First Nightmare Tuning

[Susan Kline]

At 06:31 PM 01/12/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Last week I was contacted to tune a Courier spinet for a local
>supermarket chain owner.  Surprisingly, it was only 120 cents low, and
>covered with decorative items :-).  Thinking this tuning might give a
>boost to my fledgling career, I took extra care in readying the piano.
>Everything progressed well until my back grew tired and I sat on the
>bench.  To my horror, my pants stuck to the bench!  After extracating
>myself I discovered the finish had turned soft.  All turned out well in
>the end (:-)) as they were very happy with the tuning and were in fact
>embarrassed by what happened.  I think I shall inspect benches very
>carefully from now on.
>
>Tom Robinson
>East Tennessee

In my second Journal article (Nov. 97, entitled "Bench Marks"), I talked about
what I do so I don't have to look at the sitzmark, which is a profoundly
dispiriting way to end a tuning.  <grin>

I look at the bench when I arrive, and unless it is already covered or
seems completely new, clean, and unwaxed, I ask the owner for a bath towel.
I may mumble something about scooting around comfortably, or I may say
outright that I don't want to find out how wide the mark is <grin>, or I
may just talk about keeping the bench "fresh". It doesn't matter, they
all get me the towel. One Chinese lady didn't know what a "bath towel"
was, and brought me a paper towel, but most of the time, no problem.

Susan Kline