The Piano Tuner's Song

The Piano Tuner's Song is what my teacher at The New England Conservatory, Frank Hanson, used to call the sound of tuning the temperament.  Going around the circle of fifths, checking thirds and sixths, makes for an odd but intriguing ditty.

Years ago I went to a customer's house and settled in to tune their console.  A young boy, five or six years old, was quite excited to have me there, and he seated himself on the braided rug behind me and listened attentively.  It's not unusual, of course, for children to be curious about what's inside a piano, and I usually let them hit the keys to see the whippens and hammers move.  They soon run off to play, and I resume.  This boy, however, did not approach the piano to look; he stayed quietly seated as I tuned, and for much longer than I expected.

In time, though, he did rise and walk into the kitchen.  "Mom," he cried with exasperation, "I don't know what song he's playing!"  It seems, I discovered later, that he thought a piano tuner was someone who came to your house to play tunes for you on the piano.