Alright, alright!  I confess!  I put both rolls and knick-knacks on
top of my piano.  Let me know when I should expect the piano police to
arrive so I can have time to raise my bail.

But let me offer some mitigating circumstances, Your Honor!  I do place
a cloth over the piano top so that the rolls and other items do not
scratch the wood surface.  When I schedule an appointment with the
tuner, everything is removed well before she arrives.  (I do the same
for the washer repairman, plumber, etc.  I remove items that could get
in the way of a person's work).

All piano tops are not created equal.  The lid on my upright is a
one-piece flat surface, hinged at the rear of the case, and the wood is
nearly one inch thick.  Many other uprights have tops that are thinner
or are hinged in the middle.  I've never been concerned about putting
too much weight on the piano, but then again, I don't place buckets of
lead weights there either.  If it's an aerobic workout for me to lift
an item above my shoulders, then it's probably too heavy for the piano
top too.

Not only do I have extraneous items on the piano top, I also have
them on the music rack <gasp!>  What kinds of items do I have there?
Photographs, sheet music and a few other small items.  The photos are
mainly of family members, especially former owners of my piano.  All
the photos have sentimental value and recall special meaning for me.
Telling me to remove these photos is like telling me to remove them
from my memory.

Others may not "approve" of having superfluous items on a piano but
I don't feel it's anyone else's place to judge.  Pianos were made for
people, not people for pianos.

Joyce Brite
Player Piano and Mechanical Music Exchange
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Exchange/