tuning speed

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

Kevin,

At 19:43 01/11/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>Not everyone does a pitch raise and tuning in 40 minutes.
>Terry Farrell
>
>Thank you Terry. To the speedsters I would have to ask:
>     What, like this is the Indianapolis 500 here?  Hey, if I can do a 
> pitch raise and fine tuning that's really stable plus some voicing in 
> under an hour and 45 minutes then I'm happy. I suppose I could be 
> quicker, and I have been really quick, WHEN I HAVE TO BE,,,,but I'd 
> rather do a really good job. That's probably one of the reasons why 
> people want only me to do their tunings.
>
>Kevin E. Ramsey
><mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com>ramsey@extremezone.com


As a college tech, speed is essential.  You had better be able to get in 
and out, with a good tuning, in under 50 minutes, because many times that 
is all the time available in that room that day.

Speed is also possible on these classroom pianos because I do them once a 
month (or oftener...).

BUT...   Outside of a school environment, speed equates to earning 
potential.  Piano tuning is piece work. The more pieces you can do in a 
given time frame, the more money you can earn.  Bill many times has related 
how many pianos he's done at a given venue.  Bragging? Sure!  Why not?  How 
does he do this??  Speed!  That,  plus his accuracy, have given _him_ a 
loyal clientele, too.  But you don't hear him complaining about difficulty 
making ends meet.

Bill said:
>I appreciate Conrad's contribution but it really doesn't matter much 
>whether I use the ETD or not.  There are cases when I really am in a hurry 
>so I don't have time for the ETD, I just get down to business as quickly 
>as possible.

Good point.  Both Bill and I can easily do aural tunings in "Indianapolis 
500" time, but my remark was really referring to the piano tuning community 
as a whole.  I believe that the use of ETD's has not only reduced the 
average tuning time, but provided better and more consistent results.


Conrad Hoffsommer -  Decorah, IA
Usually I try to take it one day at a time, but lately several have 
attacked me at once...