Whether the weather?

[J Patrick Draine]

On Jan 31, 2006, at 6:37 AM, Conrad Hoffsommer wrote:
>
> The mantra that I recall hearing many years ago was that, here in  
> the US, central heating (somehow claimed to be more of a dessicant  
> than other ways of keeping warm) is more common.

Well, it happens to be true! My experience goes back to a couple  
visits to Taiwan in the 70s; during 1978 I was the piano technician  
for the College of Chinese Culture outside Taipei. Winters were damp  
and chilly, and warm, dry rooms were far from commonplace. One would  
make a practice of visiting slightly warmer locations (cafeteria  
perhaps, or the main office for the music department). Heating was  
usually from propane or electric space heaters. Holding a cup of tea  
was a way to warm up your hands! No heat in the tiny practice rooms  
-- hey the kids were burning enough calories practicing for hours why  
would they complain about being cold!? We worn cotton padded jackets  
all the time not because they looked cool but because they kept us warm!
So -- there was no point in seasoning the wood more aggressively than  
they did at the time. Yes, the 70s was a long time ago, but many of  
the grey market pianos are from that era, and here in centrally  
heated New England their soundboards and pinblocks fail over their  
first winter here. And much of China is still way more "undeveloped"  
than Taiwan was in the 70s.

Patrick Draine
aka Di Bode
Happy New Year -- Year of the Dog!