A Tuner's Life 9

 

In early June of 2016 I took a phone call in the afternoon. A lady wanted her piano tuned and one ivory had popped off, requiring re-attachment.

We spoke for a while regarding vintage pianos. She asked me about the older tall uprights she was finding in alleyways all over the Vancouver city area. I offered the history on how this came about; the fact that most of these instruments were very old now, built previous to 1936, and, for the most part, the majority of them would require a complete restoration to become a viable musical instrument once again. I described how the cost for that far exceeded the cost for a new upright, and for most people, too much money. The pianos were being left in alleys and recently purchased homes due to the cost of disposal.

She then informed me she was a radio journalist, and asked me if I would like to be interviewed for a radio segment documentary she was developing about the piano industry in the local area and the country.

It was mid-August when she came by and sat in my garden for about 90 minutes for the interview.

I was contacted in October when the broadcast was going to air. It was on a show called The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright.

The documentary "End Notes" was broadcast on October 16 2016. What happened after that surprised me in several ways.

First, I had no idea how many people in Canada still listened to and enjoyed talk radio. Secondly, the enjoyment and sentiment Canadians feel about the old vintage pianos was remarkable.

Following the initial broadcast, I received hundreds of letters and emails about the show. My phone rang continuously with calls from people all over Canada who wanted to talk about their old piano. Some were emotional, even wept at the memory of Grandma’s or Auntie’s old upright that was still enjoyed in their home.

The show touched a nerve right across the nation.  I had a flood of jobs come in from people who listened to the show, and decided to have their vintage piano restored.  Several of them remarked that it was a good idea to do this now as I was the only piano restoration shop left in Vancouver.

It was interesting to discover how many Canadians still enjoy gathering around the old piano and enjoying music.

Here is a link to the CBC article and the radio show. The link for the radio show is at the top of article and runs about 20 minutes.There was a rebroadcast the following summer and the phone calls, emails, and letters started over again. It was a truly enjoyable experience.

Here is the link below. Enjoy reading and listening.....

End Notes