A working weekend

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 13

Lenox Coffee, 7.41 a.m.

As I thought might happen, we will be working through the weekend in order to get everything up and running for the arrival of the performance fellows on Monday. We will be working a half-day today, and another (at least) tomorrow, setting up somewhere between 5 and 10 grands in different rooms. No time now for the leisurely pace and attention to detail we’ve been spoiled to have for the past two weeks; it’s get ‘em up, tune ‘em up, and make ‘em playable for the time being. A different kind of challenge.

Yesterday I set a new personal record, servicing six pianos in the day. “Servicing” seems more the appropriate word for what we’re doing right now, as it could involve tuning (full or touch-up), set-up, repair, any number of regulation issues, or all of the above. Towards the end of the day I was getting really tired, and in a moment of lost focus snapped a hammer shank as I pulled the action out of an A I had been regulating. Doh! Fortunately, Scott was in the room as well, and had glue, a replacement shank & flange, and some helpful tips for the repair. After performing the surgery I decided to call it a day, headed home for a run, dinner, and some clearing-the-head time. A nice phone call to V and I was ready to crash.

Storms are in the forecast, but right now it’s a beautiful morning.