoughts sent out this morning.

Yesterday had a decided odor of The Middle to it. We are in a stretch right now where pianos are more stable, but as we get more adept at identifying issues, especially of regulation, there is more work yet to be done. A case of “the farther in you go, the deeper it gets”. Unfortunately, the room schedule is more intractable than it has been; with the final four weeks of performances looming, all the Fellows are scrambling for rehearsal space, which inhibits the team’s ability to dig into these issues. The result, oddly enough, is down-time, which feels not relaxing, but wasteful. I occupied myself with reading and trying to be helpful to V at-a-distance, with some success. On tap today: the Shed soloist room piano, currently in the service of Leon Fleisher.

The unusual

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 45

Lenox Coffee, 7.04 a.m.

Barista #2 is on the job, this morning, after a fashion. No tables out or lights on at 7.00, but he was already making my Americano as I walked in the door.

Disturbing news yesterday from Schaff, where a colleague has fallen into hard family and health times. Positive thoughts sent that direction during the morning sitting

I did the unusual yesterday, and went for a mid-day run instead of my late afternoon usual. This was precipitated by scheduling difficulties at the grounds; computers were down, so the only way to tell if a space had been signed out (beyond the posted rehearsal schedule) was to actually walk to the location and open the door. At 10.30 I decided that the most efficient use of my pre-lunch time would be to leave the grounds and take advantage of the nice weather. Turned out okay – by the time I got back and went to a couple of pianos I was relatively sure wouldn’t be occupied, the computers were operational again and I was able to schedule the next couple of days.

The PotD is a Boston 163, a shade over 5’4”. We have many of these on the grounds, at Miss Hall’s, and in faculty homes, and I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with them in terms of their tuning and regulating issues. They’re decent pianos for the size. This one is in the lovely – and aptly named – space called the East Barn. It’s not one of the busier spaces, used primarily for wind ensemble rehearsals, and the piano as you can see is pushed off into a far corner of the room, where it doesn’t see much use. As in many locations, there are gaps in the walls and holes in the screens (where there are screens, that is). All things considered, it’s remarkable that pianos in these spaces become as stable as they do.

The PotD:



Well, nuts – the internet appears to be non-responsive this morning. A signal shows on the desktop, but evidently not of sufficient strength to allow actual transmission of data.

Haven Cafe and Bakery, 11.42 a.m.

A shortish lunch break, and online access seems to be working here, so I’ll try to upload the blog entry.

New Feature: Piano of the Day!

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 44

Lenox Coffee, 7.05 a.m.

Piano of the Day, Boston 215 #1:



#2:



These pianos are located in the “Birch” rehearsal space, a short distance from Ozawa Hall and our piano tech meeting area. They appear nearly identical, but #1 is significantly older than #2, which I believe is brand-new. The photos don’t show it, but the room is open to the air for a good portion of each day, via a set of - literal - barn doors of the sliding variety which open up one entire wall. Nice for fresh air, not so much for keeping out humidity, wind, mosquitos, and other small critters. The 215 is Boston’s economy version of the Steinway B (215 cm=approx. 7 feet). These have been decent pianos for the festival, fairly reliable and ready to play right out of the box, not needing extensive regulation as the Steinways often do. they’re definitely not the instruments the S & S pianos are, though, in terms of sound or feel.

Yesterday was a very nice day and quiet around the grounds. I tuned both of the above pianos in the morning, and moved to the Chamber Hall for the early afternoon, to double check the A for tuning and playability; fine on both counts. Ended the day by tuning the M upstairs in the Carriage House, a piano I hadn’t yet seen on this rotation. Even though the weather was excellent, I gave myself my scheduled day off from exercise, opting instead for dinner at Miss Hall’s followed by another good chunk of Foucault’s Pendulum, one of my summer re-reads. It’s a very entertaining book, fairly dense, but I’m getting more deeply into it than I did on the first reading. I can’t say from first hand knowledge, not having read it, but from what I know of The Da Vinci Code, I believe this book has a similar story-type, but with bigger words. Definitely one of those books where it’s good to keep a dictionary handy.

