Piano Tuner numbers ratio to Piano's owned.

[Robin Stevens]

Hi List.

I read with interest the articles by people that take up the piano
tuning/repair trade in their latter years as either... a last resort for a
means to earn a living ..... or a life long ambition to fulfil ones destiny
on this mortal coil.

As a old timer in this trade... ( where... when starting at a Major Retail
store in 1958.. only.. AND  ONLY.. young men just leaving school at a early
age were accepted into the Trade. I find it very refreshing that anybody
with a desire... and fire in the belly can learn... and be involved in this
noble craft.

I have found that at the major Seminars in Australia all the "Rookie" tuners
I talk to have education qualifications far superior to mine... but, having
field experience of 38 years, I have something to offer them, and they
indeed have something to offer me.

This sharing of knowledge can only be a strengthening  of the piano Service
Industry.

But this brings me to my "Subject point".... Piano ownership stats are all
very well ..but the critical numbers for us as tuners are the percentage of
people that believe they should have their piano tuned  and serviced on a
regular basis.

Why do people get their pianos tuned.. is a very mixed bag.... ranging
from.... "Just received from grand ma"..".."Just bought"...Just shifted
across the room".."or Just sounds b.......   awful"....(or we hope that they
would like to emulate a Piano virtuoso on TV)

I think that the owners that really do the right thing and have them tuned &
serviced regularly are a VERY SMALL minority indeed compared to the pianos
owned.

So while all these late entry Tuners think that they have arrived at the pot
of gold they must be very aware that a Piano tuners  livelihood depends on
the popularity of the piano sound.

During the sixties and seventy's "Liberace" dominated the TV to such a
extent that the American PTA gave him a special award for the promotion of
the Piano industry.

I now ask what is driving the young people today to undertake the daunting
task of learning the piano?.

If we could create another 'Liberace" I think that the world would be our
oyster... but at the moment I cannot see any driving reason to compel the
younger generation to undertake Piano playing education.

A combined strategy to promote the.... Piano and its sound.... by all Tuners
and technicians should be a priority to all.

And we should all be aware that the tuning service industry IS NOT a
bottomless Well of income for all.

Regards
Robin (Aussie)