to master or not to master

[atonal@planet.eon.net]

Cyril & list, 

> 
> To the list of piano technicians who master their skill,
> AS long as "repairing" a sound board with epoxy, gluing the tuning pins with
> CA, voicing the hammers with Lipton tea are standard respected technicians
> skills.  It doesn't matter what you put behind your name.

Some valid points are raised herein, but also, without a unifying
structure such as PTG, no set of standards of 'good' repairs would
exist. Individual manufacturers vary widely on service and regulation 
technique, and there is no standard for repairing and rebuilding 
vintage pianos other than shop experience and input from other 
technicians. I do a fair amount of restoration/rebuilding, and I 
state with some certianty that there is no one 'lost art' we are 
trying to preserve. Manufacturers then, as now, were trying to 
construct instruments that varied widely in quality of construction, 
based on market appeal and economics. The bulk of common knowledge is 
distilled down from technicians talking to each other and exchanging 
information, mostly, these days, through an organization such as the 
PTG.

 The poor repair technique examples you have listed are eclipsed 
regularly on this list and in PTG publications by solid, documented 
repair and service techniques. They are also for situations that 
are above basic repair and regulation practise that PTG tests for 
in its examination processes. When the accepted repair (new 
soundboard, pinblock, etc.) is not feasable (and we have to admit, 
professionals or no, that this happens more than we can control...) 
then 'repairs' or fixes that fall outside the normal scope of 
accepted piano repair will be utilized. (try and get two or three 
technicians to agree on proper repair techniques for _anything_!) One 
of the strengths of this list is that these repair techniques are 
tested, documented, and argued! I don't personally agree with two of 
the three repairs listed above (e-mail me if you want to chat about 
which two...) and there are others who don't as well, but at least 
they are tested. And argued, and thought about. None of the 
above mentioned examples are accepted practise by most 
technicians, and you can't say that because RPT's thought of it, 
it is approved of by the PTG. Yet, they served in sticky situations, 
and allowed the technicians to think outside their training. Doing a 
poor repair because that's all you were taught to do is no excuse to 
continue that technique. This goes for anyone with any intitials 
behind their name. 

 A technician that
> respects his or her profession repairs and is able to repair sound board with
> sound board, tuning pins with tuning pins, pin block with pin block, bushing
> with bushing, sticking center pin with non sticking center pin, hammers with
> hammers, tuning with ears, voicing with needles (some manufacturers in their
> inability to make good hammers made us believe that lacquer creates a better
> tone, therefore lacquer is an unfortunate skill necessary for those pianos)
> The practice of quick fixing with materials not original to the piano don't
> require the specific skills of a piano technician. In my opinion the point of
> having an organized guild is to protect and instruct an old skill and being a
> watch dog and aid to the manufacturing industry. 

While this is a noble aim, is is completely ignorant of how 
technicial organizations and manufacturers interact. The 
manufacturers will continue to build pianos that cause technicians to 
twitch and writhe. They are building for the paying public, after 
all. The function of an organized guild is to set a measure of 
professional standards and technicial competency for its members. 
That in itself is a huge job. More than many other professional 
organizations do. Acting as a watchdog on piano manufacturing is 
simply not within their mandate for their members, or within the 
realm of knowledge of the elected officers.  You don't see the AMA 
telling major pharmecutical companies to hold back on new drug 
testing because it will cut into their business! Manufacturers have a 
good representation of technicians who work for them in all aspects 
of piano manufacture. I've met many of them. Many are RPT's. However, 
the PTG's job is not to tell manufacturers how to build pianos. 
Overall, there are few among the guild who have enough knowledge of 
piano construction to knowledgeably tell manufacturers what should 
and shouldn't be done

Let me give an example of the
> watch dog function. When Steinway introduced Teflon it first appeared to be a
> good innovation. But when it was not accepted by their own factory in Hamburg
> and numerous problems were reported within the first two years of it's
> introduction in the US, the PTG should have rang the alarm bell at the door
> steps of the NY factory.  Twenty years later?  Send your bike to the piano
> technician and he will make it fly.

Even if the bells were ringing (and I'm told they were), would this 
have changed the results? No, historically, they had to adapt and 
change, as is what happened when they reverted to traditional 
bushings. . You mention the teflon bushings, but what of 
the Kawai ABS action parts? If traditional standards were adhered to,
they wouldn't have been put into production. Yet, I consistently find
they work well, and other technicians have found the same. Piano
construction is and will continue to be largely a hit and miss affair
when it comes to innovation. Other innovations, Baldwin Corfam leather replacement, has 
been changed as well, to a different synthetic (Ecsaine, thanks Del), 
which has worked so well in the last 18 years that it has become 
standard on all Baldwin verticals. Works well, no deer had to die. My 
idea of a good innovation.


Essentially my ramble boils down to this:  I don't credit the PTG 
with everything I know, but I give it credit for what it has done to 
increase my knowledge. Few other technicial organizations can make 
such a claim.

PS.  Flying bicycles are easily achieved with a good trebuchet.
   
> Cyrillus Aerts I.P.T. (independent piano technician)
> University of North Texas
> 
> p.s. Frans deze is voor jou en de mazzel.
> 

 
Rob Kiddell, 
Registered Piano Technician, PTG
atonal@planet.eon.net

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