Another good weather forecast for the day, so the plan is to schedule the remaining weeks’ work, hit pianos until three or so, then head out for a run before dinner. Perhaps I’ll even watch part of the All-Star Game this evening, to support Ted Lilly, the Cubs’ lone representative.

Sunday views

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 43

Lenox Coffee, 7.03 a.m.

The top of Berry Mountain was lovely yesterday - I:



II:



Among all of the various activities I undertook on my day off, I decided to search for the gravesite of Serge Koussevitsky, founder of Tanglewood, conductor of the BSO, and bassist. He’s buried at a place called the Church on the Hill, near downtown Lenox. It took me a bit of wandering, but I located the spot where he rests with his 2nd and 3rd wives, Natalie and Olga - I:



II:



III:



IV:



V:



Today is a designated “day off” for the Fellows, which means it’s a work day for the piano technician team, when we have broad access to most of the instruments. My plan is to hit those in the busiest rehearsal spaces first, followed by as many of the others as I can reasonably fit in.

Small successes

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 42

Lenox Coffee, 8.48 a.m.

Taking it a bit easy this morning, as yesterday turned out to be a longish and tiring day – in a good way, though. I began by having a small amount of success adjusting the damper system of the A in the Chamber Music Hall. This is a set of skills in which I feel somewhat deficient, so a small amount of success is definitely acceptable. A good tech session in the late morning, also covering damper work, for good reinforcement, and then the luncheon for Fellowship sponsors and TMC overseers. Subtitle: “The Republicans meet the Democrats”. Can’t complain, though, as none of the Fellows would be here without the support of all those donors. After lunch, I added 1 ¾ miles to my normal run by exploring a side route leading up to the base of a small ski resort. Longest run I’ve made in well over a year, and it felt very good. Afterwards headed out to the Olde Forge pub with Steve, John, and John’s daughter, visiting for the weekend. Nice time with good conversation and excellent beer.

This day off is filling up quickly, with a trip to the grounds to support the bass Fellows in their Schuller Quartet performance, a trip to the state forest to do my regular Berry Mtn. hike, and then laundry and perhaps even a haircut thrown in, if I can find a place willing to shear me for under $10-15 bucks. The sun is shining, and the sky is blue – looking like a nearly-perfect day.

The Abandoned A

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 41

Lenox Coffee, 7.09 a.m.

Back in IL, I would usually wake up in a leisurely fashion on a Saturday morning in the summertime, not necessarily having a plan in particular, but contemplating filling my day with things like yardwork, exercise, cooking, perhaps some shopping. I have to say, as much as I enjoy what I’m doing here, I do miss that type of morning just a little. Today is a work day, for the most part, starting with continuing to attempt to make the A in the Chamber Music Hall palatable to the pianists again, after the “malfunction” earlier in the week. I went in to tune the piano yesterday, and found it shoved against a wall, closed up, with the Boston 163 (a decent, but definitely lesser piano) front and center, having just been used in a vocal masterclass with Maestro Levine. Poor Steinway A! No one wants to take a chance. So – I checked it out thoroughly after tuning it, found one regulation issue causing a key to miss on hard blows (easy fix), and a number of issues with the damper system (not so easy). Those will be my focus of my first two hours this morning. Afterwards we’ll meet as a team for a technical session with SC, and then there’s the annual meet-the-fellowship-sponsors luncheon, de rigueur attendance for all fellows. After that, the day (and most of tomorrow as well) is mine.

Yesterday’s tech session was a nice talk by/with a pair of technicians from Manhattan (one of whom had been a Fellow previously, the other employed by a couple dealerships, currently at Juilliard, and having had a brief stint with Steinway before falling victim to the layoffs back in April) on their career path and current business, in addition to some light discussion of regulation issues. Very nice, and good to hear the viewpoint of others just getting started in the field. It also happens that one of them works at the same dealership as one of my CSPT classmates. Small world, yet again.

