Piano Firing Missiles at Church Congregation

[Kevin E. Ramsey]

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Bill, if they do go with another tech it will probably be with someone =
who has no where near your knowledge. Then, when the situation doesn't =
improve, you will be vindicated. Small consolation, and it would be =
better to find a solution, but I really think that you've done =
everything humanly possible (except being in a service, right next to =
the pianist and shouting "Not so hard!!!!!!!!!!!")
Kevin E. Ramsey
ramsey@extremezone.com
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Billbrpt@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 7:24 AM
  Subject: Re: Piano Firing Missiles at Church Congregation


  WOW!=20

  Thanks for all the replies, folks.  It's nice to know how willing =
people are=20
  to help with ideas and opinions.  I know I may come off at times like =
a "Mr.=20
  know-it-all" but really, I only have superficial knowledge and =
experience=20
  with such things as manufacturing concerns, scale design, etc.  =
However, I=20
  have been around for quite a while and have heard and seen a lot.=20

  One thing I noticed early on in my career as a piano technician was =
that you=20
  can often expect contradictory opinions on virtually any subject.  A =
couple=20
  of things that were new to me and which I had not considered were =
counter=20
  bearing angles and agraffe damage.  Also, the use of the damper pedal =
as a=20
  factor in string breakage was something I had not really heard of =
before.=20

  It seems obvious to me that simply weaving some extra and tighter =
string=20
  braid would keep strings from flying out.  Some of the suggestions =
about=20
  other ways to restrain the strings seemed a bit surprising.  I had =
always=20
  thought of string braid as being principally a mute but I can see that =
it=20
  could also prevent shooting strings.=20

  I agree that the story is comical, at least at first thought but if =
someone=20
  were to be injured, it could quickly turn to a grim scenario.  Another =
factor=20
  that I did not bring up was that I tried the best I could to get this =
church=20
  *not* to buy a piano from the particular dealer in question.  My =
opinion of=20
  Young Chang pianos completely aside, the reputation of the dealer as =
being=20
  the worst of the worst has a lot to do with whether buying any =
instrument at=20
  all from that source would be advisable.=20

  When I visited the dealer I usually do work for, I told him of the =
problem=20
  just in case the church decides to trade the piano in.  This problem =
should=20
  definitely be known.  I can see that if the church does buy a new =
piano, it=20
  should be specially prepared in order to minimize the possibility of =
the=20
  problem occurring in a completely different instrument.  Still, the =
image of=20
  a piano coming from *that* dealer now firing scuds at the congregation =
is=20
  really funny.  They got their "good deal" and now they're paying the =
price=20
  for it.=20

  I have not contacted Young Chang yet, I haven't been asked to do so.  =
The=20
  young lady pianist says she wants to talk to the pastor and the =
dealer.  She=20
  doesn't buy my explanation.  She thinks I "tightened the strings too =
much".  =20
  She said she saw me working once and it looked to her that I was =
"tightening=20
  everything really hard".=20

  They also haven't paid the bill for the tuning that I did now 30 days =
ago=20
  even though they had always been prompt before, sometimes even paying =
when I=20
  completed the job that day.  When I left the bill on the desk, I saw =
my last=20
  invoice sitting there marked, "Hold until next bill."  Now, there is =
also a=20
  bill for replacing two more strings and another string is on order.  =20
  Yesterday having been Sunday, I can fully imagine that the other =
string of=20
  the unison that just broke will have broken too.  I did tell the girl =
that it=20
  was likely.  She asked why and I again explained to her that it is the =
way=20
  the piano is played and her reply was that she had a hard time =
accepting that.=20

  So, that is where it stands now.  If they call someone else, I may not =
be=20
  troubled by the problem anymore but I can also see that I may be the =
one whom=20
  everyone blames for the problem.  The dealer is certainly capable of =
that.  =20
  That *unequal* temperament I tune caused the problem, he might say and =
you=20
  can be sure that it will be believed.=20

  I'll let you all know what transpires.=20

  Bill Bremmer RPT=20
  Madison, Wisconsin=20

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