Emergency!

A friend teased me once about the announcement on my answering machine.  The announcement asks callers to let me know if they are calling about a "piano emergency," so that I will know to call back ASAP.  My friend thought "piano emergency" was hilariously over-dramatic.

Most "piano emergencies" come about because of a scheduled performance - something goes wrong, or somebody drops the ball on calling the tuner.  This was the case with my caller on Friday afternoon.  There was a concert scheduled for Sunday afternoon.  They were going to use a keyboard, but at the last minute discovered that one of the singers will not perform with a keyboard, she will only sing with a real piano.  So they rounded up a piano from someone's home, and then realized it needed tuning.

I hesitated to commit - I had already committed to a musical gathering that night in Connecticut, and I knew I wouldn't get home until 2 AM.  On Saturday I was to perform with my band, again in Connecticut (90 minutes away), and I had to be there early for soundcheck and a bit of rehearsal.  It would be another 2 AM bedtime, and my caller's gig was for early Sunday afternoon.

But I knew about the concert, knew some of the people involved, knew it could make good connections for me, it was nearby, I needed the money, so I said yes, and shoe-horned it into my schedule.

Late Saturday morning, she called to cancel.  She explained, with apologies, that someone else had also been calling tuners for the show, and now they were double-booked.  I was off the hook.  That was fine by me, but I wonder why I got booted, and not the other guy.  Maybe because the person who called me was a woman, and the person who made the other appointment was a man.  Of course his appointment would stay, she would have to cancel hers, it would go without saying.

But at least we were all civil and pleasant and agreeable, that's the least we can hope for, and the goodwill will pay off one way or another.