In memoriam for Sheldon Smith

[David ilvedson]

Jason,

That was a wonderful tribute!  

David Ilvedson, RPT

Date sent:      	Fri, 08 Oct 1999 12:19:11 -0700
Subject:        	In memoriam for Sheldon Smith
From:           	"Jason Kanter" <jkanter@rollingball.com>
To:             	pianotech@ptg.org
Send reply to:  	pianotech@ptg.org

> The recent thread about a customer's request for a Sheldon Smith replacement
> resulted in some argey-bargey about arrogance, perhaps necessary but not
> really to the point. I'd like to contribute a different perspective. The
> customer was obviously highly loyal and deeply appreciative of Sheldon's
> gifts, and as apparently no other reader knew Sheldon, I want to speak about
> him.
> I was his apprentice in 1971-72. At that time he had a shop in Pacific
> Palisades, where he rebuilt mostly Steinways for Sherman Clay, and he was a
> very active member of the PTG. He insisted that I join the Guild and coached
> me through passing the Craftsman exam. Sheldon loved his work, loved it so
> much that he would come into the shop between 5 and 6 am, work on his
> rebuilding (usually 3 or 4 grands in process at any given time), then go out
> at about 9 and tune 6 pianos a day, then return to the shop and do some more
> rebuilding work! And he told me "I love this so much that I would pay people
> to let me tune their pianos."
> Sheldon taught me, first, that there is no conflict between speed and
> accuracy. I had come to him from another shop (Tip-Top Piano Shop, Valencia
> Street, San Francisco, Dana Huff prop.) where I had initially learned to
> tune and fix old uprights. I worked very hard and diligently to set each
> string right - worked for hours on a single piano. Sheldon showed me that
> this was a waste of time and counter-productive because once I moved to a
> diferent section and tuned it, the changed pressure on the bridge would put
> my first section out of tune again. So he taught me to tune the entire piano
> very rapidly, then go back when all the tension was approximately where it
> ought to be and get it "right" the second time through.
> Then he taught me "estimate high and then do the best work you can - forget
> about the time you spend." He contrasted this with the people who
> laboriously estimated the price and then worried about every minute spent on
> the job. He said that the worry brought the quality down. Even if you had to
> pull out an entire stringing and re-do it, for example, do it with no qualms
> - there's nothing wrong with losing money on a single job, because you will
> always do the best possible job and the rest of the jobs (and your
> reputation) will make up for it.
> In six months or so, Sheldon taught me restringing, hammer replacement,
> voicing, complete action work, soundboard repair and refinishing, damper
> adjustment. He was patient, articulate, passionate, and maintained the
> highest standards.
> In subsequent years I know that he moved to Berkeley or Oakland, build a
> larger shop, designed and built his own grand piano from scratch, sponsored
> concerts in his shop.
> He was always cheerful, highly intelligent, and a great pleasure to work
> for, and I am grateful to life for having put me in his path.
> I left the piano tuning field in 1981 and lost touch with him. In recent
> months I have decided to re-join the trade - I will be retiring from
> corporate consulting and moving to Orcas Island in the San Juans (north of
> Seattle) and I plan to be the island piano tuner in my dotage. About a month
> ago I called Sheldon after so many years, to touch base, ask him about tools
> and business, and renew our deep friendship. I spoke with his wife, who told
> me that he had just passed away. I felt it as a great loss, and I have not
> seen him for over 25 years. So it was with some joy that I read the message
> from one of his customers.
> I am sure that there are many exceptional piano technicians in the Bay area.
> But I know that no one will be able to replace Sheldon Smith in the hearts
> of those who knew him.
> 
> ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||
> ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||
> J  A  S  O  N    K  A  N  T  E  R
> P  I  A  N  O    T  U  N  I  N  G
> 425 562 4129  *  fax 425 562 4132
> *    jkanter@rollingball.com    *
> 
> 


David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA
ilvey@jps.net