tuning story

[Les Smith]

Horace:

Swords, knives, clubs, axes, old Kate Smith recordings. In short,
whatever it takes. Tact, subtley and diplomacy are just lost on
some people. True story: A few  years ago,  one New Year's Eve
morning, I was in a local country-club, tuning a very lovely, older
Steinway model "B" for that evening's upcoming New Year's party.
About half-way through the tuning, a cleaning lady came into the
room pushing a heavy-duty, atomic-powered, Hoovermatic Vacuum clean-
er, that sounded like the space-shuttle booster lifting off the launch
pad. I stopped tuning, and walked over to her smiling. When she saw
me approaching, she turned off the vacuum and nodded "hello". Mus-
tering every bit of tact and patience I had, I said the following:
"Good morning. As you can see, I'm in the middle of tuning the piano.
I hope that I'm not disturbing your vacuuming." To which she replied.
while giving me a big smile: "Oh, no, Dearie, you're not bothering
me at all. Keep on tuning!"  Having run out of tact, my response to
that may have offended her slightly, because she left the room quick-
ly and I was able to finish tuning without being bothered again. As
I left the club-house and started for my car, the thought DID cross
my mind that I might find that it now had four flat tires, but when
I got there I was relieved to find that my car was untouched. Ap-
parently the cleaning lady had not been offended by my remarks after
all! As a matter of fact, as I started my car and drove by the club-
house, I thought I saw her standing in the window, waving good-bye to
me! There's just one thing. Now, looking back on it, when I picture
her standing in the window, I seem to remember her waving, using only
one finger!  Naw. I must just have a faulty memory! :)

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net




On Thu, 13 Mar 1997, Horace Greeley wrote:

>
> Les,
>
> "That part where he attacks her with the sword?
> 	We do not like it!  Remove it!"
>
> 		Elizabeth R
>
> Horace
>
>
>
> At 01:48 PM 3/13/97 -0500, you wrote:
> >It had to be "The Taming of the Shrew!"
> >
> >Les Smith
> >lessmith@buffnet.net
> >
> >On Thu, 13 Mar 1997, Keith A. McGavern wrote:
> >
> >> >...her husband thrust a book in my hands as I left with $10 for the
> >> >music lesson. "Changed my life!" he said...
> >> >Sam Grossner, Chicago.
> >>
> >> And the book was??
> >>
> >> Keith A. McGavern
> >> kam544@ionet.net
> >> Registered Piano Technician
> >> Oklahoma Chapter 731
> >> Piano Technicians Guild
> >> Oklahoma Baptist University
> >> Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> Horace Greeley
>
> Stanford University
> email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu
> voice mail: 415.725.9062
> LiNCS help line: 415.725.4627
>
>