[CAUT] Care and feeding of stage grands

[ricb at pianostemmer.no]

Hi Kent

I agree 100 % with your thinking about a relationship between the
instruments appearance and the respect with which it get handled.
That said I think that the amount of resources many schools allocate
to piano hold prohibits much of what you rightly (IMHO) suggest. 

As far as removing lids. I cant stop them from doing it... even
without consulting me.  But I can make myself an appropriate pain in
the pattotey about such things.  It does raise awareness abit and
lessens the damage that is otherwise unavoidable to some degree or
another.  

I have after 8 years here at UiB managed to nearly eliminated the
tendancy of folks to place food stuffs on instruments.  Grin... I get
a kick out of going into practice rooms and seeing the extra note
holder standing there in horizontal orientation so as to serve as a
side table.  I always thank the person for doing so.  

Cheers
RicB


******************************************************
I have a couple questions about maintaining concert pianos on stages  
at universities.

1) Do you have a policy about the touch-up of finish damage? I would  
think a good-looking piano would generate more respect and care than
a  
beat-up one.  (Although I didn't think that the time a couple years  
ago when we had a D refinished and the first week-end it was back in  
service, it received more damage than it had before being refinished.

I still haven't recovered from that one.) Does anyone touch-up as  
needed? Or perhaps annually? Never?

2) Do you have a policy on removing lids? It seems like every  
recording project, every duo-piano performance, every large ensemble  
performance requires the lid to be removed. There is also a history
of  
damage being done while removing and replacing grand piano lids.

Sure would like to know what various schools do. Thanks.


Kent Swafford