Show Bo c Davit Davi r t Tales From Vancouver Island The Piano Tuner T THE mouth of the Courtney Court Court- AT the nc ney ncy river rising in neighborhood of the Forbidden Plateau lies Como Comox one of the surest shot salmon fishing centers in all British Columbia Whoso Whose Whosoever ever wets vets a spoon in these waters sooner or later brings in a swimmer swim swim- swimmer mer iner that will tip the scales anywhere anywhere any any- where from twenty five to sixty pounds These are everyday any anytime anytime time from the middle of July up to the first week in September Many of the guides who handle tourists during the salmon season are otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise occupied in trade and professions professions professions the remainder of the year termed by them as the slack pe pe- I nod Occasionally a guide inadvertently inadvertent inadvertent- I ly referring to his legitimate occupation occupation occupation tion will let slip something worthwhile worthwhile worthwhile worth worth- I while thus enlivening the intervals between bites and there are intervals inter inter- vals vals-in vals in everything If interrupted by a strike the conversation terminates terminates terminates ter ter- ter- ter in the middle of a sentence sentence sentence sen sen- tence and he is again a fisherman I From the guide staff at the Elk hotel overlooking t the h e salmon i waters I drew Stephen Erickson a giant of a man who could make a skiff behave like an airplane in any sort of a tide And he knew I I where the salmon were In the course of our victorious raid I in inquired inquired inquired in- in as to what might be his job when winter came Bob Cant Can't Tell a Lie Piano tuning he said without changing the rhythm of his stroke headquarters in Vancouver For Forthe Forthe Forthe the last ten years come August I take two or three weeks vacation at Comox guiding anglers When off duty I fish for my own amuse amuse- ment For that brief interlude from harmonizing the seven and one- one third octaves between A natural in inthe inthe inthe the lower scale and C natural in inthe inthe inthe the upper I live an entirely separate separate separate separ separ- ate existence without w which h i c chI h I should tin o mad T r you nl play v the flip g b J. J lU J piano Had he asked about my ability as an angler I could have lied like any other fisherman But being minus in matters musical music l I came cl clean an and confessed However r it it had long been my desire to get a piano tuner cornered long enough to make a few inquiries on the subject subject subject sub sub- of piano construction What is the pressure on each string when it is in tune I asked Reel in the line and have a look at your spoon V We are passing through float sea weed weed weed-an an average of ICO pounds I should say That figure applies to each string from the shortest two and a quarter inches in the treble to the longest thirty-nine thirty inches in the bass Piano Stands Punishment The combined pressure represented represented in the eighty-eight eighty strings of ofa a properly tuned piano is about fifteen tons which tension preserved preserved preserved pre pre- served by equal distribution is imperative imperative imperative im im- in keeping an instrument in tune Most complicated and delicate delicate del del- in point of construction is the sounding board Perfect strings stings flawless tuning and the finest of key movements will not avail if the sounding board is defective in the slightest par par- The average instrument played in the household should be tuned every four months every three months in warm climates Professional musicians c car carry a r r l' y a piano tuner with them and point up the instrument before each recital There are pianists who are like automobile drivers and can throw an instrument out of key in inno inno inno no time Fewer and Better Makers From where do the best strings come Up to a few years ears ago Germany was far in advance but with the development of steel in the United States piano strings reached per per- There was a time when fine copper wire was used to wind twenty strings in the lower register Recently it was discovered that soft iron could be wound tighter and produce better tones than copper copper copper cop cop- per although both are still in use Only to the most sensitive ear is t the there h e r l' e a perceptible difference Player pianos operated mechanically mechanically I cally made a tremendous advance enabling the worlds world's greatest concert concert concert con con- cert players to reproduce and tone flawless to the nth de de- de- de gree Mechanical music has made great inroads in piano manufacture as also has radio What is the future for piano manufacturers Fewer and better builders Before Before Before Be Be- fore the war more than four hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred accredited firms were listed Wholesale reorganization reduced the number to less than fifty There will be less We Ve ought to get a astrike astrike astrike strike ri right ht along here by the red buoy Last week a New Yorker took a two fifty-two out just along this bank a gold button fish fr Service I |