Notes From The Basement

Another reason to strive for excellence, or, How does ECM do that?

2010-07-21T09:37:00.017-05:00

Being the detail-oriented person that I am, I have always taken the time to read the liner notes to recordings. Going back to the days when LPs were the industry standard, my SOP after a trip to the record store would be to park myself in front of my stereo, slice through the shrink-wrap with a fingernail (unlike some who just opened the edge allowing the vinyl to escape, I always completely removed the wrapping), and look at the inner sleeve. Sometimes it would be plain white, sometimes there would be advertisements of other offerings from the record company, but sometimes – and this was always a bonus - there would be mysteries revealed. Most common was to have lyrics and composer information, but there could also be photos, other artistic images, band personnel (I would feel somehow cheated if the band members weren’t listed somewhere on the cover or the inner sleeve), tour dates, personal notes from the artists, weird stories, band lore, thank-yous, or assorted other arcana.

Somewhere in there, usually, was information about the recording itself. The producer was most often listed first (before I learned better I used to think this was because the producer was always the Most Important Person behind the scenes), followed by the engineer, and sometimes even the tape operator, the tech personnel for the various instruments or band members, or the roadies who set up the gear for performances. If the recording studio itself was listed, it often had a generic name associated with the label (Atlantic, ABC, CBS, A & M) or some sort of more interesting appellation evoking a sense of quality or uniqueness (Mountain, Power Station, Mad Hatter, Electric Lady, Caribou, Air, Abbey Road, Talent, Avatar, Trident, and Rainbow are a few that come to mind, along with location-based recording venues such as Motown, Stax, and Rudy Van Gelder’s New Jersey home studio) that would lead the listener to wonder if the quality of the studio had anything to do with whatever was special about the sound of a particular album.

But it wasn’t until the early 80’s, when I began to study music seriously, that I really identified any one studio or record label with a particular sound. The album was “Standards, Vol. I” by the newly-formed Keith Jarrett Trio (recorded at Power Station Studio in NYC, by Jan-Erik Kongshaug, and released on the ECM label). I wouldn’t have identified it as such then, but going back now, there’s a transparency to the recording that is truly stunning and unique. Every note from the piano and bass can not only be heard, but identified. Each drum is discrete, and each cymbal clearly distinct from the others. Yet, with all this definition, there is still a wholeness to the sound which is compelling. There is reverb, but not at the expense of clarity; the sound of a performance in a cathedral, but with precision. This was my first exposure to the piano trio genre, and I was spoiled. As I expanded my palette to include Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Thelonius Monk, McCoy Tyner, Red Garland, Hank Jones and others, I was rewarded with musical excellence and even transcendence, but there was, more often than not, something missing from the quality of the recordings. As a bassist, I noticed the lack of clarity most when I tried to transcribe bass lines; not only were the notes themselves lacking clarity, but the piano and drums seemed to cover the sound of the bass like a blanket, no matter how sparingly they were played. Lifting Gary Peacock’s lines from the Jarrett recordings, on the other hand, was like child’s play, as each note fairly leapt out from the soundscape, waiting to be plucked like so much ripe fruit.

[This recording style has lent itself quite successfully to other artists and instrumentations, including Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Jan Garbarek, Dave Holland, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, and Kenny Wheeler. Also represented in the catalog are contemporary classical recordings (the ECM New Series) and more experimental crossover music such as the excellent Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin. All are examples of the same attention to detail and clarity evinced by the Jarrett Trio recordings.]

Fast forward to the present day, and to my current focus as a piano technician. I have been going back to my record collection (now including CDs; I still read the liner notes while listening for the first time) and listening to the piano in a different way, now trying to focus on the sound of the instrument in order to isolate issues of tone and tuning, hoping to glean insight that will help me to become a better technician. The first thing that occurred to me was to learn exactly how the piano was recorded, thinking that made the largest difference. What microphone(s) were used? Where are they placed? What type of post-production trickery is used to get the best possible sound? There turned out to be as many answers to these questions as there were recordings, with every engineer and pianist having their opinion on the “right” way to record a piano. As I continued to listen, I kept coming back to the ECM recordings from Talent Studio and Rainbow in Oslo, and Power Station in New York, which seem to stand head and shoulders above the rest. They seemed to have found a way to make the piano sound better than other pianos; ein Überklavier. The reverb used is significant, but there was something more than that. A spectacular instrument? More than likely, but how then to explain the sound being consistent over a period of years, and across oceans to different recording studios? I would think about this, then let it go for a time, always shrugging and saying “I don’t know what they do, but I sure like it”.

I recently came across an interview with Jan-Erik Kongshaug, aforementioned recording engineer for ECM and credited as such on many of the label’s recordings that I hold in highest regard. The entire interview, conducted by John Kelman for the website All About Jazz, is very informative and can be found here. The part that caught my eye, though, was this:

One of the aspects to recording that has made Kongshaug's name has been his attention to piano sound, though he has a surprising opinion as to why he achieves such a rich sound, while so many others do not. "I always get this question," Kongshaug says, 'what kinds of microphones do you use, where do you put them?' I don't think it's that important at all; you have to have a good condenser mike—I usually use a Schoeps or a Neumann—but that's not important. You have to have a good tuner; you have to keep the piano in shape. Every session it's tuned. I have one very good tuner, and one backup; if not, it's not the same instrument. [emphasis in original]

Keep in mind: this is the Engineer talking, the person who is almost universally acknowledged as The Guy Responsible For How The Recording Sounds. And he is stating in no uncertain terms that the piano technician/tuner has more to do with how the piano sounds on the recording than does he. Going back to my liner-note-perusal habit, it bears mention that rarely, if ever, is the piano technician credited, even while those responsible for guitar, drums, or even electronic keyboards (!) are given a shout-out.

Musical myopia can be a terrible thing. All this time I had been assuming there must be something of the magnitude of a top-level-national-security-type protocol which was known to only the elite at ECM and other recording studios which enabled them to take the sound of the piano in the studio and improve on it electronically, when what’s actually going on is that the piano is well taken-care-of and masterfully tuned before each recording session. This is both inspiring and frightening. It means: not only do I as a technician have the ability (theoretically) to make a piano sound like that, but also the obligation, if I’m to be truly honest with myself, to shoot for that level as often as possible.

Kongshaug goes on to say that the amount of attention paid to the piano depends on the type of music, the touch of the pianist, and the order in which the music will be recorded. He also says that when the musician requests that the piano be tuned to A-440 (Hz, or cycles per second, 442 being the default pitch level at Rainbow) it is tuned twice: once the day before the session and again the day of. One must assume that any issues of voicing, action regulation, or touchweight/friction which the artist points out would be taken care of with the same attention to detail, for as technicians are aware, a truly exceptional-sounding instrument is not just well in tune, but also superbly voiced and regulated.

We don’t all get to work for recording studios or in situations where the piano will be recorded out in the field, but those of us who do need to keep all of this in mind as we work. And there can be nothing lost by putting oneself in the mindset that the piano may be used in a recording, and should be made to sound its absolute best – just in case. For my part, I have even more ammunition for my continued enjoyment of the recordings from the ECM library, as I have a better idea now than before of why those instruments sound so incredibly good, and it relates directly to what I do. Expressed syllogistically: It’s the Technician. I’m a Technician. Therefore, I could potentially do that.

I'm glad there is - VII

2010-07-07T09:08:00.005-05:00

Each year in July I find myself spending far too much time in front of the television, marveling at the athleticism, skill, and sheer force of will on display at this event. I have to admit I'm not so much of a fan as to seek out coverage of the other cycling events of the season, but Le Tour grabs me every time. Just over 2263 miles in 23 days; sounds impressive, right? But wait: factor out the two rest days, bringing the average miles per day to just under 108. Okay, then, factor out the two time-trial days (not that these are negligible by any means, as they are simply all-out, every-man-for-himself sprints against the clock) of 5.5 and 32.3 miles (that's right, a 32-mile SPRINT) which are themselves as challenging as any other stage. This brings the average mileage on the other 19 days to 117. But wait: Only 9 of these 19 days are on what the organizers call "flat" roads. There are also four stages classified as “medium” mountains, and six classified as “high” mountains. And these are real mountains, friends; we’re talking about the Alps and the Pyrenees here. To make it a bit more difficult, three of the mountain stages end at the summit.

