For this month's technical class, Kent Webb, of Steinway & Sons, will give a presentation discussing the various problems, causes and repair techniques associated with the vertical piano. Included will be noise diagnosis, regulation tips, touch analysis and other items we encounter in our service schedules. The vertical piano is still the most commonly encountered piano we service.

The Executive Committee will meet at 5 PM at La Parma Restaurant, 410 Merrick Road, Oceanside prior to the general meeting.

When regulating old grand actions, we sometimes encounter slotted drop screws that are much too tight or damaged to be turned with the usual thin-blade screwdriver. In these cases, take your small 5-inch vise-grip pliers and clamp the jaws all the way down on the drop screw, against the hammer flange. Align the jaws perpendicular to the slot so as to not damage or crush it any more than it may already be. The pliers will give you all the leverage you need to turn the frozen screw and achieve proper drop.