Heard the first half of the BSO concert at the Shed last night: Beethoven Piano Concerto #1 with Emmanuel Ax as the soloist. I’ve never had the opportunity to get to know this piece either as a listener or as an orchestra member, and it was a pleasant surprise; late enough in the master's output to be harmonically daring, but still light and with a sense of humor. Well-played, of course, and once again the Hamburg shone. We’re very spoiled here for quality of listening experiences.

My nemesis (yesterday, anyway)

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 40

Lenox Coffee, 7.05 a.m.

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and an actual unqualified beautiful day is forecast. The plan at the grounds is to hit two of my pianos with a technical session sandwiched in-between, arranged by Steve, on some topic or topics of interest to the team. In otherwords, a fairly relaxed day, with beautiful weather as accompaniment. Not bad, not bad.

I slept well last night, for the first time this week it seems. Every so often I get into these patterns where rest eludes me; I have trouble falling asleep, or I wake up often, or just wake up feeling as if I haven’t slept at all. Hopefully this signals a return to healthy sleep patterns. No matter how much you like what you’re doing, if wake up tired it’s difficult to enjoy the day.

There appears to be a piano here that is my nemesis: a certain Boston 163 in a faculty home. I’ve visited it twice now, the first time for basic set-up and a first tuning; if I remember right I was a little rushed at that time. Yesterday was a call for tuning, and I discovered significant regulation issues needing to be dealt with. In both instances, after finishing the tuning I discovered notes that were, well, just plain sour and stinky. Bad enough that chords using them were noticeably out-of-tune. I’m still not sure where it happens, or what I’m missing, but it makes me second-guess my tunings: am I leaving other pianos in a similar state? Hopefully it’s just this one instrument, and there’s something about the stability that makes it easier to knock notes out of tune as you go along. At any rate, it was a frustration yesterday, but after going home and out for a nice run, I felt more at ease.

And speaking of my running: I am finally feeling like I’m approaching about-to-be-becoming in decent summer shape. The route hasn’t changed for a month, and it feels a little stronger and manageable each time. First time in a year that I’ve felt close to being on top of things physically. Good news for one who, like many, choose to dance underneath the sword of Damocles that is under- or un-insuredness.

Detective work

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 39

Lenox Coffee, 7.08 a.m.

It appears that I’ve fallen into a definite routine here – each morning when I look at the time on my computer as I type my first lines, it’s within a minute or two of the same time. Perhaps that means a change is in order. Or not. I have been told more than once that I’m a guy who likes his routines…

Experienced my first quasi-emergency yesterday, as a piano evidently started to malfunction just before a masterclass was slated to begin. Not dire straits, as the problem piano ws not the primary instrument to be used in the class, but still disconcerting to the accompanist who was playing at the time. Unfortunately, no specific symptoms could be offered, so it became an exercise in What-could-cause-such-a-problem, and going through a number of regulation issues that could possibly perhaps contribute to part of the problem. Detective work. With Steve’s help, I arrived at a three-pronged strategy aimed at friction and repetition issues in general, and worked on the piano for a couple of hours. Today will tell if the desired effect was achieved.

I realized yesterday that I’m really out of touch with what is going on in the world, when someone mentioned the Palin resignation and I must have given them the blank stare. As I peruse CNN this morning, though, I feel that being out of touch for awhile isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the MJ hoopla, more celebrity deaths, the McNair murder/suicide, economic woes continuing – not a bad time to be immersed in Steinways and Music in the Berkshires. Of course, the Jackson saga will still be ongoing when I get back to the world next month, no doubt, so I’ll get my fill then. MADE FOR TV, as Owen Meany would say.

A found harmonium

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 38

Lenox Coffee, 7.09 a.m.

The sun is shining, the sky is blue – at least above 500 feet, and the fog that has Pittsfield socked in this morning. A little bit lighter here in Lenox, but the drive down was pretty dense at times. Cool temperatures are once again forecast; I’ve arrived at the viewpoint that the closer we get to August without seeing real summer heat, the easier the stay in the un-air-conditioned apartment will be. Compared to how it could be right now, not such a bad thing to be a bit on the cool side.