One of these is this years’ Stage 17, the 20th day of the tour, from Pau to the Col du Tourmalet. The ride will cover 108 miles, with four climbs, in this order: one of Category 4, 2 of Category 1, with the final climb to the finish designated as Hors Categorie (above category)*. Summing up, the riders will travel over 100 miles, climbing over three mountain passes and ending at the summit of a fourth.

The winner of the stage will finish in a little over 5 hours.

Think about that. That means averaging over 20 mph, for five hours, in the mountains. Next time you have occasion to be driving in a car at that speed, take a moment to look out the window at the passing scenery, and imagine gaining and maintaining that velocity without the assistance of 4, 6, or 8 cylinders.

And that’s just one day. Other days will include similar topography, varying degrees of road surface integrity (this year two stages will include stretches over cobblestones - not nicely laid brick roads as we still see from time to time in America, but actual stones, with gaps and sharp edges), wind, and rain.

Can there be any doubt that these are some of the world’s most impressive athletes? And don’t talk to me about doping (the riders are tested incessantly) or tiny concealed motors (the media’s favorite topic of controversy this year). Yes, there have been and will be those who try to gain an edge by unethical means, but I really don’t care. Watch these guys, and you will see human beings (you can tell from the blood that comes out of them when they crash, the tears when they are forced to withdraw before the end, and the joy on the face of a stage winner crossing the finish line) competing in a sport watched by few (at least in the US), without nearly the level of financial incentive enjoyed by other professional athletes (most of whom, by the way, would not be able to complete one day of the tour).

So why do they do it? Fame? Yes, you have Lance. You have Contador, and Sastre. Vinokourov. The Schleck brothers. Leipheimer, Hincapie, and Vandevelde. You have racers who have achieved heroic, almost mythic stature in their homelands. Hinault, Merckx, Coppi, Indurain. But I think most of the riders do it simply to be able to say that they can and did. Nothing more complicated than the sense of achievement that comes from testing the limit of your endurance and skill.

And that’s pretty damn cool.

*The categorization of the climbs is somewhat confusing, weighing distance traveled against average grade (a 5% grade is one where five vertical feet are gained for every 100 feet of forward travel). Category 4 is the least difficult, Category 1 the most, and HC beyond even that. It’s not a strictly linear scale, however; a 12% grade may be part of a Cat 2 climb, if it’s short, and a Cat 1 climb may only average 6%, but be 15-20 miles in length. A climb may be designated HC if it is difficult in the measurable extreme, because of overall altitude, or because it comes at the very end of the stage, with the finish line at the summit. Interestingly, the descents don’t factor into the designation, in spite of the fact that the degree of difficulty of traveling 50-60 mph down winding mountain roads is, shall we say, not insignificant.

365 days ago...

2010-06-01T09:55:00.002-05:00

I woke up in my apartment in Pittsfield, MA, headed in to Lenox for my first pre-work coffee, and then drove to the Tanglewood grounds for the first time to meet with the rest of the summer 09 piano tech team. What a great memory, and what a great summer it was.

This year I'll be remaining in Illinois, to spend time with the lovely Ms. V, tend the garden, gather the work that's available, and continue the journey back to being a musician, in whatever way that presents itself. A summer with much potential.

The Once and Future Performing Musician

2010-04-01T10:06:00.004-05:00

About a month ago, I made the decision to attempt to regain my playing skills on acoustic and electric bass. I last attempted this over an approximately two-month period in early '09, having not played at all since June of '07. It was painful then, and more painful now, but after a month I am approaching the point where I can play for an hour without significant discomfort. The pads and callouses were almost totally gone, and if I'm to really make a go of it, I need to avoid injury, so it's slow going. What's interesting so far, though, is what material I'm drawn to on each instrument. With no immediate performance goals ahead, I can be open to whatever my fingers tell me to work on.

I'm also continuing my baby steps towards becoming familiar with the Chapman Stick, an amazingly cool instrument I acquired about a year and a half ago. I've no idea where that will fit in, but it's fun to mess around with.

The practice cave:

I'm glad there is - VI

2010-03-05T08:55:00.003-06:00

There are a few artists whose music brings a smile to my face every time I listen, and Monk is one of those. He left us to be the curators of his recorded legacy 28 years ago last month. Thanks to Phil at Wine Knows for rekindling this particular listening fire.

Random thoughts

2009-10-21T10:33:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

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

2009-09-08T07:41:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-18T11:33:00.005-05:00

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...

2009-08-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-14T08:04:00.004-05:00

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

2009-08-13T07:52:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-09T08:56:00.000-05:00

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?

2009-08-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-06T14:24:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-05T12:19:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-03T10:02:00.001-05:00

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

2009-08-01T09:21:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-30T15:01:00.000-05:00

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

2009-07-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

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)

2009-07-28T17:03:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-27T09:44:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-24T13:17:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-23T16:31:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-22T16:28:00.000-05:00

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

2009-07-21T13:27:00.001-05:00

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.

2009-07-17T03:38:00.001-05:00

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...

2009-07-16T06:38:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-15T10:12:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-07-14T06:25:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-13T06:22:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-12T08:02:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-11T06:38:00.002-05:00

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)

2009-07-10T06:38:00.000-05:00

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

2009-07-09T06:40:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-08T06:38:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-07T06:39:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-06T06:19:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-07-03T05:54:00.001-05:00

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?

2009-07-02T06:34:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-07-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-30T06:41:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-29T06:37:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-29T06:31:00.003-05:00

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

Middle-ness

2009-06-28T08:31:00.000-05:00

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

2009-06-27T06:38:00.001-05:00

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)

2009-06-26T06:36:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-25T06:43:00.000-05:00

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

2009-06-24T06:30:00.001-05:00

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.

Feedback and a new piano

2009-06-23T06:37:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 23

Lenox Coffee 7.26 a.m.

Three tunings yesterday, and some minor work otherwise. I was dragging a bit from my travels on Sunday, and headed home for a relaxing evening and an early crash. Today I feel much refreshed, and ready to hit it. I start off the day with some 1-on-1 time with SC, evaluating one of my tunings from yesterday, and then working on voicing. I’m excited to get feedback on the tuning and for any information on voicing, which is a subject that fascinates me and a skill I want to develop. Otherwise the day will be spent in the Shed, working on the conductor’s room piano, which is a nice B that I haven’t had my hands on much to this point. The weather looks to be improving, perhaps even some sun to be seen, and warmer temperatures ahead.

Full contact begins...

2009-06-22T06:29:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 22

Lenox Coffee, 7.10 a.m.

Had an excellent day off yesterday in the Amherst/NoHo area. Re-connected with Doug MacMillan over coffee, dinner, and the CGT show at the Iron Horse. Also saw an old musical boss of mine, Emery Smith, who is still playing weekends at the same club at which I worked with him back in the late 80s. I sort of snuck in and surprised him at the bar while he was eating his dinner. He remembered me, and had very nice things tom say about our short time working together. Very cool; I had promise to return once more before I leave MA in August.

The CGT sounded excellent, as always. Managed to catch the guys before and after the show for just a bit of chat. They are playing a number of new pieces from an upcoming CD, and I thought they were very strong. They also played their arrangement of the Beethoven “Moonlight” sonata, which I had only heard them do on recordings up to now. It’s amazing to me that they still have the passion for touring and performing in front of club crowds after 18 years of the grind, but they seem to still have the fire. More power to them – I hope they continue as long as they’re able and willing.

Today is the first full-schedule day on the grounds. Rehearsal slates are full, and we’re required to work around the performing fellows for our time on the pianos. I have today and tomorrow fairly well planned, but still need to arrange times for the rest of the week. There are also a couple of more educational sessions planned for the next 24: Steve will evaluate one of my tunings, and he will also spend a couple hours with me on one of the B’s working on voicing. First concerts are this week as well, with the Emerson Quartet on Friday and the Juilliard Quartet on Sunday. I love string quartet music, so that will be a real treat for me.

