Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-05-28
PIANOS VERY NERVOUS.
THEY OBJECT TO CERTAIN LITTLE THINGS
ABOUT THEN.
That is Why They Rastls-S0ns Principles o
Acoustics Explained for the Benefit Of
Houssk.spsrs Who Think That Their
Pianos Need Tuning When Some
thing Else is at Fault
81. Loui. GIOos.DemOerat.

thing Else is at Fault
81. louis GlO6s-Dsmocrdt.
Wave sounds! The piano don't need
tuning? Fiddlesticks!
This was the remark OF q lady VINO
had been complaining about her plano,
a costly instrument, which sue hau
just recently purchased and which hSu
| given her no end Of trouble. 1t had
been unsatisfactory since the first day
it had been SET up in her house, though
she had been perfectly delighted with IL
In the music store. 1t had been out OF
tune from the first note struck after II
| bad been set up In the parlors. Inc
trouble, however, seemed to be due al
most entirely to one key. She had
complained, and the piano tuner had
been sent out. He had gone over the
instrument carefully and had p~ronounc-
ed IL in perfect condition. M next
day she was complaining again, and a
second time the tuner was sent out.
This time he went over the instrument
more carefully than before. but he
could see nothing, and again pro-
nounced the piano In perfect tune ana
order. Again she complained, and this
time she expressed her opinion OF the
tuners in very uncomplimentary
terms. They did not know their bust
ness, she said. They didn't know when
a piano was In tune, and couldn't tell a
( note out Of tune unless 1t was In a per-
feet jengle. The poor tuner wasn't
around, or his finer feelings would have
been very much hurt by the cutting up
be was receiving. 1t was the salesman
who had been the sufferer, and he had
yentured the opinion that the trouble
| wasn't with the piano, but with some
thing about its Surroundings. III was
wave sound or sympathy, that was all.
This assertion had drawn out the re-
mark quoted above. 1t was delivered
In a tone OF complete disgust. The In
competent tuner had been bad euough,
bot this was intolerable.
"Well, madam,I don't know anything
about tuning" replied the salesman,
''but 1 will venture that l can fix your
piano, and / won't touch it except 10
run over the keys"
The lady didn't believe it, but said II
he thought so he had better go out and
try it. The salesman did go out that
afternoon. Running over the keys he
quickly realized that there was cause OF
complaint, but at the came time he was
more confident than ever that he was
right, and that the trouble was not with
the piano itself. He examined every
thing about it, that is externally, then
run over the keys again, meanwhile u.s.
tening and looking around the room,
as if examining the furniture also, or
possibly making a mental calculation as
10 what 1t cost. .
How do you like the furnitureP"
asked the lady, somewhat irritated.
Every pretty" was the reply, "but
you will oblige me by running over
these keys awhile?"
The lady did so somewhat relnct-
antly, and was still more annoyed when
the gentleman began TO pose slowly
around the room. Finally he stepped
by the folding doors and pulled one out.
"Ain't there sound enough here with
out closing the doors?" she asked, at
sea as to his meaning.
ayes. but | think I've found the
cause OF the trouble, it's IL this door"
be replied, not noticing her Impotence.
''Please run the scale again. Yes, it's
here"
Then pulling the door out and push
ing it in again he frightened a couple OF
| screws and returned 10 the piano to run
the scale. The trouble had vanished as
If by magic. The lady was nonplused.
She did not know what to say. But
she has often since laughed at the Idea
of having a piano seller fix the folding
doors In her residence.
Speaking OF the case, the salesman
said this wave sympathy was the cause
OF a great deal of trouble. People
couldn't understand IL. Here" he
said, stand here and hold my silk hat
| in this way, the thumb on the inside OF
the rim" Then he began humping on
one after another OF half adozen keys.
"Do you feel anything?" Yes, when
one key was touched there was a vibra-
ton that tingled like a slight electric
shock, but II entirely disappeared when
the key next 10 this certain one was
touched. That" he added, is an
ILLUSTRATION Vi my O"hi IA 80
in line with the gay theory.
[ do not know any more about tuning
4 plapo than | do about making
q piapo, and when | start out TO see
what is the matter with m instrument
| 90 upon the theory Of gay sympathy
entirely. II you go rabbit hunting you
| loak for rabbit-tracks, and IL you find
them you follow the tracks. When the
tuner is called 10 a plano he looks Tor
the trouble in the piano, but when go
I look for rabbit tracks, something en-
tirely foreign. I survey the situation.
and then start on a smelling expedition
! TO find the object in sympathy with the
! affected key. The effect frequently
gives me the direction, and having
secured this ! have only TO 20 ahead,
when | am as certain 10 bring up with
the object as a detective is when be
once gets q good hot trail OF q criminal.
An amusing incident OF the wave
sympathy occurred TO a st. Louis gen.
tleman who, at the time, was engaged
in business IN Detroit. II had" he
| said, "sold a very foe piano to a gen
tleuan about two hundred miles out OF
the city. He hadn't had the instrument
but a few days until he began writing
!. A Weak Digestion |
strange as it may seem, is caused
" r. @bo4 u-btnh Eel