Master Piano Tuner/Greg T.

[Billbrpt]

In a message dated 5/20/98 12:34:27 AM Central Daylight Time, PDtek@aol.com
writes:

<< Now it seems to me that anyone who is able to pass an exam in this way
without
 ever laying hands on a piano has no right to pass themselves off as qualified
 to competently work on pianos, and a customer has no way of knowing who has
 passed the more stringent tests. Now, I admit that I have not kept track of
 guild polocies since then. Have all RPTs taken and passed the most recent
test
 procedures? If not, doesn't this state of affairs greatly dilute the RPT
 status?
 
 If I remember correctly, when the "new testing" proposal was voted down, the
 reason given was that if these "old testing" techs had been in business all
 this time, then we could safely assume that their skills were up to speed. In
 other words, the same philosophy that is used by the Master Piano Technicians
 of America. >>

The above is an argument that has been run over an over again.  It will serve
no purpose to even discuss it.  Many of those who fit the above description
have already retired or passed away.  My assumption is that the rest will also
in due time.  So let's not dwell on it.

Greg T., I had no idea that you were not a member of PTG or that you were not
an RPT.  From the things that you write, I would expect that you could pass
the RPT exams more than adequately.  The advice I would give to you is
basically that which I would offer to anyone:  Join PTG, it will be the best
investment you could ever make.  Go to every Regional Seminar you can manage
to attend, go to every Annual Convention you can mange to attend.

Take the RPT Exams.  There is a prescreening process that will help you not
waste your time and money, the Examiners' time and will save personal
humiliation if you are not yet ready to pass at RPT standards.  Once you have
passed these Exams, you need to put back in what you taken out by volunteering
as an Examiner yourself.  For the Technical Exam, you need only be an RPT to
qualify.  To become a Certified Tuning Examiner is a much more legnthy process
and your tuning skills must be at the very highest level.  However if you do
not qualify as a CTE Trainee, you can still and should volonteer as one of the
RPT's needed to serve on the set up nof a Master Tuning and on the scoring of
other examinees' Exams.  When you serve in this way, you will benefit by
increasing your own knowledge and skill immensely.  When you qualify as a CTE
Trainee, you should go through that process and serve at least one 5 year
term.  This will increase your breadth of knowledge and skill by an
immesurable but greatly significant amount.

I can only add that it would take a very long post to tell you what you don't
realize you have missed out on so far.  It just may be that the reason that I
seem so very sure of myself when I talk about issues in tuning is that I have
a great deal of experience and understanding derived from many sources over a
substantial legnth of time.  Virtually all of it has been through my
association with PTG.   I have no comment on the "other organization" or its
members use of the title, "Master" other than what I have already said in a
previous post.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin