Home / Blog / Featured / Sudhira’s World / Island Tunes
When my friend Namana called me up last year and asked if i’d like to come out to Curacao to tune pianos, I thought she was kidding. Then I thought perhaps I should look at a map and find out exactly where Curacao is. If any of you know, right now, as you’re reading this, let me know and i’ll electronically tip my hat to you, because a few months ago I had NO idea. Here’s a hint… Dutch people don’t count.
Sunset at the beach
Yup it’s part of the Netherland Antilles, and about 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela. This was my first evening on the island.
Hans Sicking is a piano teacher and dealer on the island, and when Namana wasn’t driving me around to clients, Hans was. His car seemed to say something about island mentality… it had no doors, no seatbelts, no windscreen wipers… but it did have drink holders.
I met many interesting people–Antillean, Dutch, American, Venezuelan–and pianos from all other the world, too. One of them was plastic (I kid you not) and I had to tune it very gently because the keys might break! It made a change from tuning gently because the strings might break, I suppose.
plastic piano keys
Every new client I met was very exited to get their piano tuned… for most of them it had been a while… and the first thing they did was offer me something to drink. No, not That kind of drink, the regular, hydrating kind.
In my spare time (translate: the weekends) Namana took me off on several adventures. We went hiking round the north shore with friends; the coastline is desert-like, wild and beautiful and the sea comes crashing into the volcanic rocks. There are lots of sharp edges; you don’t go there to swim, but rather to witness the majesty and power of nature. Then we went to the south side of the island, to hang out at the beach.
new client
I also went scuba diving for the first time ever, it was an hour “expedition” with a diving guide and a lot of prep beforehand, so it just gave me a taste of what it’s like without having to go through a week’s worth of training. If you ever find yourself in a position to try something like that, I fully recommend it! We fed some some stingrays (who liked to slide over us) and we got to meet a massive fish called Herbie, who needed little fish to help him clean his teeth.
Curacao has a complex history of slavery under the spanish and dutch, and finally emancipation. But it is still considered part of dutch territory and antillean people are naturally dutch citizens. It surprised me as a sort of “last outpost” of colonialism, and honestly, it seems to be to the benefit of the island, but politics has never been my thing.
One more thing: on my last day I was fortunate enough to see a beautifully kept french Pleyel piano from the early 1900s, of the type known as a “birdcage”. Those in the know will shudder, but fear not: I was not expected to tune it! The owner just wanted an appraisal. We agreed that it would be great as a purely decorative object for someone’s business: a restaurant, maybe, or a vintage store. I mention it so that if anyone out there is looking for a second-hand piano and you see a really pretty one with an inside that looks like this–
"birdcage" action... to be avoided!
don’t buy it. Unless, of course, you have a vintage clothing store and stuff you want to drape artistically all over it. So you know what I mean, i’ve included a picture of the whole piano below. Some of the most beautiful upright pianos in the world came from this period of time and have this unfortunate action engineering; they are almost impossible to tune and often not so stable because of the exposed pinblock and, these days, because of their venerable age.
Whole Pleyel piano
Well, I think that pretty much sums up my trip! Apologies for the “hodge-podge” approach to this blog… the only subject that threaded all these little things together was the island. If you are thinking of travelling in the caribbean and haven’t picked an island yet, I strongly recommend Curacao, for its beauty, its character and its inhabitants. You’ll have a great time. Take bug spray with you and you’ll have a stupendously unparalleled time.
February 11th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
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December 20th, 2010 at 11:12 am
did you click on the picture on the home page? that should take you to the full blog. it works on my computer but i’ll try on someone else’s to see if there’s a problem.
October 30th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
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October 6th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
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October 6th, 2010 at 4:38 am
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September 9th, 2010 at 10:45 am
What terrific description. I wish I could book my trip today! I’m so glad you’re home safe and look forward to seeing you on the 21st!
July 17th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Dag Hans,
En hoe gaat het?
Grt. Ludy
July 12th, 2010 at 11:01 am
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