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Showing posts from August, 2020

Keys

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Keys   I have lots of keys.   Each of my three keyboards has lots of keys each made of two thin strips of ivory, glued onto wood and carefully shaped around the sharp notes   (There is also another key, which locks those big heavy sliding doors that Mr Colin has so carefully removed for restoration.   That key is missing (I thought it might be found under my pedal notes or under the console, but no) but will be replaced)   So there are lots of ivory keys, and after over 100 years of my organist friends making their lovely music, many of these keys are worn and all have changed colour.   It is not a surprise that that the wear and change of colour is most pronounced in the middle of each keyboard, where most organists usually play.   Less use has been made of the keys at the top and bottom of each keyboard, although if more of them had played more of that modern French music, maybe they would all have been the same colour!     Mr Gary has been wondering whether I need to

Munchers

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Munchers   Not teeth   But live insects living in my nether regions and munching happily away.   Probably they have been here since 1958, the last time anyone did a complete clean   Everyone suspected there would be woodworm in my timbers.   But more than expected of these munchers have been found   They have been in the timber frame behind Mr Peter’s hymn book store   They have been found in the wood platform under the organ bench   They are in the end of one of my massive reservoirs   They are in some of the panels of Sir Charles’ 1937 case   They had munched so much into the chest under some massive diapason pipes that a section is going to have to be remade   -   the screw holes had literally been munched away   They have even had a go at munching into one of my large open wood pipes   Fortunately all that has been discovered by wonderful Mr Gary, and just in time too for otherwise the munchers could have caused havoc.   Mr Gary has removed t