The weather continues to be overcast and cool, but warmth is finally in the forecast. V says 90s are in store in the Chicago area this week, which means they’re on the way here as well. Also need to give a nod to the summer solstice, just passed; usually a melancholy day for me – days start to get shorter, which means winter is coming – but this year seems different. I think there’s more of a sense of optimism about me right now, and also passing the solstice brings me closer to a return home to the divine Ms. V.

Old haunts

2009-06-22T06:05:00.003-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 21

Amherst Coffee, 1.32 p.m.

I’m spending my day off tooling through some old stomping grounds, including South Deerfield, Northampton, and Amherst, where I lived around and about during my time in grad school at UMass from 1986-89. Twenty years ago does NOT seem possible, let alone plausible. I’m hanging and waiting for my old friend Doug to arrive at a very cozy coffee shop in a building that was a cinema when I was here in the 80’s. Excellent Americano.

The drive in was uneventful, mostly overcast but still quite beautiful. I stopped in S. Deerfield for a couple of views:

The last place I lived while in the area, above Lou’s TV. Still there, incredibly. My place was second floor on the right. I don’t remember it looking this seedy, somehow.

The view looking south from Mt. Sugarloaf - just a few blocks away from the apartment above the TV store - towards Amherst, and the Connecticut River; the UMass campus buildings are barely visible in the distance.

25%

2009-06-20T06:22:00.002-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 20

Lenox coffee, 7.11 a.m.

Today is set to be a half day, with tomorrow off, and I’m definitely ready for some time away from pianos. Yesterday at 5.30 I was finishing up the top octave of unisons on the new L in the main Manor house room, after already having gone through a pitch-raise, and I just hit the wall. Ears simply wouldn’t hear anymore. I’m beginning to see that endurance is a big part of the Tanglewood piano technician experience.

We received our schedule ‘bibles’ yesterday. These are books which contain every scheduled rehearsal and concert for the next four weeks, broken down by discipline (vocal, instrumental, composition, conducting) and room. We use this to schedule our time on the pianos, making sure that anything which is really critical (a coaching on a piano trio with Emmanuel Ax, for example, one of my assignments for the coming week) is in really top-notch shape. It gives a very clear picture of the kind of plate-spinning we’re each going to be attempting over the next weeks.

This morning I have a couple of repair/regulation/voicing issues on pianos in Manor house to address, followed by spot-checks on the pianos in the Rehearsal stage. We’re meeting as a group to wrap up the week at noon, and then it is time for a break. At some point today I pass the one-fourth point of my time here at Tanglewood. Amazing.

From K-land to B-land

2009-06-19T06:34:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 19

Lenox coffee, 7.19 a.m.

After a couple of mornings of waking up feeling as sleepy as when I went to bed, this morning I feel somewhat refreshed. It’s not the weather, which is still overcast, perhaps I’m just getting used to the schedule. We’re at it by 8.00 now, as opposed to the more laid-back pace of starting at 9.00 for the first two weeks.

I put in a lot of time on two uprights yesterday, both Steinway K’s; these are expensive pianos for uprights, retailing for over 20K, but these particular instruments both had significant issues. At any rate, my reward to myself for spending the time on them yesterday is to go to the other end of the spectrum today and concentrate on a couple of my B’s. Steve has charged each of us to choose one of our pianos and “take it as far as you can” in terms of regulation and voicing. It will mean some extra time, but what a great challenge and with such excellent instruments on which to experiment. I also need to check on the problematic L in the Manor house, and I should finally have a piano to work on in the main room in that building, as the floor is finally finished and the mover told me yesterday the piano would be on its feet today.

One of the challenges for me already is keeping on top of my schedule – which pianos need attention and when the room is available. I have all these spiffy organizational tools at my disposal, but actually developing the habit of using them is the key.

Are you there, Aaron? It's me, David...

2009-06-18T06:31:00.003-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 18

Lenox coffee, 7.10 a.m.

Discovered on the Tanglewood grounds:

These three stones - including an epitaph and the first notes of "Fanfare for the Common Man" - are in a circular area at the end of a grape arbor adjacent to the formal gardens at Tanglewood. At least some of Copland’s ashes were scattered here. I have to pass by each time I go to my pianos in the rehearsal stage building, and I enjoy pausing for a moment, just to see if Aaron speaks to me.

According to the weather forecast, we’re at the beginning of about a ten-day stretch of clouds and rain. So far, right on the money. Not so bad when one is indoors working, but getting from one venue to another on days like today can be a sloggy mess. There are gravel/dirt paths which turn to mud, large expanses of lawn which act as sponges and provide about the same footing, and that’s about it for walking options around the grounds. The umbrella will get a workout today.

Yesterday I started off in Manor House, with a pair of L’s. One was in decent shape, but the other is exhibiting serious friction issues. Narrowed down the problem to the hammer flanges, and performed a couple of procedures to lessen the problem, but the real solution is a complete overhaul of the flange centers, which is at least a two-hour job. Moved on from there to an appointment at a faculty house for some damper work and a tuning. Dampers are still a major mystery for me; more often than not, if I have a positive effect on a problem it’s totally by chance. Luck was with me yesterday. Ended with easing the key bushings on the B in Carriage House #1, and since I had more or less worked through the day without a break, I knocked off at 4.30 and headed out for a run. Shower, dinner, bookkeeping, reading, and an early crash followed.

I begin today with my first “deadline” work: a piano was put on its feet in the orchestra pit in the theatre late yesterday, and requires basic setup and tuning before the first rehearsal at 10.00 a.m. From there it’s on to a tuning in the shed practice rooms, and back to the Carriage House for more work on the B. Probably should check on the pianos in the Rehearsal Stage as well, for possible water issues.

Lenox coffee, 12.34 p.m.

My morning computing was interrupted by Steve, who joined me at table for a short time before we both headed to the grounds. No matter – any excuse to come back for a second cup on a day like today is welcome. So far the morning has been as planned; the piano in the theatre cooperated, and I’m in the middle of wrestling with a K in the shed which needed extensive regulation before I could attempt a tuning. It has rained nonstop all morning, and my shoes are permanently damp. All part of the glamorous life as a piano technician at Tanglewood!

The shape of things to come

2009-06-17T06:38:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 17

Lenox coffee, 7.13 a.m.

The next three weeks are starting to take a definite shape. After a cursory look around the 15 or so pianos at Miss Hall’s School and tuning one of them apiece, Steve, John, and I headed back to the grounds where we all went our separate ways, tending to our own group of pianos. My list, until we rotate in three weeks, includes six Steinway grands (three B’s, two L’s, and one M), four Boston grands ranging in size from roughly 5’ 4” to 6’ 4”, and one Steinway K upright. Scheduling is the difficulty; two of my pianos aren’t even on their feet yet, but will be set up literally hours before they’re first needed for a rehearsal, and three of my grands are in locations where rehearsals are already in full swing. Yesterday I managed to get things stabilized in the rooms that were available, and made plans for this morning to hit some of the busier pianos for maintenance. I also have another faculty home appointment. This is where a faculty member is provided with a piano in their residence for the summer, and we’re responsible for the tuning and maintenance. Today’s job is to set up and tune a Boston grand in the home of one of the cellists on the faculty, the wife of whom is a fine pianist and accompanies him regularly. Many of the faculty pianos see limited use, but this one will likely be fairly active. So – we’re each on our own in this same way, checking in with Steve and each other as necessary, and otherwise acting independently.

At one point during the day I sat out on the courtyard near the piano tech office, and felt hot summer sun for the first time this year. I’m sure there will come a point when I avoid it, but at the moment it felt very welcome.

Plans are firming up for this Sunday’s jaunt to Amherst and Northampton. Possible coffee with an old teacher, meeting up with a guitar playing buddy from grad school days, a trip to see a pianist with whom I played back then (over 20 years ago!) at the very same club no less, and then capping the evening off by hearing the California Guitar Trio at the Iron Horse Music Hall, an excellent venue still up and running after all these years.

