Notes from the Berkshires:Day 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...