..i feel a little out of place since i rank near the bottom on the experience chart, but here goes:.. ..got my first taste of Piano Technology in 1978, my last year at Berklee..attended a class taught by Tom Sheehan..he was a grad of N.Bennet.. ..it wasn't until the summer of 1996 that I literally woke up one morning and decided I had to do something different with my life than just play music..but I wanted to stay close to music/pianos..up to this point i had tuned for relatives and friends with real POS's..i offended no one except the piano itself..!!.. ..i made some calls locally to find out if i could learn from someone close..the calls that got returned all turned out negative..and the calls that didn't get returned just sparked my interest even more!!.. ..i actually got on the 'net and found the PTG page..Larry Goldsmith(?) was a GREAT source of information..he sent me a list of people/schools that were *approved* for teaching in this field..and of course there were none in the State of Fla...N.Bennett was my first choice, but after I received their brochure, I had to shelve that idea..being married at the time, i did not want to leave my family for 2 years..so....... ..the closest person that appeared on that list was Larry Crabb in Atlanta..i called him..we decided I should come up there and see what he has to offer..so I flew up and we met..what I found was a congenial Southern Gentleman(right Jim?!) willing to teach this Yankee anything he ever wanted to know about the field..i must admit I was impressed with 2 things..1st: - his shop..it's like a piano factory..he re-builds everything from Spinets to Squares..and 2nd: - the fact that he was willing to work at my speed because of the miles between us (500+)..he knew i still had to make a living and learn a new field, so this was a BIG plus for me.. ..so I started with Larry in Nov. of 1996, driving up twice a month..drive on a tuesday...attend class on Wednsday and then drive back..it's a murderous trip, but one that must be made, in my case, if I'm going to learn in this field.. ..in March of '97, Larry said:..*Phil, you're ready.* I thought it was a little soon myself, but I approached dealerships down here..i found one who had just let go their tech go..i tuned a piano as an audition, aurally..they were impressed..it's a Baldwin Dealer and they're the largest volume dealership South of Sarasota on the West Coast.. ..it's a nice arrangement..i do all the Waranty work for them and they refer all incoming calls to me..as an independant, NOT as an employee.. ..Since I've been working for them, I've tuned for Baldwin Artists that come to town..the first one being tuning 2 SD-10's back to back!!..I've tuned for Andre Watts..I've aquired some nice commercial accounts as well as some nice residential accounts.. ..my trips to Atlanta have become much less frequent because I am now earning/eeking out a living in this field..so i am behind in my book work, but very far ahead of other students in experience so far.. ..it's still my goal to become RPT by the end of the year..the tuning and the written exams should not be a problem for me..the practical is where i'll run into a snag..but everyday i work in this field is another day closer to becoming RPT.. The Rookie!
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC