The Horrible Cat Howard

In reference to the Dec. 28, 2010 blog Of Pencils and Pianos: I have a new update. Howard the cat has necessitated making some changes.  He is always causing trouble of some sort.  My mother calls him Dennis the Menace, and for good reason.  He is always into some sort of mischief. 

Exhibit "A"

The Tether Technique of Tying a Pencil to Your Piano recommended by my tuner, Al Moles, has been successful in preventing wayward pencils from being swallowed up by the piano. I had originally used a red string, to match the errant red pencil, but Howard the cat did some flossing and bit the string in two.

Thus, it came time to be the designer that I am and color coordinate the string and pencil to the room accordingly.  I have to say I have grown fond of the leashed pencil.  I never lose it now and it makes me laugh!

This handsome black pencil with black eraser, complements of Holly Hunt, fit the bill nicely.  Twine in a natural color from the basement workroom meant I didn't have to go shopping. 

Howard playing Music for Marcel Duchamp

http://youtu.be/GMP6aAMatj8

There are times that I have been in another room of the house and heard harmonic and dissonant chords being played.  It is the kitten on the keys.  My other cat, Simon, has no interest in playing, but Howard has a some real potential channeling composers such as John Cage.

My tuner, Al Moles, warns me though, that he has heard stories of cats sharpening their claws on the felts, both under the strings and on the hammers.  Now THAT would be a CATastrophe!  I always keep the top closed to prevent that from happening.  But if I'm playing, Howard has a way of jumping up to play if I leave for a break or whatever. 

Exhibit "B"

Paul L. Jansen and Son

artist bench in leather (not vinyl!)

 I bought this artist bench when I bought the piano.  The cats never touched it.  One day, however, six years later, I heard the distinctive sound of cat clawing.  I rushed in to the living room to find Howard doing his dastardly deed on the bench. I was horrified, but fortunately I caught him before he did any real damage.  You can see a few "pin pricks" on the leather, and I hate that it's not perfect anymore, but what can you do?  Now I have to remember to put sheet music on the bench when it is not in use, to prevent any more damages.  Cats!  You can love them and hate them, but I can't live without them!

Of Pencils and Pianos

So I sat down on Christmas Day to accompany myself while singing Come Unto Him from Handel's  Messiah.   Somewhere along the way, the D above Middle C developed a ticking sound, then it spread to the E, then the F, then the G, then the A, and finally it stopped on the B, black keys included.  This was highly disturbing since the piano had just been tuned, and albeit to say, this annoyance stopped me in my tracks. I decided not to bother Al Moles, my tuner, until the day after Christmas.  He came right over Monday morning, and after determining that indeed, the broken notes were the length of a pencil, he extracted a Brunschwig et Fils (fabric and wallcovering manufacturer) pencil. It's amazing to me that never in my life, have I lost a pencil in a piano! He said it happens all the time. Maybe I got a little carried away in the passion of the moment and with absent-minded abandon tossed a pencil into the abyss?

  

The culprits: pencil, tab, and broken paper clip

While the front was opened for surgery, we also exhumed a blue paper tab (that I use to mark both music pages and interior design magazines) and what appeared to be a broken black paper clip (the kind that I use in my interior design studio). Always eager to blame something for my poor playing, I seized upon these excuses and clear sabotage by some unknown person. With the evidence of three interior design studio accutrements, here we have the mingling of music and design...hmmm!

Pencil tethered to leg of piano

Al told me that one of his client's solutions to the problem was to tie the pencil to the piano leg with a piece of string.  Ha!  I thought that was a very funny thing to do, so I did it myself...I don't expect it to stay there forever, but you never know...I can laugh at the same joke again and again!  And in either case, now I know how to take the front off so that I can perform my own piano surgery, if necessary.  Now, back to that song... 

Dentil Trim

We could also call this post "Tickling the Ivories"...There were two great pleasures that started my day today. First, my piano was tuned. I always want to be in close proximity when this every-six-month-appointment arrives. My piano tuner, Al Moles, is ever capable with his tuning fork in bringing my piano to be perfectly pitched! The intervals, dissonant and non-dissonant, resonate throughout the house, and I feel satisfaction that it is being cared for properly so that it will continue to give years of service with its beautiful sounds.

The next appointment was at my dentist's for my bi-annual teeth cleaning. I always look forward to this visit as long as nothing is found wrong! One special feature that I think is imperative to a good teeth-cleaning is to be covered with a nice, fleece blanket. I had several custom made for Dr. Michael Wallace, so that all his patients could have this comfort.

The blanket not only keeps a patient warm and cozy when it might be drafty, but provides a measure of security and modesty. I'm always happy to hear when the office tells me what a great hit they are with the other patients! It's little details like this that help provide a wonderful overall experience that I think of when designing a home, office, or whatever. Sight, sound, touch, feel; it's all important!

My favorite tool that Karen uses is the 'scaler'. Next favorite is the 'explorer' and the 'peridontal probe'. Piano tuners and dentists...such wonderful professions to pursue so as to keep our ivories ship-shape!