Peter Neilson's account of life on the road was spot, and yes, Peter,
there are others who do it! Here in the UK I have been dragging a
player around for the last 6 years or so. Here are my equivalent
reasons for not doing so:
Rain. The piano is not happy with bad weather, the rolls even more so.
I could not agree more. And rain always waits until you have the player
half off the trailer before soaking you.
Sunshine. At Sunny Swanage I noticed the keys starting to curl.
Shyness. I don't even attempt to sing. I leave that to the show-offs,
or the professionals -- the whole of the Savannah Jazz Band joined in
to sing "It's a Sin to tell a Lie" at the Queens Hotel, Keswick.
Magic!
Wrong Roll Syndrome. Definitely to be avoided. I once started on
Schubert's March Militaire by mistake, but I had to finish it. Funny,
though, whilst some folks disappeared, others drifted in.
Weirdness. The pianola is too weird for teens. Yes, but they cannot
help taking a sly glance. Definitely no questions from them, though.
5-10 year olds are a different kettle of fish, however -- you can't
keep them away!
Competition. Starting a roll just as the band are just about to play
again after their break is always amusing. (Well, it saves them a
number anyway.)
Self-taught musicians. I make sure that only band musicians are
allowed on my players. I regard their interest as a compliment.
Especially when they say they prefer my piano to the venue's own
instrument -- not uncommon!
Muscles. They ache the next day. From pumping? No, from putting the
piano back up into the trailer. I have developed techniques over the
years to minimise this. I now do it on my own using blocks of timber
and a board to construct a movable ramp down which my dolly rolls a bit
at a time until the player is fully lifted on board. Takes time but it
is safe. Then I trundle it all up to my home-built trailer which is
marginally lower than the dolly. Roll on -- Roll off!
Danger. The piano hasn't fallen on its back yet. But there have been
a couple of almosts. Me too. Mainly from slopes -- the enemy of the
piano mover. Not up or down slopes, but the sideways kind.
Ears. After a week long festival I temporarily lose all interest in
piano roll music. That is until the next one.
Roger Waring - The Pianola Workshop
Solihull, England
http://www.pianola.co.uk/
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