I had a fairly easy day yesterday, managing to get tunings done on two pianos. We were scheduled for a team meeting/class in the late morning, but we were booted from our scheduled space by of all things repair work on a harmonium. I wouldn’t have minded seeing that process, as I’m only vaguely aware of what a harmonium is, much less knowing how it works, but we chose to move our session to the coffee shop instead. In the afternoon after finishing work, the storms had temporarily parted sufficiently to allow a run. Ended the day by hearing part of a recital of Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano, which was lovely, and featured exemplary ensemble work from the players.

A busier day scheduled today, but also with an opportunity to observe a coaching session for the Schuller bass quartet, which would be an enjoyable diversion. News via email concerning a possible job opportunity also requires some thought and a considered response.

Muscle memory

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 37

Lenox Coffee, 7.08 a.m.

I saw all of my new pianos yesterday, and managed to actually put my hands on all but two, just to make sure there wasn’t anything non-functional about them. Scheduled time on three of the most important and/or often used, and will hit two or three more of those today. I also was able to sit in on part of a rehearsal for the Gunther Schuller Quartet for Double-basses, which brought back memories: I played that piece back in 1989 with a quartet comprised of bassists from UMass. I had been playing the instrument for less than two years at that point, and really had no business trying to negotiate my way around that piece, but there I was anyway. It’s a very well-written work, and I learned a lot from the experience. The performance is this Sunday morning, as a part of the weekly chamber music concert; I’ll need to make a point of going to support the bass Fellows.

I hesitate to say this, but I may be starting to figure a few things out about my tuning. Yesterday I had the feeling that certain things were in my hands that haven’t really been there before; sort of like the feeling of having a piece of music “under your fingers” on the bass. Not that things moved any more quickly, necessarily, although that might have been the case as well, but more the sense of accuracy in the manipulation of tuning lever, wire, and pin. Of course, two of the pianos I tuned were very nice B’s, which doesn’t hurt the cause.

I also brought out the piano music V delivered to me over the weekend, and picked a handful of pieces to try to get together over the next few weeks. One that I had been struggling to play from memory turns out to be in a different key than I was remembering, which might explain why I wasn’t able to gain much ground from muscle memory – there wasn’t any! I’ve decided that having a small repertoire of short pieces at my disposal is a necessary tool as a technician. It gives a frame of reference for testing the action and regulation – the feel – of a piano, and it provides a set of musical cues by which I can judge the tuning as well.

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, but more storms are forecast for the afternoon. I’ll run this evening if I can dodge the raindrops.

Back to it

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 36

Lenox Coffee, 7.08 a.m.

DIY holiday snaps in the Berkshires:



After a wonderful weekend with V, I’m back at the coffee shop, getting myself ready for the next segment of my Tanglewood experience. The weekend included music (Tchaikovsky Symphony #6 and Piano Concerto #1 on Friday, Diana Krall with orchestra and a great quartet on Saturday), an excellent hike on Friday, good meals, a bit of shopping, and lots of just walking around, enjoying each others’ company.

At the grounds, we’ll rotate piano assignments today, effective for the next three weeks. For me this means a bit of catching up, as I haven’t scheduled any specific time on my new group as of yet. I’ll try to hit at least one before rehearsals get going at ten, and then sit down with the week’s schedule and get myself organized. I’ll pass through the middle of the middle this week, but as of today at least, I’m not feeling any of the usual symptoms. It’s a beautiful morning, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and I’m ready to get at it again.

Hooray! V is here!

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 33

Hotel Acceptable, Pittsfield, 6.48 a.m.

Taking advantage of the wi-fi at V’s hotel before we head in to the grounds, with a stop for coffee on the way. V arrived without too much incident, but not without delay; a computer malfunction at United in O’Hare caused the cancellation of many flights, including her original one into Albany, bumping her onto a later flight into Hartford. A slightly longer drive from here, but not an insurmountable hassle. We traveled back to the Berkshires too late to attend the evening concert, but had a nice relaxing dinner at the Olde Forge. Today is open after my morning work, so we’ll see what the weather has in store and plan from there.

