The sun., 1909-01-24
THE PIANO TUNERS TRADE.
whims OF Great Artists-Things Found
In Pianos.
Said a piano tuner:

cdiu Il piano tuner.
Piano tuners are for the most par
graduated from piano factories. While
the piano tuner is required to know every
part in the makeup Of a piano he is mol
necessarily a piano repairer; nor car
the average piano maker or rerairer
tune a piano. There are hundreds ol
expert makers and repairers Of pianos
who wouldn't be able to tell one tune
| from another.
The piano tuner is born, not made
His acute sense of the vibrations Of sound
is given to him AT his birth, and the man
who hasn't got this sense cant become
a piano tuner.
Like any other piano tuner who under
stands his business and whose ear has
been made normally acute by practice
and training can detect falseness
OF tenth Of a tone in piano even IL am
only passing the house in which the
instrument is being played, and never
have such an experience that / don't
feel like going into that house and setting
the thing right. Most piano tuners
have to run away from the barrel organs
and street pianos, their falseness and
discord are so nerve racking.
Some 5isno tuners work on their own
hook, but the majority OF them are at
tached to the piano Establishments and
get pretty fair salaries. II costs from
$i.50 to $40 to have a piano tuned, the
average being about 81 for bit of care
ful, painstaking work.
For a laborious and exhausting task
Of tuning such as getting an instrument
into condition for a great performer,
tuners get good sized fees. Once I tuned
a piano for Paderewski. The Job took
me six hours, as l did the work under
the almost constant supervision Of Pad
erewski himself He was pretty fussy
at first, but after halting me several
times he finally concluded. suppose,
that ! knew my business pretty we'll
and let me go ahead.
quite a number OF years ago, when
Hans Won Bulow visited this town.
tuned the piano upon which he played.
he wouidf-t allow the instrument TO be-
tuned in the wareroom, one OF his whims
being that even a short removal OF
piano knocks il all out OF tune; and there's
something in that theory, at that. so
tuned il upon the platform upon which
he was IA perform.
'He stood over me all the time, letting
out agonized whoops and German cuss
words, until couldn't help but laugh in I
his face. Finally, when had the piano
almost tuned he gave few more shrieks .
and grabbing the wrench began doing
the job all over again. let him go ahead .
and inside of three minutes he had the .
piano so hopelessly out OF tune that il .
took me three hours 10 get 1t into shape
again. Herr Won B0ow had TO pay double
for this little exhibition OF temper
III had kept and converted into money
all the articles OF value that I've found
In pianos I've tuned IL would make very
neat sum for me TO fall back upon in my
Did age. This Is especially true with ref
srence 10 grand pianos in the homes OF
The wealthy
A few yaars ago was summoned 10
tune triangular piano In the residence
If a wealthy family here and on making
, preliminary run over the keys I in
,tantly detected an odd janglins In the
iprer register. This jangling. il seems,
lad also been detected by the young
women Of the family, but none Of them had
aiken the trouble 10 investigate the cause
u the unusual sound,
1T didn't take me very long to pick out