In the Very Cool category: yesterday, for the first time, I was able to listen while one of the Tanglewood participants (not sure if it was faculty or Fellow) played a piano on which I had spent considerable time. No cries of “Who tuned this?!?” to be heard. This is good.

Storms and adjustments

2009-06-16T06:27:00.000-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 16

Lenox coffee, 7.15 a.m.

The vibe around the grounds has definitely changed – there are rehearsals in progress in buildings that have been unoccupied for the past two weeks. We divided up the pianos on the grounds yesterday, giving us each around 11 or 12 we’re each responsible for on a regular basis, in terms of tuning and maintaining in good playing condition. Our challenge is working around the schedule in each room to arrange time on the instruments. So far, not a huge task, but beginning next week some rooms will be quite busy. I already ran into a bit of this, as one of my assigned areas is the theatre stage, where work is already underway building the set for the opera. I worked around them for awhile, and then began tuning. No problem for the theatre folk, but about halfway through my process a group of people came in for a meeting on the stage, and I of course had to stop. I had other work elsewhere to accomplish, so I moved on to quieter pastures. I’m finding the voice recorder app on the iPhone to be very helpful already; I make some verbal notes on each piano I come in contact with, and I can listen back later or transcribe the notes if necessary.

Steve, the new supervising technician, is the technician from the Univ. of Iowa, so we have a few experiences in common. I like him – his energy is very quiet and deliberate, which will exert a calming influence on us as things get crazier over the next weeks. He has asked us each to provide him with a set of personal aims for the summer, and I spent some time thinking about that last evening. It’s hard to pick out one or two things when there seems to be so much to learn, but I came up with a couple of items which stand out in my mind currently.

We experienced our first real storms of the summer yesterday, complete with lightning, hail, and wind. I was tuning in a relatively sheltered location when it hit, but there are some places we’ll work that would become almost intolerable in a rainstorm. Not because of leaking, but because of the noise: the sound of rain on the roof can get almost deafening in some of the smaller buildings.

Today we start at Miss Hall’s School. Our normal start time has moved up to 8.00, which may mean a shift in the morning schedule. The wi-fi on the grounds is up and running, though, which will help with uploading the blog and staying connected.

Phase two begins...

2009-06-15T06:59:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 15

Lenox Coffee, 7.25 a.m.

It’s officially the beginning of the third week of eleven, which means I’m somewhere between the end of the beginning and the beginning of the middle. Still excited at the prospects, and not yet mired in the no-man’s land that is the middle of any process. Helping to smooth the transition is the fact that the string quartet fellows and the opera folks are here starting this week, which will change the dynamic of the grounds a bit. Also, we change regimes from Scott, our supervising tech to this point, to Steve, the boss from here to the end. These last two weeks have been packed with learning opportunities for me, and I have no doubt that will continue, but with a change in leadership always comes a change in focus and energy. A meeting is scheduled this morning, to pass the figurative torch.

Taking the opportunity to assess my own development as a technician over the past two weeks, I find that I have gained a certain amount of confidence in my skills and my ability to assess a situation with any piano, but there are also aspects of my skillset which lag behind and seem not to improve at all. I’m too close to view this with anything approaching objectivity, obviously, so it’s best to not dwell on things that can only improve with time, repetition, and experience. Looking forward, I also realize I need to get on the stick and work on my strategy for re-entering the real world in August. One thing is clear: this is a point of change for me, with a sense of new directions and possibilities unfolding. I continue to work on the ability to recognise opportunities, and making the choice to respond (or not).

Two days in one

2009-06-15T06:21:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 14

South St, Pittsfield, 8.42 p.m.

A back-posting day, after a busy weekend. Yesterday started with some cleaning detail in the room that will become our home base on the grounds, followed by a different type of cleaning detail: dismantling a home that a mouse had tried to assemble inside the action of the model A in the chamber music hall. This was the second go-around with this rodent; Scott took care of it the first time, but this one fell to me. There was stuff scattered throughout the action cavity, and a number of hammers had been either chewed or scratched for felt. I spent the better part of an hour cleaning things out and then another hour repairing the damage. Not my idea of a good time, and not what I would choose to spend my time as a technician on, but when one is a technician for a facility in the woods, one does what one has to do.

We broke at noon, and went as a group to the Clark art museum in Nearby Williamstown MA. Our technical justification was the two art-case Steinways on display there. One is fairly modest, but the other is extremely elaborate, fully carved and shaped with inlays galore. However, the main attraction for me was the rest of the art collection, which included a very decent selection of French impressionists, Duch and other realists, and a very cool exhibition of Georgia O’Keefe and Arthur Dove oils and watercolors. I don’t get out to museums often, but I’m always in awe of the skill involved in representing three-dimensional scenes on a flat plane. We spent a few hours there, then headed back to Pittsfield, where I allowed myself a nap before dinner, and followed that with a walk to the brewpub for a couple of pints with John.

Today was planned to be a partial day of work, getting caught up on a couple of pianos which only today were able to be placed in rooms, but it didn’t quite work out that way. I started out in the Manor house on a Steinway L which needed complete set-up and tuning; managed to get it into fairly decent shape in about three and a half hours, including a full tuning. Went straight from there to Miss Hall’s School, a girl’s academy which is used for housing and rehearsals. My assignment was a Boston grand, but when I arrived I discovered that it was not on it’s feet yet – nothing to be done there, so I looked around and found an upright which needed tuning and wrestled with that for about 90 minutes. By that time the grand was set up and ready to be unboxed. This is a piano in a reherarsal/classroom, not a performance space, and it was already 3.00 p.m., so I did the minimum to the instrument in terms of set-up and regulation, bedding the keyframe, lubricating the keypins and bushings, and making sure everything functioned at an acceptable level, and then gave it a good tuning. I was finished shortly before 5.00, and called it a day. On my way out I heard a string quartet rehearsing; the performance fellows have begun to arrive, and our time of having the place to ourselves has come to an end.

Even though I really didn’t eat much during the day, I decided to go for a run when I got home – the weather was absolutely perfect with temps in the low 70s, sunshine, and just a bit of a breeze. I was also inspired by V reporting that she went for a 30-mile ride today. I haven’t ridden 30 miles on a bicycle for probably six years, so I was suitably impressed and felt like I needed to do my part to keep pace in my fitness regimen. I was low on energy, but still managed to keep my normal pace, but I was beat afterwards. Had dinner, called V, and pulled out the computer to get the blog entry done. I’ll post tomorrow morning at the coffee shop; tonight I’m dribbling.

A working weekend

2009-06-13T06:54:00.001-05:00

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.

Foggy Friday

2009-06-12T06:40:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 12

Lenox Coffee, 7.24 a.m.

I’m working on fewer hours of sleep than normal this morning, as last night’s dinner hang went into the wee hours, or at least what pass as wee hours for me anymore. Lots of talk on a variety of subjects including movies, food, parenting, and shared experiences. A very nice hang, which followed a pretty long day. We compared notes last night and figured that we got 14 pianos up and running between the four of us, including a bunch in Miss Hall’s School, a girl’s academy which houses a number of fellow and some rehearsal space; a place aptly named “the barn”, and some faculty homes off campus. I managed three pianos myself, one of which was a set-up out of the box and included a significant pitch-raise. By the end of the day my hands and ears were tired, and I was ready to relax a bit. Today we’re starting a bit earlier, in an attempt to knock out as many pianos as possible in order to make tomorrow a lighter day with the possibility of an early release.

I had a very unusual experience at the auto garage I patronized yesterday: I was in and out in less than ten minutes, and was charged all of $5. True, it was only a bulb which needed to be replaced, but still – I’m not sure I’ve ever spent that little time and money getting my car fixed. A very pleasant surprise, courtesy of Lou at Fortune Automotive in Lenox.

It’s gray again outside. Funny – we’re fast approaching the longest day of the year, but because of the overcast mornings it’s seemed as if the sun is coming up later, and it’s darker for the morning sitting. Warmer weather is on the way, evidently; the 10-day forecast has the first 80-degree day coming up by the end of next week.

In the Summertime?

2009-06-11T06:33:00.002-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 11

Lenox Coffee, 7.17 a.m.