Am I Experienced?

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 32

Lenox Coffee, 7.05 a.m.

Excellent work with SC yesterday, both on my own tuning and with the team on the mysteries of the Steinway sostenuto mechanism. According to Steve, my tuning is right where it should be, given my experience (or lack thereof) and position: very good, and the improvements are those that can only happen with time and more tunings. The sostenuto work falls under the category of information that a fairly small percentage of technicians know, and that may come in handy in the field. The Steinway construction is somewhat unique, but it is said that if one can deal with theirs, one can deal with that of any other manufacturer. I’m still having a rough time visualizing the actual workings of the pieces – they’re pretty much hidden behind the rest of the the action when at work – but I feel like I have a much better handle on it now than I did before our session.

Had another very cool experience observing the piano selection process of one of the visiting artists yesterday. Often these selections happen in the cramped quarters of the piano room offstage, but certain artists are indulged with the opportunity of testing the pianos on stage. This was one such occasion, and a treat for me to hear the New York and Hamburg D’s side by side in a concert hall, played by a pro. I’m starting to be able to hear and articulate what I hear as differences and similarities, which is good, as I was actually asked for my opinion as a member of the “committee”. Ultimately, it comes down to what the artist feels under their hands, but I was pleased that the piano I heard as superior was the one chosen by the others as well.

A damp morning, but it can’t hamper my spirits – V arrives this afternoon for a long weekend! I’ll meet the team at Miss Hall’s to work on the grands there this morning, then after lunch check on my pair in the Manor House upstairs rehearsal room, to make sure they’re good to go for the remainder of the week. Then to the airport, and possibly back for a recital in Ozawa this evening. Tomorrow I’ll work in the morning, and then the rest of the weekend is ours. No specific plans outside of attending the Diana Krall concert at the Shed on Saturday night. We’re just going to see what the weather does, and what we feel like doing. Should be lovely.

T-minus 33 hours and (not that I'm) counting...

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 31

Lenox Coffee, 7.08 a.m.

A new month, but the same weather story. I’m starting to adjust, I think. This morning I “slept in” until almost 5.45, so a little later start than usual. Still managed an abbreviated sitting and arrived at the coffee shop on time for the morning jolt. Both baristas are starting to remember me and my drink order, after a month of showing up almost every morning.

Made what could possibly be my last trips (before the duty rotation) to the theatre and the rehearsal stage yesterday. Both are, for all intents and purposes, outdoor venues, but the pianos have stayed reasonably well in tune and functional. Also spent some time listening to the D’s in Ozawa Hall from the stage, as they were out for an artist’s selection process. There are significant differences between the two – one from the NY facility, the other from Hamburg – and while I can hear some of them, many of the more subtle distinctions still elude me. It’s a good workout for the ears, though.

Today I get on-on-one tuning work with SC, followed by a session on one of my pianos for the team on the maintenance of the sostenuto mechanism, and in the afternoon it’s my turn to sit in on an artist’s piano selection. And tonight when I talk to V on the phone, I can say "see you tomorrow" and mean it!

Opening Exercises

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 30

Lenox Coffee, 7.11 a.m.

For perhaps the first time since my first week here, it is an absolutely beautiful morning. Blue skies, cool but not cold, and just a bit of a breeze. I’d spend it outdoors if I could. Actually, today is a designated day off for all of the Fellows, with no rehearsals or activities scheduled. For the piano techs, however, that means total access to the pianos, so we’ll be working as usual. My plans include seeing to pianos in at least four different spaces, for issues from tuning to pedal squeak chasing.

Yesterday we went through Opening Exercises, a tradition here at Tanglewood since the school was started in the 1940s. A performance by a faculty string quintet of some Schubert, speaking by the Director of the Music Center, and a singing by the assembled Fellows of Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, composed for the first opening exercises at what was then the Berkshire Music School in 1940. I hadn’t sung the piece since high school, and it brought back memories of singing in the a Capella choir under Milt Anderson; my Mom was the accompanist.

