Hi All,  In his posting about the Triumph players made in England,
D.L. Bullock made a comment about having to remove everything from the
top of the piano in order to get to the music rack.  This reminded me
of one of my strongest pet peeves regarding the care and treatment of
pianos in general.

Despite it's inviting appearance, the top of a piano was never intended
to be used as storage space.  This is true of both grand and upright
pianos.  However, people will do what they please and the vast majority
of owners put something on top of the piano.  The main reason this is
unwise is simple: damage to the finish.  Another reason is that, over
time, the weight of the objects can warp the top.  I have witnessed
both mild and extreme cases of this over the years and there's virtually
nothing that can be done to undo the damage.

The worst offenders seem to be player piano owners.  Many of them
stack their rolls on the top of the piano.  According to QRS, the
average regular roll weighs 1/2 pound and the average long-playing roll
weighs one pound.  You can do the math, but it doesn't take too many
rolls to equal the weight of a human being.

I wonder this: How would the customer react if someone decided to stand
on top of their piano?  My guess is that they would be horrified.

I rest my case.

Musically,

John A. Tuttle