What's to debate? I expect many here share most, maybe all, of your values. I'm proud that you are part of our field of endeavor and I wish you great success. Kent Swafford On Nov 2, 2004, at 10:25 AM, Boaz Kirschenbaum wrote: > This is a long response. I'd like to relay my own experience. I only > ask that members of CAUT read the entire post before commenting, > because some of my opinions are not popular. I've been reading the > digests daily. I have hesitated to weigh in on a topic, even on topics > I have experience with (i.e., voicing Steinways, action regulation, > etc.), but this is a topic I've mulled over ever since I got into the > business 3 years ago. This is a complex issue. > > I'm 30 years old and have practiced piano tuning since 2001. I learned > the trade at the North Bennet Street School. I completed the two year > program in 2003. It's important to note here that my situation is > unusual. I am single, have no responsibilities vis-a-vis heavy debt > load, health issues, family demands, mortgage, car payments, etc. This > means I have more choice to pick where I want to work geographically. > > After graduating, I immediately moved to New York City to work at > Steinway Hall as a retail piano technician, where I worked from June > 2003 to June 2004. At this time I no longer work at Steinway Hall. I > took a sabbatical in order to rest and reflect before starting the > next phase of my career, since I knew that after three years of > constant, hard work without a break, I felt overloaded, and needed a > break to avoid burn-out. I'm sharing this information because it's > another way of illustrating the importance of self-criticism and > self-judgment. > > I am highly motivated, driven, and career-oriented. I am a person who > thrives on hard work and a job well done, and I am a bit of a > perfectionist. I am confident and upbeat, but I can be extremely > self-critical. I made the decision to center my life and my decisions > around my career in piano technology. I'm not saying that everyone > needs to do that; every person's decision-making process is complex, > and every person has their own reasons behind their choices. Also, I > had the benefit of learning critical thinking in prep school, where I > also learned good study habits, time management and organization. > Those habits were developed at a young age, 13-18. > > I don't have spouse/partner/children/family/financial issues that > influence my decisions. I have the luxury of being able to say, "I > want to move to New York for a while, work at Steinway to gain > experience, whatever it takes, because I want to become a more > qualified and more knowledgable technician". My goal since the > beginning has simply been to never stop learning, and to seek out the > best people to learn from. > > I do feel strongly that there is a difference between those who do > this work just as a job, and those who believe it's more than just a > job. Also, I don't do this work just for the money. The financial > stability is nice, but it's more important to me to derive personal > satisfaction from my daily work. I have strived to live a simple, > low-maintenance lifestyle, and have a relatively low-stress job. > > I was extremely fortunate in that I was hired at Steinway before I > finished my studies at NBSS. My year at Steinway Hall was like going > to graduate school for piano technology, especially Steinways. Instead > of paying for more schooling, I was paid to learn while I worked. I > had a mentor there who influenced my approach and my style, and that > helped improve my skills tremendously. He is one of the most qualified > and experienced Steinway technicians in the industry, with decades of > experience. He also became a close friend and advisor. > > I had the chance to work on every model, including Model B's and Model > D's, extensively, from new pianos to factory-restored. I also worked a > little for C&A from time to time and had people like Ron Connors and > Eric Schandall literally around the corner from my work room. I could > walk over to C&A any time and ask for advice. > > This kind of experience can't be taught or learned in a school > environment. There is no substitute for one-on-one learning, master to > apprentice. That is the way our trade was taught for many years, > before there were piano technology schools. The master-apprentice vs. > school argument can be another topic for discussion, because it's also > a complex one. > > However I couldn't easily find a master when I was a novice. I decided > to go to NBSS because I wanted a foundation, a knowledge base. It also > had the reputation as being the best school in the business. > > I have never felt entitled to my achievements (receiving a > scholarship, becoming an RPT, working at Steinway, doing concert work, > etc.) because I worked extremely hard. I tried to keep humble while at > Steinway because I knew that most of the people around me knew more > than I did. > > Also, between the first and second year at NBSS, I worked as a field > service technician for a local technician in Boston, and within weeks > I was not only keeping up with 4 to 5 service calls daily, but also > concert work at night and on weekends. I kept working in that capacity > 20-30 hours a week while attending NBSS full-time during the day 40 > hours a week, from September to May. Working 60-70 hours a week, in > the shop and on the road, balancing school and work responsibilities, > completing over 500 service calls in less than one year, while going > to school, is arduous, but paid off tenfold. I gained much more > experience that way and really jump-started my career. It also humbled > me in its own way. > > The essential argument is that to be "good" at this, you have to be > willing to work late, put in the hours, and focus. You have to be able > to concentrate for hours at a stretch. It's not a sprint, it's a > marathon. Some young people don't have the maturity, stamina, > attention span, or desire to make those kinds of sacrifices. Some just > aren't interested. Some just want to learn how to tune a piano, make a > few bucks, and go home without thinking about their day too much, and > that's OK, too. > > There are those who want to primarily tune (the bread-and-butter of > the private practice), and do the "as-needed" voicing, repair, and > regulation; > and then there are those who feel that a prepped piano is a balanced > combination of tuning, voicing and regulation. > > It comes down to a question of philosophy, i.e., "there's tuning, and > then there's everything else when I can get to it, or when I go to a > conference" or the other view (my own view), that it's all related and > connected together, and that tuning is just a part of maintaining the > musical instrument. > > I'm not criticizing or judging here. It's about motivation and drive. > Some people really see the piano as a machine, a complex product, a > sum of its parts, and that they are its master. Others, myself > included, see it it as a musical instrument first and a piece of > engineering second, and that the real mastery is in the performer, not > the technician. Don't get me wrong though - a technician can make or > break a piano's performance, and there's not much a pianist can do > about it. One decision can destroy a set of hammers. This dichotomy is > the main reason why training is so important. > > It's not that I'm "better" than technicians who "just get by"...I just > have a different philosophy. I don't need to have a lot of letters > after my name on my business card; "piano tuner" is enough. However > the question of ego is a topic for a different forum! > > You have to be willing to take criticism. You cannot be fragile. You > cannot take criticism personally. Without criticism, you can't > progress or learn from your mistakes. Some young people can't deal > with this concept. Some young people struggle with their own identity > and self-esteem. When those personal issues are tied to work and > criticism, it becomes the law of diminishing returns. > > You also have stick up for yourself from time to time, and be able to > argue and debate. You have to have a point of view. Without a point of > view, you have no reference to learn judgment. > > Another point which I think needs to be raised is that with few > exceptions, you really need to play an instrument (preferably piano > but not required). It also helps to have music training (especially in > music history, repertoire, and music theory) in order to become a > really qualified technician. To hear how a piano sounds and how it is > balanced > (of course I am referring to quality grands and uprights here), you > have to play it in a musical way, not in just a technical way. There > is a difference. You have to learn to at least recognize how different > repertoire sounds on different pianos; you have to hear how a concert > grand sounds in a concert hall, and not in a small room. > > The other skills that I think are needed to be successful are manual > dexterity, experience using hand tools, woodworking and/or > metalworking, and business experience, especially in a service > industry. Some people may be looking for a quick fix for their career > and job issues, but just might not have the aptitude and skills to > carry out the demands of piano work. There is no such thing as luck or > winging it; either you know what you're doing or you just wasting your > time. > > In my case, I attended the New England Conservatory of Music and the > College of Music at McGill University, plus private music lessons > throughout middle school and high school. In addition, I had prior > woodworking, technical, acoustics, and engineering experience (in > cabinetry/boatbuilding, film projection, sound reinforcement, and > audio engineering, respectively). I also helped run several small > businesses and managed people. > > Finally, I think there is one indispensable tool no one likes talking > about or admitting. You need it in order to judge a quality aural > tuning, to make voicing decisions, and especially to do concert work > (where the most important decision is not WHAT to tune, but what NOT > to tune, in order to maintain stability). You need it to know the > difference between pleasing and harsh, glassy and smooth, focused and > diffuse....all words we use to try to describe the voice of a piano. > You need it to know when to stop working and take a break. You need it > to be flexible, adaptable, and ready for any situation. You need it to > know whether or not a job has been done to your satisfaction. > > That tool is a great pair of ears. You have to have above-average > hearing. Any prospective serious apprentice needs to have a full > hearing test performed by an audiologist first. You simply cannot > become more than a "just a job" piano tuner if you don't have > excellent hearing. An ETD has no judgment. It cannot perform a 15 > minute concert tuning, and it cannot listen to the voicing for you. > You can read as many articles as you want and attend as many > conferences as you want, but you will not develop your hearing without > hours and weeks of practice on good quality pianos. You can't learn to > tune and voice on bad instruments. You can only begin to learn, and > then keep striving. > > Some technicians may think that sounds patronizing or arrogant. It's > not personal so don't personalize it. My opinion has very little to do > with emotions and has more to do with the business at hand. Everyone > is entitled to their opinion, that's what this forum is for. > > I hope to hear comments about this post, I welcome debate and always > enjoy talking about this topic ad nauseam. > > Boaz Kirschenbaum, RPT > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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