Met a trio of the string bass Fellows outside the Ozawa courtyard yesterday afternoon, having a general playing/bull session and working through a movement of the Bottesini b minor. I stood by and listened for awhile before introducing myself and chatting for a bit. There will be a performance of the Schuller within the next few weeks, and I hope to observe one of the coaching sessions. Nice young folks, and very skilled – if I had started playing bass when they did, rather than the age they’re at now, I might have taken a different direction in my life. But as I’m so often telling V, that would also mean not having met her, and not being where I am now. So, no regrets. Seeing the bassists reminded me how cool we bass players are, as a general rule. Small fraternities of like-minded individuals tend to be that way, I suppose.

Dr.'s orders

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 29

Lenox Coffee, 7.08 a.m.

A near-ideal day off yesterday. After leaving the coffee shop, I read in the park across the street for awhile, then hit the grocery store on the way home. Dropped off the groceries, and headed to the state forest northwest of town for a hike up Berry Mtn. When I set out, it was still threatening rain, but by the time I finished 90 minutes later it had turned into a gorgeous day. I decided I needed to find a nice spot to sit, read, and perhaps have a bite and a beer, and SC had mentioned a place north of town that sounded like it would fit the bill nicely. After a bit of searching, both online and of the old-fashioned type, I located the Olde Forge Restaurant. Lots of nice beers on tap, a very acceptable burger, good service, and, most importantly, a lovely deck with tables shaded by umbrellas. I sat, ate, drank, and read off and on for the better part of two hours.

Just what the doctor ordered:



Today begins our last week with the current rotation of pianos; we’ll switch groups next Monday, and again for the final three weeks. It’s a good system, as it gives all of us time on all of the different pianos and in the different venues, but perhaps as importantly it allows three different sets of eyes and hands to evaluate the condition of each instrument as the summer goes on.

A heads-up from Paul at CSPT: a technician in the Twin Cities area is selling his business and client list for $39K. Could be a legit opportunity, but I can’t really see starting off a practice that far in debt from day one. I suppose you could realistically expect to erase the note within two or three years, but still – a sizable risk in this economic climate. Might be worth a conversation, though.

After the beautiful weather of yesterday afternoon, it’s seemingly back to normal, with cloudy skies, temps in the 60s, and a 50% chance of rain forecast for each day this week. Oh well, could be worse – could be 90 degree/90% humidity.

I'm glad there is - IV

Don't mess with me, I'm Christopher, see?

Middle-ness

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 28

Lenox Coffee, 9.08 a.m.

A rare appearance at the coffee shop on a Sunday, motivated in part by considerations of privacy; roommate John’s wife is visiting the apartment for the weekend, and I wanted to make our limited space available to them for their morning ablutions. So, laundry as usual for a Sunday, and now to the mobile office. The weather appears to be holding at very-acceptable for now, but showers are forecast for the afternoon, surprise of surprises.

I’ve been feeling a struggle over the past few days, a feeling of fatigue, tension, and frustration, and it struck me as I was talking to V on the phone: I’m in the Middle of this particular undertaking. Fast approaching the middle of the Middle, as a matter of fact, the point where there’s no going back, yet the end really isn’t in sight. Every process has this point, and it’s always difficult. My solution, at least for now, is to endeavor to do as little about pianos and Tanglewood as possible, when possible. Yesterday afternoon and today, this is possible. It meant not going back to the grounds for the broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion last night, opting to listen on the radio at home for a portion of the show. A walk to the brewpub for a couple of pints, followed by reading at home and some pleasant conversation with John and his wife upon their return completed the evening. Today I’ll get outdoors for awhile, and I’m contemplating a trip to the ballpark this evening.

This Middle thing is tough. It’s not that I’m not enjoying my time and experience here – quite the opposite – but there is a feeling of being at-sea, in a number of ways. As a piano technician at Tanglewood, I’m awash in information, obligations, and schedules which need to be juggled. I’m also a long way from home, and the comforts that accompany being in one’s accustomed space. In a larger sense, I’m also in the middle of the process which will decide the immediate and extended future, and there are many things, professional and personal, that I’m considering along those lines. There are many possible paths open to me (and to myself and V as a couple), and allowing the future the time and space to present itself has a feeling of being in the middle, of being a bit out-of-control, at-sea. I think the best thing to do is to tackle the future one task at a time, and trust my intuition based on my years of experience in moving from one thing to the next; no small well on which to draw. And V will be here in four days to help!

