Piano renovation stops for actual practice (sorry - had to happen sooner or later)

There are no days to add to the piano work. My mid-term exam in jazz improv was Monday night (more on that later), and I had to study. “Study” in this case means “practice”, as we had to be able to play three different musical patterns in any of six modes in any of 12 keys. (Yep, that’s 216 different combinations, for those of you keeping track.) We also had to be able to play a ii-V-I cadence in all twelve keys, plus we had to be able to play and solo over two tunes (Miles Davis’ “Tune Up” and Joe Henderson’s “Recorda-Me”). So, I didn’t have any time for working on the piano.

I had to be playing.

During the week, I pretty much had the tunes and 2-5-1 cadences worked out. What was killing me was the modes and keys and patterns. I developed an Excel worksheet with a random number generator so that I would be forced to work through the different patterns and modes and keys in an unpredictable sequence, which would hopefully help my retention and force me to think things through. Here’s the sheet:

Then I figured if I played through a completely randomized sheet two or three times, I’d have it pretty much covered. In working on the cadences and tunes and solos, however, I found myself lacking enough time to work through all the modes and patterns. In fact, working out solos in the correct keys for the tunes took up a lot of time, as did practicing them to the point of confidence. But working on the modes and patterns was also very difficult. Most of my problem had to do with my weak grasp of the major keys in general. A lot had to do with trying to play rootless voicing chords in the mix, which sometimes confused me, and some of it had to do with because I don’t know the key well, I had to work on the patterns repeatedly and slowly, taking way too much time. I mean, if one pattern took just one minute, I could be done in, what, 216 minutes. That’s three-and-a-half hours. True, some took just one minute, but some took two or three, some five (occasionally). In short, I only made it about three-quarters of that way through them all, and only once.

Not good. (It’s going to be even tougher during the rest of the semester, as we move to the minor keys right after our exam.)

I’m not worried about my mid-term, though. First of all, I did practice, hard, until my butt was sore. Second, it’s just music. Third, with only three students, I don’t have much to prove or much “competition”, so to speak. Even if I’m worst, I’m like the US field hockey team in 1932 – I’ll get the bronze medal because there’s only three contestants.

So, my piano project drags on as my jazz immersion goes slowly forward. It’s a trade I was forced to make, but I think I can make up for some of that by working weeknights this week. (Columbus Day screws up my movie schedule with Netflix.)

Post class update: Unbelievably, and tragically, my instructor’s father passed away last night. Class was cancelled. No mid-term test for at least another week. It is as likely as not that I will lose a good portion of next weekend to my second round of last minute practicing. Sometimes, life sucks, but never as much as death.

Final comment: I really, really want the piano to be finished. I promise. It’s going to get done and soon, one way or another.

Pat Metheny Concert: A Review

Last Friday, Mrs. S. and I traveled to Birmingham AL to sit in the front row of the Alys Stephens Center and see Pat Metheny live. Careful readers of this blog will know that I’m not a big fan of jazz guitar and I’ve never been a big fan of Pat Metheny, as I just never found his music that interesting or stimulating to me. So why would I go to see him live? Well, because he is probably the single-most famous living jazz guitarist, he has won 17 Grammies, and because you never know: the live experience might just turn it around for you. Metheny was to perform alone with his “Orchestrion”:

The original orchestrions were player pianos that manufacturer’s starting adding instruments to in order to try and stop radio from eroding their market share. They added violins, guitars, anything they could get to work with a piano roll and the piano roll motor. 

Metheny’s Orchestrion is a stage covering monstrosity. It includes two full-size Yamaha grand piano disclaviers, an accordion, a bass guitar, a rhythm guitar, a marimba, a xylophone, a vibraphone, two set of glass jugs, castanets, a full drum set, congas, sleigh bells, and more. All of these devices were rigged with solenoids of one type or another, and all were controlled from a specially built guitar hooked to bank of switches and foot pedals. With the guitar and pedals, he could tell each instrument or group of instruments what rhythm to play, what tones to play, and in what sequence to play them in. 

But before he got to that…

He started off with a solo number on a regular guitar. Then he did another solo number on a different guitar. During the second song, I had something happen to me that never happened before: I was listening so intently to the music and so engrossed in the moment, I completely forgot where I was. Essentially, I lost consciousness. When I came out of it, I felt dizzy and couldn’t remember where I was. I felt as though I needed to wake up from a dream. I’ve never had a piece of music move me like that, ever. It was downright scary. Then he brought out his 42 string pikasso guitar. 

That should’ve been the song I got lost in, but I was too enthralled in just watching him play that instrument. After that, he got to work with the orchestrion.

