I saw MaryAnna's comment about not getting the piano tuned mid-pandemic and wondered about everyone else?

I was fortunate early on to be able to talk with my son and his husband - both in the medical field - about the science behind avenues of viral transmission. They helped me tweak my pandemic protocol to be as safe as possible. After a slow couple of months, I've been able to continue working throughout.

Just like the rest of America, there is a huge divide among technicians on their approach to pandemic tuning, so if you decide to tune, you may need to be clear in your expectations...

I outline my covid protocol in emails when scheduling as well as a text on the morning of the call.

Be well!

I’m due, but it’s not too awful yet.

I figure I’ve got a chance at the vaccine in the next couple months, so I’m holding out to see. My tuner is over 75 years old, and I believe is having his vaccine about now. If I get delayed much, I will give them a call and see how he is handling it.

Three tunings plus two string changes since the pandemic. Because the new strings are more unstable, I'm going to schedule another tuning soon.

Masks, and leave lots of space for the technician.

I think of you every time I sit down to my untuned piano, Ron.

I like my technician, but I don't feel like I know him well. I know that his family has been in Oklahoma a good while, and I know that COVID denial is strong here. I just haven't wanted to bring it up, because I'm not ready to have that fight and I don't want to have to "fire" him when the truth is that all the technicians around here may be anti-maskers.

So I just listen to the piano go slowly haywire. Sigh.

No tunings in 2020, and not until we are vaccinated. No visits of any kind until then. Period.

I have a tuning hammer. If a unison strays too far, I can usually catch it and bring it back in tune. So far, I have not had to do that.

I had one tuning during the pandemic. Technician was masked and so was I. No problem. But I probably won't have another till this passes.

Funny you should ask. I just had my beast tuned a couple of days ago. I waited and resisted and resisted, but it was two years ago that I last had the piano worked on.

So, Terry came over and did the work. I tend to tune to around 443 and was expecting it to be way off. Nah. It had fallen to just under 442 after all this time.

He was masked and so was I. And we kept apart.

Ron, I've had my piano tuned twice now. My tuner wears a mask, and we also wear masks even though we don't go into the piano room while he's here. I mask Mr. SK wear one even though he's in his studio in the basement! And then I've opened up the house briefly to move the air around after the tuner leaves.

Oh and I prep the check in advance and leave it on a table by the door.

My tuner thanked me that second time for being so careful and considerate about it, I think he might have had a customer who was less so!

We like to chat and normally would chat in the piano room, but both tunings sice covid I've stood at the far end of the hallway and the tuner in the piano room and we chat just briefly.

Separate from that, we've had maintenance people in the house as well, and with one, I met them outside and said, no you can't wear that thing that looks like a gas mask because it has valves. He cooperatively took it off and accepted the surgical mask I gave him before coming inside.

We are planning to get a new water heater but I'm trying to put that off because I think it will mean 2 or 3 guys in the basement for several hours, or like maybe the whole day?? (whereas the tuner is maybe 1.5 hours)
So I'm hoping to avoid anything that requires someone to be in the house longer until both me and Mr. SK can get vaccinated.

MA, I can totally understand where you're coming from!

I'm fortunate to be FB friends with my tuner and so I learned a long time ago that he's anti-Trump, pro-mask, and a whole bunch of other things I completely agree with! Just lucky though!

quote:

Originally posted by Doug:
I’m due, but it’s not too awful yet.

This is particularly fascinating to me as I thought you had a digital piano. Did they install a damp chaser on your digital piano as well?

quote:

Originally posted by kluurs:

quote:

Originally posted by Doug:
I’m due, but it’s not too awful yet.

This is particularly fascinating to me as I thought you had a digital piano. Did they install a damp chaser on your digital piano as well?

Nope. Yamaha upright that I’ve owned for over 40 years. It holds a tuning pretty well, but it makes a lot of mistakes…

In June it will be six years since my piano was tuned.

This was a much longer post, but somehow most of what I wrote vanished!!

quote:

but it makes a lot of mistakes…

Oh does ... it?

I had mine tuned in the summer. It was about a year since my last tuning and I couldn't take it any more.

The tuner was super-COVID respectful, and when I called for the appointment the receptionist grilled me on our own household COVID behavior. I met him at the door (both masked) and left the room. When he was done he cleaned off the piano (again) and stood as far away as possible while I gave it a test drive. When all was good I signed the paper (he had left it next to the piano) and left the room. He said thanks (we were yelling from room to room LOL), let himself out. About 15 minutes later I got a call from the receptionist asking if I wanted to pay her by check, CC or Venmo. All contactless payments.

I didn't get COVID. Hopefully he didn't, either.

I had mine tuned twice in 2020. The technician wore a mask.

I skipped my summer 2019 tuning, because I wasn’t having my annual piano and pinot fundraiser. And then I missed the 2020 tuning, too. I guess I should do that this year. I’ll wait till I’m vaccinated, though; I’m not playing much right now.

We’ve had appliance repair people and furnace service people in. Everyone wears a mask, including me. I’m not too fussed about it. But no social visitors inside for the last year. Including our kids.