This has been an unusually long spring, both here and in the Midwest, it seems; it simply refuses to get truly warm. I’m not sure they’ve had a day above 80 here, and I know it’s only happened once in Gurnee and that was back in April, I think. Not complaining too much – it’ll end soon, no doubt (summers' official beginning is only ten days off) – but I find myself longing for a morning when I don’t take a jacket to work with me.

I put some more pieces of the regulation puzzle together yesterday, I think. However, it still seems like every time out I either forget to perform one crucial step or do things in an order that creates more work for me. Had a bit of a forehead-slapping “of course” moment when it was explained to me why the particular procedure Scott espouses actually works. The more times something is presented to me the more likely it is to actually stick in my tiny brain.

There was also a cool moment yesterday when I was walking down the trail from one venue to another, and just started grinning like a fool, with the realization of where I was and what I was doing there. I’m a lucky so-and-so.

Today we get into another space which houses 12 pianos, and we need to get them all set up and ready to go by the end of the day, so we’re free to get to the next spaces available on Friday and Saturday. I think it’s going to be hectic from here on out. I also made an appointment at a garage on the way to the grounds to have my taillight examined; I’m hopeful it’s a simple fix and that I won’t be charged resort-level prices for the work. This evening the three of us tech fellows will host dinner at our apartment for Scott, our supervisor, as he passes the baton to the supervising tech for the remainder of the summer on Sunday. Lasagna is the entrée, crème brulee for desert, and my contribution will be a spinach salad of some sort to be determined by what I find at the grocery on the way home.

I'm glad there is - III

2009-06-10T06:53:00.003-05:00

Harlan Ellison

I watched the new documentary "Dreams With Sharp Teeth" shortly before I left for Tanglewood, and it prompted me to bring some of his stuff with me for the trip. It's an excellent account of the man, amusing and informative. The original music is written and performed by the great Richard Thompson. HE's writing is by turns eloquent and coarse, shocking and elegant, and it always demands that the reader engage with the ideas on the page. One of the authors I discovered early who has stuck with me.

Five in four

2009-06-10T06:42:00.001-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 10

Lenox Coffee, 7.17 a.m.

There are a couple of regular baristas here, and I’ve been here enough in the past two weeks to get to know their habits a bit. The one who works more and seems to be here first thing most mornings appears to have it together with his job and the clientele. The Wednesday morning opener, alternatively, tends to sit out on the front porch smoking until a customer arrives to interrupt his morning inhalations. He also sets the Noise Pollution Unit to ‘stun’ while he’s outside. This morning it’s music-appropriate-to-dance-clubs-but-at-lower-volume. But the coffee is good; wi-fi and proximity to the Tanglewood grounds seals the deal for me.

Yesterday I had my hands on five different pianos in four different buildings. One full tuning plus keyframe bedding, a couple of touchups, one full regulation, and various acts of violence on hammers with needles and emery cloth. I felt like an actual, working piano technician, and the day passed remarkably quickly. We are starting to button up the pianos we’ve been working on for the past week, and getting ready to start going out to off-campus sites with pianos for tuning work. There are also pianos waiting to go to their final destinations which are not ready to accept them for various reasons mostly having to do with work of the construction and maintenance type. Next week the string quartet and opera fellows arrive, and our access will become much more limited.

It’s a grey morning, with fog rolling across the mountains. Quite beautiful, but it feels like one of those days when it never quite becomes as warm as the forecast temperature. In another month, a day starting like this will probably turn into a real steamer. As long as it doesn’t storm, I’m hoping to get a run in after work.

Satisfying my bad a-r Type-A self...

2009-06-09T06:37:00.003-05:00

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 9

Lenox Coffee, 7.38 a.m.

I freely admit it: little details bug me to distraction. After a week of looking at the blog and seeing the date of posting mismatched to the date of the entry, I can't stands it no more. A slight alteration in the postings, then. I'll post on the day of the entry, and simply past my notes from the day before. This also provides an opportunity to look ahead to the coming day, instead of constant recapitulation. I can be more creative with titles, too; "Notes from the Berkshires, Day X" was already getting old over there on the right side of the page.

See how I am? Maybe this is why I'm good at repetitive tasks like tuning and regulating a piano.

ANYWAY, it is, indeed, raining here for the first time since my arrival, and so far it's not unpleasant. I suppose I'll change my opinion once the pianos start soaking up all of the excess moisture, putting molasses into all the moving parts, but for now, with a coffee in front of me in the warm and cozy coffee shop, everything is just fine. I'll head in a little early today, in an attempt to finish the regulation I began late yesterday afternoon, and then it will be off to wherever Scott sends me. We still have quite a few pianos that we haven't seen yet, so I anticipate the week will just become busier as it progresses.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 8

2009-06-09T06:33:00.001-05:00

6/8, 9.04 p.m.

The weather here in the Pittsfield/Lenox corridor has been, by all accounts, unseasonably lovely and dry. Good for us, good for the pianos. Sounds like it’s about to change, however. The current forecast has one of those pretty unambiguous statements along the lines of “predicted rainfall amounts of…” which are rarely present unless they (whomever “they” are) are pretty darn sure it’s going to rain, and significantly. So – here we go, into humidity-land.

I worked on two pianos today: the second B in the Maple studio, and an M which lives in the conductor’s room at Ozawa Hall. We’ve had a few discussions about voicing now, and so I spent most of the time on the B dealing with hammer/string mating, filing, and needling, trying to even out the tone. The tricky part is voicing for the shift pedal, because if that sounds good, it’s possible that it comes at the expense of some of the power of the full three-string unison. Fortunately, we have time to experiment a little right now, and I had some good times bringing notes up and down by alternating needling and polishing. The M in Ozawa has already had some of this work done, but hadn’t been fully regulated yet (one of the weirdnesses of having all four of us moving around is that sometimes things get done to pianos out of what would be a “normal” sequence), so that was my task. I’m starting to get the hang of setting key dip and then using aftertouch as a diagnostic and measurement tool right away. If someone had told me two weeks ago that I’d be using aftertouch to set blow distance, I wouldn’t have known what they were talking about.

Also continuing to enjoy the Crawford book. There are some great passages on the state of college education, and some hilarious (in a sort of chilling way) descriptions of life in the cubicle-filled workplace. I’ll definitely be recommending this to some friends.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 7

2009-06-08T06:24:00.001-05:00

6/7, 10.06 p.m.

And on the seventh day I rested. To the point of almost neglecting a journal entry. Spent the day in a conscious attempt to think little of pianos. Laundry, an attempt (unsuccessful) to figure out the non-functioning taillight on the van, a great hike in a nearby state forest, grocery shopping, phone calls to family and friends, and reading. I even broke out the Stick for 40 minutes of playing. The batteries are recharged, and I’m ready to rock tomorrow.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 6

2009-06-07T10:05:00.001-05:00

6/6, 9.17 p.m.

First things first: this is V’s birthday, so great wishes fly her direction. I hate not being with her today, and really hope we don’t have to spend any more of either of our birthdays apart. I managed to secrete a small token for her amusement at home before I left, so she’ll at least have something from me on the day.

This is the end of week one of eleven. Counting it like that makes it sound as if I’m looking forward to the end, but that isn’t the case; I’m actually amazed it’s disappeared as quickly as it has. I spent the entire day on a single piano, the A in the chamber music hall. This, I think, will be a rarity, to spend so much time on a single instrument, but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts. Today I took it from its out-of-the-box state to a condition which I would call “middle regulation”. This is the state between rough (where it was, coming directly from the Company) and fine (ready for a performance). I had gotten most of the way there with the B in the Maple performance space, but I took it to the next level here, and felt pretty good about the results. I am starting to grasp the method to Scott’s madness, and am dialing in some of the skills necessary to preparing these pianos in the way he suggests. Not to say I’m doing it flawlessly yet, or even close, but still there is definite progress. We also had a session on voicing today, and I’m just at the beginning stages of that, having dumped what seemed like a pint of lacquer into the hammers as a last task of the day.