He played for almost two and a half hours. And although I can’t say I feel any differently about Metheny’s music in specific or jazz guitar in general, I have to say, I certainly respect Mr. Metheny as a musician and musical innovator and I’ll damn sure go and see him in concert anytime he gets within 150 miles of me. It was simply an amazing concert.

Day 56 – Sunday, October 3 – Feels Like Progress:

Goals: Re-install the harp.

Music: Gil Evans’s “Out of the Cool”; Bill Frisell’s “Unspeakable”; Stan Getz’s “Big Band Bossa Nova”. (I elected to skip Ella Fitzgerald, because I have nineteen discs of her music, having succumbed to temptation and purchased the complete songbooks with the complete Louis Armstrong. At this point, I’m more interested in experiencing the breadth of my jazz music collection, rather than the depth of it.)

I re-installed the harp.

Because I could.

Here's the last shot of the harp and piano separated from each other:

I scraped the inside of the piano a little and chipped some of the varnish on the soundboard, but I got the harp in without any major problems and no injuries to myself. I even had the right number and sizes of screws (which I bought a complete set brand new, except for the irreplaceable 8-inch long one). I added new trim around the edges. Everything went smooth and I’m glad to have a bunch more tools back in the toolbox and parts off the floor and back in the piano. Here's me at work on the trim:

After I touch up the inside, I may try my hand a restringing, even though I still have a lot of work to go on the keyboard and decorative trim. I’m anxious to fill back in all the holes before I completely forget what all goes where.

That’s all the work I did on the piano, because our jazz improvisation mid-term exam is next week and I’ve been practicing for that. (I simply can’t put that off any longer.)

In my next entry, I’ll be writing about the Pat Metheny concert I attended last Friday. You don’t want to miss that one; it was a hell of a show.

Day 55 – Sunday, September 26 – Stain in the Rain:

Goals: Finish (maybe) the staining; finish (maybe) painting the harp.

Music: Art Farmer’s “Farmer’s Market”; Chico Freeman’s “Destiny’s Dance”; Bill Frisell’s “Have a Little Faith”; Errol Garner’s “Concert by the Sea”.

After raining a good portion of the night and with a light sprinkling in the morning, it was obvious I’d be taking a big chance if I decided to do any staining yesterday. Thing is, there was only one more coat left to go, and I couldn’t wait to finish, so I made up my mind to move the car out, turn on the ceiling fans (which I installed when we were still playing poker in the garage), and even with the high humidity, go ahead and stain the lid.

And so I did.

Since this was the final coat, I had to be careful how I did the edges and make sure I didn’t get any marks on either side, so I put some masking tape on the sawhorses and got my fingers pretty dirty picking up the half dried boards to touch them up after I applied the final coat. The lid panels do not look perfect. They never were going to, due to the defects in the veneer, both antique and recent, and some of the repairs being more obvious than I had hoped. I am of a mind, however, that when the panels are completely dry, they should be able to be waxed and polished and that should make them look pretty good. Whatever, they look way better than when I started.

Same goes for the harp. I hadn’t planned to repaint the whole thing, but once I started touching it up, I could tell the paint color of the brush-on paint from a can was just different enough from the spray (same maker, same color: Rustoleum Gold) that I would need to go over the whole thing. It turned out a little uneven, but it gives the harp a rather classic effect of having been burnished and unevenly polished. Like the lid panels, it had a hard time drying in the moist air (it was not warm enough to turn on the air conditioning), but it did get dry enough by the late evening to pick it up and prop it back against the wall.

I’m thinking that with the staining, varnishing, and painting finished, I ought to be able to replace the harp, and if I want, even go ahead and string the piano. I’m double-checking with my piano expert to make sure I haven’t overlooked anything, but I think one evening this week, that is what I’m going to be doing. I should even be able to string the piano before too long, even though the keys and such are not ready yet. (That’s the next area I have to focus on.)

Yes there is still quite a ways to go, but we are definitely getting close to the completion of this project.

A brief interlude and plug for Craigslist

I don’t know how many of you have ever bought or sold anything on craigslist, and I don’t own stock in it or it’s would-be majority owner (e-bay), but I’ve got to tell you: craigslist is da bomb!

Since making a conscientious decision to declutter my entire life of unnecessary people, things, theories, beliefs, and habits, I’ve been pulling stuff out of the closets, attic and garage of our home, most of which I was only vaguely aware of us owning, and much of which I hadn’t seen, touched or thought about in years. A sampling: First 8 volumes of OMNI magazine; volumes 2-6 of WIRED magazine; ninety pounds of weight plates; a Black&Decker Edge Hog; magazines for learning Japanese; about 200 vinyl LP’s; A microphone (?); two artificial Christmas trees.

