[pianotech] Tuning with birds

[Norman Dutton]

Great stories. Me, my wife and son laughed long and hard!  Thanks.

Norman Dutton
PTG Associate Member



Gerald Groot wrote:
> Love both stories.  
>
> One time while working in a home alone with two of these birds talking
> incessantly the whole time I was there, in the same room of course, I soon
> learned what went on in that household when the owners were at home alone
> with these birds....  At first, they were driving me NUTS with their
> constant blathering about absolutely nothing intelligent whatsoever.  It did
> not take very long though, before I was laughing my fool head off.  Those
> two birds could swear almost as good as a sailor!  They had me laughing so
> hard listening to their constant swearing that I could barely tune there for
> a little bit.  I had tears streaming down my face.  It was like one was
> feeding off from the other one.  A true comedy act.  I noted however, that
> there was one or two words missing in their vocabulary. I felt compelled to
> teach them what they were missing out on but, I didn't dare...  
>
> Never killed one though...  Wanted too!  
>
> Jer  
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
> Of Dempsey Jr., Paul E
> Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 4:13 PM
> To: pianotech at ptg.org
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Tuning with birds
>
> I had this happen a couple of years ago, posted it to the list, but it's
> worth re-telling.
>
> feathered onlookers
> Dempsey Jr., Paul E dempsey at marshall.edu 
> Mon Feb 11 13:12:48 MST 2008 
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
>
> I have serviced Betty Ann's lovely Steinway L for many years. Just as you
> enter her home you see a rather large aviary with several parrots,
> cockatoos, cockatiels....you get the picture.
>
> Every time I had been there the birds were in the enclosure. They
> occasionally will screech, whistle, etc. the usual bird talk, but never much
> of a bother.  Until.....
>
> As fate would have it, one day I came to tune and Betty Ann greeted me at
> the door and then disappeared to the other end of the house.
> I noticed that the aviary was open and vacant.
> I thought little about that and began work.
>
> The great room where the piano is located has high vaulted ceilings, ledges,
> exposed beams, a highly polished parquet floor.
>
> I began tuning, thankful that Betty Ann was in the other end of the house
> (she's a talker ;-).
>
> I was about half way through the tuning when suddenly, from behind me; there
> was the sound of a screeching B-52 coming straight at my head. Startled, I
> did a duck and cover- both hands and arms flying up to cover my head. My
> tuning hammer was still clutched tightly in my hand and SMACK!!!
>
> One of the birds had zoomed down from the rafters making this God awful
> sound, arriving at my head the same time as the tuning hammer in my hand.
> POW- there the bird went.. spiraling across the polished floor a good 10-15
> feet and then just laid there ON IT'S BACK!
>
> I thought " O MY GOD, I KILLED BETTY ANN'S BIRD".
>
> About then Betty Ann sings out from the other end of the house " Paul, is
> the bird bothering you?"
>
> I blurted back " Not any more"
>
> Fortunately, the bird flopped back to its feet, squawking for all it's worth
> and flew back up to its perch in the ceiling.
>
> It never came back down and it never shut its beak the entire rest of my
> visit.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Paul E. Dempsey, RPT
> Piano Technician Sr.
> Marshall University
> Huntington, WV
> 304-696-5418
> 304-617-1149
>
>
>
>
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> Paul E. Dempsey, RPT
> Piano Technician Sr.
> Marshall University
> Huntington, WV
> 304-696-5418
> 304-617-1149
>
>
>