Diversions

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 27

Lenox Coffee, 7.10 a.m.

I’ve discovered the secret to the weather forecasting here: every day is partly cloudy with a 50% chance of thunderstorms. Reminds me a bit of Colorado in that sense, that the weather can turn on a dime in a very short period of time.

After a longish day yesterday which ended with a very frustrating tuning of a very sharp upright at Miss Hall’s School, the team gathered at Chez Carver for a glass of wine, snacks, and conversation ranging from pianos to philosophy. A welcome diversion, and three of us proceeded from there directly to the Emerson Quartet performance in Ozawa Hall. The group has been together for more than 30 years, and it is amazing to watch them work as a unit. The program wasn’t terribly intricate or high in degree of technical difficulty, but even so, the ensemble the four members are capable of is remarkable in its own right. Entrances, dynamic shadings, balance, articulation, all without flaw. And the sound in the auditorium is superb. To look at the inside, the first thought that comes to mind in terms of overall shape is “airplane hangar”, but the design is such that even an intimate ensemble such as a string quartet fills the place with sound. The rear wall opens to the lawn outside, which I believe sacrifices a small portion of the reflected sound, but at the same time lends a sense of openness to the vibe of the place; no mistake, I’m sure.

Walking back to the car on the other side of the grounds was beautiful in itself. The weather had cleared, except for some storm clouds over the mountains in the north, the moon was at about one-quarter over the horizon, and there was a shroud of wispy fog around everything. I called V as I was walking to share it with here, albeit at-a-distance.

This morning I’ll work in the soloist’s room at Ozawa, and on one of the B’s in the Carriage House before bagging it around noon. Tonight is the live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion from the Shed, featuring Steve Martin, Arlo Guthrie, and (oddly enough) Martin Sheen, who were all hanging about last evening doing a dress rehearsal. If the weather holds, I’ll probably go and sit on the lawn, but otherwise I’ll relax at home. A run is in the plans for the afternoon, and getting away from the grounds overall may be the most sane option, but I’ll see how I feel.

V arrives for a visit in less that a week – yippee!

Superglue and Heet (and heat)

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 26

Lenox Coffee, 7.12 a.m.

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, both icons of my growing-up in the 70s, flew away yesterday. One more-or-less expected, the other, well, also expected, but not quite so soon and perhaps not in this manner. I always thought MJ would go out in a blaze, in a very public way somehow. No matter what one thinks of their work, both have left us too early in life. As Harlan Ellison wrote in the introduction to Slippage, which I’m currently re-reading: Pay attention.

Yesterday was the first “real” day of summer, in that it was warm, the sun was shining, and I would have preferred to be outdoors rather than in, for the most part. My evening run was a genuine sweat-fest for the first time this season.

Work was very up and down, with some satisfactory events and some problems to be solved. I spent a lot of time with dampers and the back-action, which is good for me, as I consider it my weakest skill area. Also broke another hammer shank, which is always frustrating. There is a real contrast between some of the highly designed tools we often use in our work and some of the home-spun remedies we sometimes employ. The hammer shank repair: superglue. A problem with sluggish underlevers: methanol, literally antifreeze from the local Auto Zone. Sprayed liberally directly onto the underlevers of Steinways of a certain age, it first actually freezes the underlevers, and then sizes the bushings and frees the action as the alcohol flashes off. Bizarre, but it works. Or at least it worked for Scott, our supervising tech from the first two weeks. I’ll find out this morning if it works for me or not. All in all, it’s great when problems crop up here, because we are in the middle of this incredible laboratory for the summer, where we are free to experiment to our hearts’ content – as long as the pianos work when they’re supposed to.