There’s more, but all that stuff I mention above? I’ve actually found people who would buy from me. Part of it is, my prices are usually very, very reasonable. Part of it is, there are actually people who want/need this stuff. The Japanese magazines? Lady’s daughter is studying Japanese. Edge Hog? Guy had one for years and it broke. Mine needed a new blade, but he had an extra one, anyway! The records? Guy with 4000 records wanted more and I had some he didn’t. OMNI magazines? Big sci-fi, William Gibson fan. (He ended up getting the leftover WIRED’s after I sold half my collection to a guy in Arizona.)

I’ve sold most of my philosophy books through amazon. I sold my two nudie books of Brooke Shields and Madonna on e-bay. I’ve made right around $400 in just the last month, selling what is to me, junk. And you should see my garage! I can actually get in and out of all the storage areas.

Check out craigslist.org today. And while you’re there, buy some of my stuff!

Days 53 and 54 – Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19: MOTHER OF ...

Goals: Stain the damn lid; work on the inlay.

Music: Eldar’s “Live at the Blue Note”; Bill Evans’ “Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961” (all three discs); Bill Evans’ “Portrait in Jazz”; Art Farmer’s “Portrait of Art Farmer” and “Blame It on My Youth”.

This was to be an unexciting entry, anyway, so it is about a week late. My schedule was upset by having to serve on a U.S. District Court jury last week to convict a guy who trafficked in 15-year old prostitutes who were illegal aliens to boot. (Like I said: we convicted.)

Enough about that.

I’m one coat on one side of the lid from being finished with it. When I’m finished with that, I’ll be finished with staining except for any touch-ups I have to do on the inside after I install everything. I’m looking forward to that.

The mother-of-pearl inlay work is no fun. No fun at all. It is very tedious, very time consuming, very slow, very precise, and dirty work. I’ve inhaled so much old wood and varnish I’ve developed a dry hack that is pretty serious. To make matters worse, the mother-of-pearl that I bought looks new, while the MOP on my piano does not. I’m not sure how to spruce up the antique inlay or how to tone down the modern inlay. I’m back to thinking about scrapping the inlay board all together and installing something else. Or, I may go against Mrs. S’s suggestion and just go ahead and let the modern and ancient MOP mix on that board, for better or worse.

I just want to be done.

Next session will be completing the harp and completing the lid.

Regaining perspective

Attentive readers of this blog will have noticed that of late, I have not been nearly as enthusiastic about my piano these days as I was in the first few days (and weeks, and months) after I got the thing. The reasons are numerous and varied but it all comes down to perception and perspective, namely that, when I look at my piano, in pieces spread out around the dining room and bedroom, it just looks like so many pieces of antique junk. Repair efforts improve upon the general appearance, but nothing ever quite reaches the level of expectation generated by pictures of other restored pianos that are online.

But that changed Monday night.

I answered an ad on Craigslist selling an 1854 square grand piano. I made an appointment to go look at it after school, and it turned out the owner had another piano she was willing to part with as well, “buyer’s choice”. The first one, a J & C Fischer, was actually in pretty decent shape. But as old as it is, its structure is completely different, and since I was basically just looking for parts for my piano, it wouldn’t do as it didn’t have the same kind of parts. The other, a Chickering, was more or less exactly the same as my piano. Neither one played. Both were missing key tops and strings. Both had pedal lyres that were completely disassembled and would require extensive repair. Neither had a sustain or soft mechanism that worked. Both were disasters on the surface, making we very nervous to look too closely on the insides. One was missing the prop arms for the lid (the Fischer), the other was missing one of the lid panels with the large one split on one end. The more I looked, the more I began to realize: by comparison, my piano is a gem. It’s got almost all its original parts. It worked when I got it. The keys were intact. All the mechanical parts worked. Nothing was missing or broken on the frame or exterior. And sure, I paid a lot more than the $500 that this young lady was asking for one of her pianos, but I got a helluva lot more piano than she had on offer. When all was said and done, I felt pretty good about my piano again, even re-energized, I might say.

I already know I’m not going to buy either of those pianos, but the owner did ask me to make an offer. So I plan to explain to her quite sincerely and in a straightforward manner, I’ll buy the whole piano for a few dollars, but I’ll buy the parts I need for just a bit more than that – basically charging her more (by paying her less) if I remove one of the pianos for her. I doubt she will like that offer, but she may surprise me.

But, the C&H Stone piano that I own? It’s much more of a gem than I realized. I’m lucky to have that piano after all.