Left around 4.30, and found a backroads route home that avoids the traffic through Lenox and into Pittsfield. This will come in very handy when the crowds descend at the end of the month. Part of the route looked to be a decent running road, so I used that as the basis for my afternoon run, and it turned out to be a good choice: a circle (more of a triangle, actually) of around four miles, with very nice hills and scenery along the way. The only thing that kept it from being ideal was the traffic at the beginning and end, as I’m leaving and heading back into town, but that just means no headphones and no running that route after dark. Stretched, showered, fixed a simple dinner, and then walked downtown, where I found the local brewpub, which was very acceptable both in atmosphere and beer. No wi-fi, or it would be perfect. I’ll probably be spending some time there this summer.

It’s a beautiful night, and I’m enjoying some music (Mike Giles’ 3 X 5), and not thinking about pianos for a few hours. Tomorrow will be a day of laundry/groceriy/other stuff-that-needs-to-be-taken-care-of.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 5

2009-06-06T06:34:00.001-05:00

6/5, 9.55 p.m.

I made it through the entire day without having to tune an upright for the first time this week. Got to spend my time on the B I’ve been prepping in one room, and then I got to start the process on two other pianos in another venue, another B and an A. All these letters, for anyone who might be wondering, are Steinway model designations – Tanglewood is a “Steinway Venue”, meaning all the pianos are either Steinways, or another brand built under the Steinway umbrella, in this case, “Boston”. The Steinways are the instruments for all the performance venues and most of the rehearsal spaces, while the Bostons – some grands, but a lot of verticals as well – end up in the spaces outside the main grounds, and in the summer homes of faculty and staff who require an instrument.

Anyway, as I had thought, we’re slowly being let out on our own to get these pianos ready, which is great fun and also gives us a sense of ownership of the various instruments on which we spend hours. I’m looking forward to the time when I can hear a performance on a piano I’ve prepared and tuned. At least, I think I’m looking forward to that!

Had dinner after work at Scott’s digs with the other techs, and got a taste of some of what he’s been working on in his own business; some very interesting ideas, some of which he has obtained patents for, for innovations to piano design. I admire people who are able to follow original trains of thought in that way, to see possibilities for change that others have missed, or never considered. Some of the information was pretty technical, and while I was interested, I was also very tired, and excused myself early.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 4

2009-06-05T06:36:00.003-05:00

6/4, 9.13 p.m.This is another of the amazing trees on the Tanglewood grounds: the largest birch I have ever seen. It’s hard to get a sense of scale from the photo, but if you imagine a “normal” birch tree - rather slender, not terribly tall, perhaps you can encompass the entire trunk within the grasp of your two hands - this is a tree on steroids. The twin trunks are each about two feet in diameter, and the top of the tree is literally held together with wire.

Very tired right now. After another full day, I came home, put on the shoes, and went for a run. Took a different direction than last time, with fewer hills, but I did more distance, somewhere around four miles. Made some dinner and called V, and now I’m just about toast.

My morning lot was to tune the last two uprights, and a challenge was set to increase my speed, but I’m just about at my maximum for my current skill set – around an hour and a quarter. Scott stopped by a couple of times, to urge me along, but also gave me some coaching on my technique, which was very helpful.

We’re now well into prepping the grands. Scott gives us more pieces of the set-up and regulation puzzle and then sends us out to our instruments to put the information into practice immediately. It’s a lot like being back in school, except now it’s not just practicing on a part of an old beater piano, it’s doing the “full monty” on an actual performance instrument, with real-world expectations both in terms of time spent and the result achieved. We’re being asked to develop skills of listening and touch very quickly. My head swims at times with new concepts, information, approaches, and technique. I have to say, it makes the day pass quickly, but it is exhausting, both mentally and physically. I’ll be ready for a break on Sunday.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 3

2009-06-04T06:39:00.003-05:00

6/3, 9.49 p.m.

This is my first Steinway Model B of the week, serial #584920. A very nice 7’ piano, more or less straight out of the box, and I am the first technician outside of the Steinway factory to work with it. My job is to bring it into basic playing condition so a decision can be made regarding where it will live for the next two months. Pretty cool. Today I bedded the keyframe, made adjustments to the alignment and traveling paths of the hammers, did a preliminary evaluation of the aftertouch, and added a surprising amount of lacquer to the hammerheads in order to bring up the volume of the piano. Tomorrow I get to hear the results.

Started the day back in vertical-land, with another tuning, bringing my total to 8 so far. This one, though, went much better than the last, and started the day on a positive note. Went from there to a session on voicing, specifically on the use of lacquer as a hardening agent. Lots of focus on listening to the sound of individual notes, and making decisions based on what we hear. After lunch, we split up to our individual pianos and worked on prep, including what we talked about yesterday, the information from the morning’s session, and the beginnings of rough regulation. In short, lots of information, which we are being asked to apply almost instantaneously to real work on the pianos. Very exciting, and challenging.

Ended the day with some socializing with the tech staff at a local watering hole. Nice to relax a bit, and share stories and information. In a couple of weeks, the area will be taken over by the participants in, and listeners to, the music festival, so we’re all enjoying the calm before the storm, as it were.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 2

2009-06-03T06:41:00.003-05:00

7.51 a. m. - The mobile office at Lenox Coffee.

The photo above is of "the Tanglewood tree"; the silhouette of which is used on most of the print media for the music center. It's located on the central part of the grounds near the largest performance venue, the Koussevitsky Music Shed. It's seen better days, in fact is probably in its last years of life, but still quite striking, and only one of countless amazing trees on the grounds. I wish I knew more about tree classifications!

I’ve found what will probably be my mobile workplace for at least the next couple weeks, until the wi-fi on the Tanglewood grounds is up and running for the summer. Nice atmosphere, and the best Americano I’ve had in a long time. I’m hoping the sun will come out soon, so I can head in to the grounds and snap a few photos before the work day begins. Also working through Shop Class as Soulcraft, which is turning out to be particularly relevant to my current undertakings.

9.31 p.m.

Today was a tough one for me. Tuned three vertical pianos, and the third one won. Pitch started out VERY flat, and I didn’t over-correct as much as I should have, and ended up having to do it all again from scratch. Discouraging and frustrating. I could see it coming as I was doing it, which made it all the more painful. I’m walking a very thin line here between knowing that I have a certain amount of knowledge and skill, and feeling that I’m still an absolute beginner. In a way, both are true. Scott had words of encouragement and advice, as did the other tech interns, which helped, but I still was glad to get away from there this evening. Came home and went for a good run to help clear my head. Dinner and a phone call home followed, and I’m feeling a bit more together. We did get started on a new set of tasks today as well, that of prepping the grands for their spaces, which includes very fundamental tasks such as bedding the keyframe; in effect, making sure that there is no lost energy between the pianist’s hands and the initiation of the hammer stroke. A very important first step in grand regulation, and one in which I have limited experience, so it will be very helpful for me, not to mention a needed break from tuning verticals.

It’s a cool night, good sleeping weather. I’m enjoying that for now, because I know there will come a time this summer where I’ll be longing for a break from heat and humidity. A good nights sleep ahead, and start fresh tomorrow.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 1

2009-06-02T06:50:00.001-05:00

6/1, 9.17 p.m.

I woke early today, partly due to anticipation, and partly due to the sounds of traffic on the road in front of the house, which is quite busy. Gathered at the main gate of Tanglewood at 8.00 with John (who is also my roommate for the summer) and Emily, the other two piano tech interns, and Scott, the technician who will be supervising us for the next two weeks. We toured the grounds, which are in a spectacular setting, and saw all of the performance venues, the admin buildings, and the rehearsal spaces. The tour took the better part of three hours; the grounds are quite extensive. Then we dove in on some of the upright pianos, as they are unpacked and ready to be tuned, while the majority of the grands are still on their sides. There will be 80-some instruments for which we will be responsible over the next months, ranging in size from small studio uprights to several 9-foot concert grands. Most of the grounds are not well air conditioned, so keeping all of those pianos in good playing condition will be a challenge.