This coffee shop is often invaded by loud-talkers, it seems. Perhaps I’m becoming more sensitive as the buzz of finding internet access slowly wears off, but I think my time here will be limited. There is another potential Wi-Fi source on the horizon that I learned about yesterday that may prove more convenient and less expensive.

Tonight I plan to attend my first Tanglewood concert: the Emerson String Quartet performing works by Ives, Barber, and Dvorak. If the weather holds, it promises to be an excellent show.

Wouldacouldashoulda

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 25

Lenox Coffee, 7.08 a.m.

I actually beat the barista to work today. This is #2, who seems not to understand the concept of having the shop up and running at the appointed time; open at 7 means showing up at 7, evidently. #1 barista seems to get it, though – the days he opens, the place is humming already by the time I show up on the doorstep. What this place needs is another good coffee shop just down the street. It would be viable during the summer months, no doubt, but over the non-tourist season, not so much I’m afraid.

The work was interesting yesterday, beginning in the main room at Manor House with tuning and regulating work, and continuing in the conductor’s room at the Shed, where I discovered an interesting problem, or rather, Steve helped me to discover it after I called him for help. I was on the right track in my thinking, but hadn’t the experience to look at one other possible source of the trouble. This is a theme of the summer, to be sure: gaining diagnostic experience at a rate far surpassing anything possible outside of perhaps working at a dealership, and probably not even there. Doubleplus valuable. Continued in the theatre in the afternoon, after a session with the team on a problem with the damper setup in the Hamburg D at Ozawa Hall.

Took advantage of an opportunity for dining last night that I hope will remain viable for the remainder of the summer. With bills due and the next installment of the stipend a couple of weeks off, I’m glad to save any shekels I can. Returned to the apartment, read for awhile, talked to V, and crashed shortly after. I’m feeling the need to get started on some business-work in the evenings, but the energy is hard to come by after our longish days. I also should be taking advantage of having the Stick with me and try to get into a practice routine of sorts. “Should” – what a dangerous word. What it really boils down to is that I need to be bringing in an income almost immediately upon my return to Illinois, and any preparatory work that can be done while I’m here must be done.

#2 is now loudly eating his breakfast at an available table in the café; very near an unfortunate patron who is braving the noisy onslaught heroically. Me, I’m outta here.

Up and down

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 24

Lenox Coffee, 7.11 a.m.

The weather still stubbornly refuses to fully enter summer mode, although yesterday when the sun was shining there were moments when I actually wished I had worn shorts; first time for that sensation since I arrived. Today is overcast again.

It appears as if I’m stuck getting my Wi-Fi fix here at the coffee shop; the signal at the Copland Library is so weak as to be useless. Perhaps there’s a place one can stand in the building and access a signal strong enough to establish a working connection, but I haven’t found it yet. So, I can either look at this as paying $3/day for internet access with a cup of good coffee as a perk, or getting my coffee snob taken care of and getting free Wi-Fi in the bargain. Whichever.

Had an up and down day yesterday – started off with an excellent session with Steve; tons of information and some good encouragement and feedback on my tuning. The answer to almost any question about technique could legitimately be “time and experience”, but there are some very helpful tips to be offered as well. Steve holds a good balance between those two approaches. Of course, then I went out to work on a piano and ran into a problem that stumped me, and a tuning I wasn’t happy with. Time. Experience. Repeat as necessary, apply to infected area.

My next few days will be spent in large part on making sure the pianos for which I’m responsible are squared away and in excellent shape by next Thursday, when V arrives, so I can comfortably take a few hours off to spend with her. First order of business is the Theatre, where there are potential friction problems galore, and there have been unconfirmed reports of dissatisfaction with the pianos. My questioning yesterday uncovered nothing specific, but I’ll see when I get there this afternoon. The other piano I want to really nail is the one in the conductor’s room in the Shed, which will eventually be used by James Levine, but in the next week or so could see use by the pianist from A Prairie Home Companion – I forget his name – and Diana Krall. It’s the B I was struggling with yesterday afternoon, so a question or two for SC are in order.