In normal times, one can take a two-hour tour of the Steinway & Sons factory (not one of those dangerous three-hour tours with Gilligan and the Skipper) in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York. Now that I’m a non-certified member of the piano-building community, I might want to drop in sometime and compare notes with the resident artisans.

On the other hand, it takes them at least nine months to build a grand piano, whereas I’m on pace to finish in no more than two weeks, so what could I really learn from them. Still, they’ve been doing it for over 160 years, so maybe I should consider their two-year paid apprenticeship program, although the commute could be a problem.

Also, they require the ability to understand technically complex instruction. But clearly I’ve already proven that I can do that, most of the time, with only the occasional, major mistake requiring hours of work to undo it, and the occasional left-over piece.