I tuned two pianos today in the space of about three hours – quite fast for me. The tunings were meant to be “rough”, as in, they aren’t expected to be 100% precise, or to last very long, but it’s a starting point. I also experimented with a different approach to the tunings, which may work for me, given time. In the middle of the afternoon we gathered for more of a “class” session, oriented around listening to our work more like musicians, as opposed to technicians. Very interesting, with a couple of group experiments that I found to be revealing in terms of what I think I hear as opposed to what actually is going on. We’ll be doing more of the same for most of the week, from the sound of it; dividing our time between working and interacting in more of a classroom environment.

I’m feeling energized, but also exhausted, and a little overwhelmed at the scope of what we’ have to accomplish this summer.

Notes from the Berkshires:Day 0

2009-06-01T06:37:00.001-05:00

5/31, 9.21 p.m.

Another very pleasant travel day, with no problems to speak of in the three main areas of potential trouble: weather, traffic, or construction. That last is particularly surprising, considering the time of year, which is usually prime time for lane closures, detours, and general mayhem on the highways. No complaints here.

I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy the scenery in this area, which is a cross between the mountains of the west and the rolling wooded areas of the midwest. I managed one photo stop, looking west from the very western edge of Massachusetts back into New York. Not far from Pittsfield, where I’ll spend the next 11 weeks or so.

Met with the landlord upon arrival, to obtain keys and be shown around the place. It’s an upstairs apartment in a very old building, but the place is furnished, neat, and clean. I’ll be sharing with another of the piano tech interns, and the third will be in a single apartment at the rear of the same building. My roommate has yet to arrive, so I have the space to myself this evening. Made a run to the grocery store for staples, whipped up a simple meat sauce, which I ate gratefully, (last actual meal was nearly 48 hours ago), cleaned up the kitchen and went for a walk towards downtown to stretch the legs. Called Mom and V to let them know I arrived safely, and now am getting pretty close to crashing.

Tomorrow the adventure begins for real.

On the road

2009-05-30T20:43:00.002-05:00

9.43 pm E.S.T - Just outside of Buffalo, NY

I had a full day of driving, managing over 550 miles, which is about as much as my brain and back can take anymore. Quite painless, actually, with good weather and light traffic. Once through Ohio, the scenery really started to change, and I regretted having my camera stowed in the back of the van. I-90 runs along lake Erie from Cleveland all the way to Buffalo, and along with picturesque views of the lake were many vineyards; I had no idea that grapes were such a big crop in this area of the country.

Tomorrow will end up being a rather short-ish drive of 5 hours or so, getting me to the Pittsfield area in plenty of time to scope things out in preparation for diving in to work on Monday morning.

Final push

2009-05-29T16:36:00.002-05:00

Most likely, this will be my last post from the home office; on the road for the next two days, and then in residence near Tanglewood until mid-August. My intention is to keep updating daily, or as close as I can manage, but uploading may be spotty. Hopefully there will be accessible wi-fi somewhere in proximity to my digs or the music center itself, but I just don't know at this point.

The car is partially packed, as are the suitcases, and the cats are all-too-aware that something is afoot. At least V will be here to reassure them they haven't been abandoned. Errands have been run, supplies purchased, and arrangements made. Waiting for a couple items to finish in the laundry, and then the last items can be loaded in preparation for tomorrow morning's departure. It's starting to sink in that I'll be away from home for the better part of three months. Excitement, of course, at the adventure in front of me, but also unease at the change of schedule. However, there have been things about my recent schedule that are due for change, and this is a perfect opportunity to implement some new habits and discard some old.

Last load of laundry completed. Time to finish loading the car, and then to an evening of relaxing with my sweetie.

A birthday, reading, and preparations

2009-05-27T11:06:00.003-05:00

Today is mom's birthday, which also means it's one day short of mine. Good wishes sent flying her direction during the morning sitting, to be followed with a phone call later.

I was forwarded an article from the NYT Sunday magazine, called The Case For Working With Your Hands, by a Matthew B. Crawford, who has a book being released this week called “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work”, which, if the article is any indication, will be a very interesting read. The title has echos of the Pirsig classic, of course (and the author even runs a motorcycle repair business), but this seems more generally about the idea of learning "through the hands". It strikes me that this is what musicians do as a matter of course, which might go a ways toward explaining what has attracted me about piano technology; I've spent a great deal of time in focused practice, gathering information from my hands, eyes and ears in order to increase my facility at a task. Part of his thesis also seems to be directed against the established m.o. of colleges, which more and more is to prepare student for employment, and less and less about actual learning. He speaks fairly strongly against the management field in particular, as being populated by double-speakers who don't actually produce anything. The general tone against college education rankles a bit; I don't think all colleges and teachers are out to brainwash students, but there is certainly a fair amount of that going on. The article can be found here.

Otherwise, my time is being spent in preparations for my temporary relocation to western Massachusetts. There is an awful lot to do, when one is going to be away from home for 10 weeks. The living arrangements sound adequate, if not as comfortable as those to which I am used, and the work will keep me very busy, I'm sure. But little logistical things such as packing clothing for varying temperatures, deciding what tools to take, arranging for mail to be sent to the proper place, bills to be paid, and ensuring that communication lines remain open are all significant tasks. And then there are other little quality-of-life issues, such as deciding what music, books, and instruments will make the trip with me to occupy my relatively few leisure hours. Of course, as with any large undertaking, there is a dose of anxiety as well; last night included a dream of arriving at Tanglewood without any of my tools! All in all, though, I'm starting to feel very excited about the summer.

Jump start

2009-05-22T08:05:00.002-05:00

Well - after more than a month, it's time to get this thing in gear again. As of today, I am officially self-employed as a piano technician, having passed my last day at the dayjob. As perfect as the job at Schaff was for that period in my life, it feels very good to be moving on to the next thing. The next week or so will be filled with tasks of all sorts in preparation for my departure for Tanglewood late next week. The plan is to have the computer there with me, allowing me to maintain the blog and the website while I'm in the Berkshires, as connections allow.

Lots to do, lots to do...

I'm glad there is - II

2009-04-14T21:39:00.006-05:00

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.

As much as I love the music this team has written, I think I appreciate their lyrics even more. These guys are storytellers of the first order, from the very early stuff right up to the most recent solo projects. Do yourself a favor - sit down with one of the Steely Dan albums and read the lyrics as the song plays. Sometimes bizarre, occasionally disturbing, almost always sarcastic, and often sublime; it is to be transported into another world.

Incompleteness, new challenges, and Quality

2009-04-14T21:03:00.002-05:00

It's amazing to me the way things move, shift, morph, and skew while always staying fundamentally the same. An odd bank shot in billiards, an unexpected bounce off the backboard in basketball, a pop fly that turns into a run; things change while the game goes on. I've felt - always, I think - that my life was a life in a constant state of incompleteness. Constantly moving towards something, I know not what, but in a state of motion nonetheless. Sometimes it feels so normal to me that I wonder how others exist any other way.

For example: there was a point in my life where I knew, beyond any doubt, that my path was connected to Music. How that has actually played out, though, the literal path that I have followed, was of no conscious design. Piano, singing, 'cello, electric bass , back to singing, back to bass (but acoustic this time), adding some singing back in to the bass work, and back to piano - there's only one common thread, and that is Change. I see now in retrospect that I have always sought to place new challenges in front of myself. There is a part of my nature that craves a new goal to achieve, and tends to want to accomplish that in the shortest possible time. Not a short-cut, but more of a fast track to the next thing, or next level. The good aspect of this is a (relatively) broad range of knowledge and experience. The downside is never having a sense of arrival, of achieving a peak of some sort. The peak is a goal, and the sides of the mountain are the challenge. And the sides of the mountain wouldn't exist were it not for the peak! The Journey is everything. Which leads to the concept of Quality.

Re-reading Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has been a great diversion over the past few days. It was probably 25 years ago that I first read it, and I'm discovering that little of it stuck, but that makes the rediscovery all that much more enjoyable. The scenes where the narrator is (literally) rediscovering his past in the context of the University teaching scene are especially resonant. If there is a constant within my aforementioned constant of Change, it is the search for Quality in whatever it is I'm doing. The beauty of piano technology is that there is an artistic level to the work itself, and also to the result made manifest, i.e. the performance on the instrument. Performing Quality work, so that the artist may perform Quality work in turn. Very cool stuff.

