This message was waiting for me on my e-mail today. I hope I haven't broken a code of ethics by printing it verbatim, but I couldn't resist. The quote will go uncredited...

"I have a rental piano that needs to be tuned and has been through abuse by my children. Many keys are sticking together, probably because of sippy cups left to drip juice into the keys. And at least one key is sticking. I'm afraid coins may have been dropped down between the keys, hopefully only one, due to my daughter pretending the piano was a piggy bank. Are these things you can fix? Please advise me how to proceed. Thanks!"

I have to admire the client's honesty. Lookin' forward to this one!

Well look on the bright side, it shouldn't be as bad as a mouse nest and all that comes with it.

I went to tune a piano once and the little girl's mother said the keys were making a clangy sound. I mentioned to her that I'll have to check to see what is causing it and that sometimes the little ones will drop things between the keys. She looked shocked and said that Michelle would never do that. I removed some keys and to the mother's surprise we pulled out $15.00 worth of quarters, nickles, and dimes. Her dad said he'd been wondering where his spare change had been going.

Hopefully they didn't find you by following your Piano World posts!

The customer does get points for honesty.

I'll tell her I got a good laugh out of it when I meet her. I suspect she probably has a sense of humor. She'd have to if she has kids that would spill sippy cups in a piano. Who knows where else in her house juice has ended up?

So who would get to keep the coins ?