Jerry-rigged

Six years ago, my piano's sustain pedal stopped working. Whatever connected it to the rest of the piano snapped. I called my piano tuner, someone who'd been recommended to me because he was so cheap, and he went to work.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the right materials on him, and he didn't realize this until it was too late to run out and buy what he needed. So he obtained some strong wire-hanger wire and used it to jerry-rig a connection.

It wasn't a great solution. The wire squeaked every time I used the pedal. But it worked. I figured I'd ask for a real fix the next time I got the piano tuned.

Except, I didn't get the piano tuned. After Ron and I recorded our first album, I went back to practicing exclusively on my keyboard.

Last week I started practicing on a real piano again (more about that later). The second day or so in, the sustain pedal began to die. Nothing snapped this time. It just didn't give much of a sustain.

The number for the original piano tuner was no longer in service. I got a recommendation for another guy, this time not for being cheap, but for being good.

New tuner didn't think much of the first guy's work. He fixed it for really real.

Because I love metaphors, I'm going to take this event as a gentle reminder that fast and cheap solutions can cost you later. On top of the regular tuning fee, I paid around $30 for the pedal repair.

On another note, I wonder if I can work the word "jerry-rigged" into my next song ...