There is an opportunity which seems to be presenting itself to me beyond Tanglewood which will involve some hard thinking and choices, but also seems to be leading me down that familiar road I've traveled so often. Exciting times!

Expertise and new CDs

2009-04-02T17:33:00.001-05:00

Home from the dayjob, and on my own for a few hours as V is visiting her daughter in the city. Been reading a lot the past couple of days on the subject of expertise on the Piano Technicians Guild tech board. The "10000 Hour" rule has been mentioned, and commented on both positively and not-so-much. The idea (not sure where it originates, but I ran across it first in a book called This Is Your Brain On Music, by Daniel Levitin, and most recently in The Craftsman, by Richard Sennett) is that it takes roughly 10000 hours of practice to be come a world-class expert at anything. Part-time technicians tend to take umbrage at this idea, naturally, since very few of them have, or will have, that kind of time under their belt, so consequently according to the rule, they will never achieve the level of Expert. This is, of course Not Necessarily True, but still. Personally, I tend to buy into the idea, but in the framework of retrospect only; this is not something for which one can plan. In otherwords, if someone sets out to do anything for 10000 hours, and is still counting those hours after, say, 5000, then it's very likely that person is more concerned about the fact of the accomplishment than about the Craft they are pursuing, and will miss the point. Conversely, if someone is pursuing a Craft seriously and honorably, they will lose interest in counting the hours they spend on it very quickly, because it really doesn't matter.

Looking back, there are two areas in which I can honestly say I have passed the 10K mark: playing the bass and teaching. This is based on loose figures, admittedly, but 20 years of practicing and playing the bass, plus 15 years of teaching gets me as close as need be. According to the 'rule', I should be an expert in both these areas, and, in retrospect I know it to be true. However, it's not a guarantee of quality, or of anything else, for that matter. Simply a point along a line. Now in the piano technician field, I have far less than 10000 hours, but - I have this piece of paper which says I'm a Registered Piano Technician, meaning I have passed a rigorous set of exams and achieved a certain level of competence. So - am I an expert? Hardly. Does it matter? Not at all, because, again, it's just another point on another line. As long as my intention is to continue to grow and develop my knowledge and skill, Expertise will happen. And I'll know it in retrospect.

Managed to budget for new CDs this week for the first time in awhile, and came up with three real winners which I'm having a lot of fun digesting:

Rickie Lee Jones - The Magazine (1984)
Chris Potter 10 - Song For Anyone (2007)
Jim Hall & Bill Frisell - Hemispheres (2008)

The first two were recommendations from a friend (thanks Chris!), and the third, well, knowing what I know about the two artists, it was pretty much an auto-buy. Loving all three so far. They couldn't be more different from each other; I've always loved contrast, and these are giving me plenty, both between them and within each. Very cool.

Tanglewood!!!

2009-03-30T20:52:00.002-05:00

Some most excellent news arrived recently: I've been selected as one of three apprentice piano technicians for the Tanglewood Music Festival in the Berkshire mountains in western Massachusetts. This is a great honor, and will be a wonderful learning experience; Tanglewood is the summer home to the Boston Symphony, and the concert series also includes performances by the Emerson Quartet, the Juilliard Quartet, Peter Serkin, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Joshua Bell, among many others. The three apprentices and the head technician are responsible for the health and well-being of around 80 pianos on the festival grounds, in the performance venues and rehearsal spaces. I will be there from the beginning of June until mid-August, doing nothing but working on pianos and absorbing as much of the vibe of Excellence as I possibly can. What could be better? [Well, V could be there with me for the summer, but she will be visiting at least once - for the 4th of July performance by Diana Krall.]

It was 20 years ago this summer, 1989, when I left Massachusetts as a credentialed-yet-inexperienced bassist for an opportunity which afforded huge growth - as the bassist for the Aspen Jazz Ensemble. And now I return to Massachusetts in 2009 as a credentialed-yet-inexperienced piano technician for what should be a very analogous experience at Tanglewood. As they say, large circles are spinning.

Why "A is A" Piano Service?

2009-03-29T21:23:00.002-05:00

I've been asked this question a number of times since I started my business. The short answer is: Because it made you ask! But, beyond that there are a couple of reasons. Aristotle, for one. His law of identity, stated in this way, means that everything that exists has a unique nature, which cannot be avoided or denied. Ayn Rand used it as the cornerstone of her philosophy of Objectivism. To me it means: there are no mysteries that cannot be solved with the proper dedication and focus. Also: there is no use in evading reality, because it's gonna happen no matter what you do, brother.

Secondly, 'A' happens to be the first note I tune on a piano, and it's the same 'A' each and every time.

I temper this seemingly intractable viewpoint by paying heed to a favorite quote from the guitarist Robert Fripp, viz. "Things are not as they seem. But neither are they otherwise."

I'm glad there is - I

2009-03-29T21:00:00.004-05:00

Most people who appreciate jazz improvisation and piano are hip to Mr. Jarrett's Standards Trio, but this wonderful recording (1992, released in 1994) sometimes escapes notice. I can't explain it fully; perhaps it's simply the presence of Paul Motian on drums rather than Jack DeJohnette (whom I love in the 'normal' trio without reservation), or the intimacy of the setting, or the quality of the recording itself. Whatever the reason, this is the Jarrett trio recording I come back to most often, and fondly. Jarrett searches here as he does nowhere else, especially on the standards 'Solar', 'Basin Street Blues', and the seldom-recorded 'Chandra' by Jaki Byard. The ballad which closes the set, Rogers and Hart's 'It's Easy To Remember' is stunning.

Seven-year Itches

2009-03-29T07:44:00.007-05:00

So - there are those who believe that our lives can be viewed in seven-year periods, or sections. I'm not sure I buy into it all-the-way (there are ways to make numbers come out almost any way you want, if you're willing to look hard enough), but as I look back on my life, approaching twoscore and eight, it seems there are some significant events which can be viewed as happening in and around the beginnings/ends of the septadic (?) divisions. Briefly:

Age 7: I don't know - do you remember what you were doing when you were seven?

Age 14: The beginning of my life as a listening musician. This marks the year when I discovered the joy of delving deeply into a recording, dissecting it, and making it a part of me. I spent a LARGE portion of this period listening to music, much of which still resonates with me to this day. I also developed a love of performing and the experience of creating music with others. Mind-altering substances may-or-may-not have been involved; I'm not saying either way.

Age 21: The end of a period of trying-to-become something other than what my nature dictated, and the beginning of a period of trying-to-become what was right for me. The transition revolved around flunking out of college (as a computer science major) and beginning my serious study of music. If substances were involved, they would have been left behind during this period. Mostly.

Age 28: With a Bachelors degree in Voice Performance under my belt, I choose to follow another path towards instrumental music. In the midst of my Masters program I change from vocal music to the string bass. I complete the MM at UMass 18 months later and begin a career in college music teaching.

Age 35: I leave my first teaching job, and start towards the completion of my doctorate (begun in the previous period), but am sidetracked by an opportunity to combine my vocal and instrumental teaching and performing abilities at a unique school in Iowa. I spend time there, leave for a while, and finally return at the end of this period. I also meet my Sweetie, the divine Ms. V.

Age 42: The beginning of the end of my teaching career. I spend the first three years fighting it, but then decide on a move towards something else. I discover Guitar Craft, the substance and sense of which becomes a very important facet of my life. This is where piano technology presents itself to me as an option, a result of an otherwise innocuous conversation with a colleague, and I decide to pursue the craft. A move to Chicago, with a stop along the way to gather up V, and we set up operations in Lake County, home of a surprising number of forest preserves, the best beer selection I've ever been near (except for Dirty John's in Iowa City), and now, A is A Piano Service.

There you have it: I'm at the beginning of the end of my seventh septad (It's a word. I just decided.), and trying to be watchful for signs of the future presenting itself.

Here we go...

2009-03-28T15:46:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the beginning of the end of the seventh septad of my life on this planet. What does that mean, exactly? Is septad even a word?

More to come...