The Piano Tuner's Report

According to our piano tuner, these are hard times to be in the business of selling pianos. They are expensive, not exactly necessities, so no surprise there.

What is a surprise, is that he says these are good times for piano teachers and piano tuners. Compared to conventional retail therapy, a weekly piano lesson are apparently a mere pittance. And, in a tough economic climate, people turn inward and try to find a space that doesn't cost much to occupy. If you already own your piano, playing it fits the bill--it's much cheaper than a round of golf or a massage.

So, on his tuning appointment before mine, he tuned the piano of a guy who'd been told he was to be laid off and the end of the month. The guy said he wanted to get the piano tuned while he still had a paycheck, and, soon to be out of work, he figured he'd have plenty of time to play it.

At least it hasn't gotten to the point where people are trying to raise cash by selling their pianos. If that starts happening, the D word may be the right one to describe the economic climate.