Notes of a Piano Tuner

Traveling the winding highways and back roads of the Arkansas Ozarks, Campbell makes house calls on ailing pianos and briefly enters the lives of their owners. From the highly polished, expensive Steinway that no one has used in years to the battered old upright some hard-pressed mother has bought for $50 so the kids can learn to play, she describes a wide range of family situations and dreams that these instruments symbolize. Sometimes a piano is in such hopeless condition that she knows it should be abandoned, but, sensitive to its importance to the owner, she does her best to recover its ability to make music. Her skills are a source of pleasure to her, not only because of her love of music and the human insights these visits provide, but also because of the delight she takes in her daily travels through the beautiful Ozark countryside, where her family has lived for generations. Campbell taught school and held a variety of jobs to support her children before learning to tune pianos from her music-teacher father. Her musings on the people she meets, the areas she drives through and the intricacies of piano tuning are thoughtful and engaging, offering views of life from a unique vantage. (Apr.)