Mr Yanagi continued, ‘You can’t say what kind of boiled egg is better. It’s all a question of personal preference. Likewise, the sound the client is looking for in a piano is all a question of taste.’

Finally, he’d circled back to the point.

‘To accompany steamed asparagus, an egg slow-boiled in a hot spring is the absolute best – the kind with a firm yolk but softer white. Use that almost as a sauce and it’s delicious. With me so far? On the other hand, the customer may insist on it being hard-boiled at a higher temperature, and it may be because this is simply what he’s used to.’

It was a little tricky to follow him exactly, but I thought I understood.

‘In the same way, you have to check what standard the client is measuring against when they ask for a harder or softer sound. If they want it softer, you need to question it. Ask them what quality of soft sound they have in mind – is softness really what’s needed in that particular case? Obviously, technique is critical, but more essential is that you’re both on the same page. Ask the client to be specific about the texture of the tone they’re after, and try to focus on the ideal they have in their minds.’

But even if they could pinpoint their ideal sound, that was only the beginning. Turning that concept of softness into reality was the essence of the tuner’s role.

We walked on and Mr Yanagi looked up at the cloudless blue sky as though searching for something beyond it. If he was trying to find something beyond himself, then I too would need to extend my gaze further. But staring at the endless sky was hurting my eyes, so instead I looked back at the red berries on the yew trees along the street.

There are all sorts of piano tuners and all sorts of approaches. As time passed I was more and more glad to be working under Mr Yanagi, with his floppy black hair and his eccentric metaphors, and wondered if one day I would be able to tune pianos as beautifully and effortlessly.

Some people insist that words aren’t necessary. A good tone is a good tone. But rare is the client who can accurately explain what tone they’re after. It’s often more straightforward simply to present them with what you are confident sounds beautiful. Most people will be happy with that.