an "Open Letter" and apology.

[antares]

So Terry,

When in Amsterdam........

*(; >))))

André Oorebeek

On 19-nov-04, at 5:18, pianolover 88 wrote:

> Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays!
>
>
> I ask that you please read the following in its entirety.
>
> First I would like to thank those who have emailed me (off-list) with 
> words of support.  The basic sentiment is that they did not feel that 
> I was: A. “bashing” birdcage and/or squares. Indeed, I was speaking 
> for myself ONLY, saying that I prefer not to work on them. I in no way 
> was criticizing anyone who serviced them. But I do not know of ANY 
> technician, piano teacher or anyone else (who knows about pianos) who 
> would recommend these antique instruments to anyone just starting out, 
> and interested in learning to play the piano. While they are often 
> beautiful instruments to look at, they still are obsolete and cannot 
> compare with “modern” pianos for performance and tone quality. It 
> would be like a Driver instructor recommending a Model A jalopy to a 
> 16-year-old wanting to buy his/her first car. Yes, they can be 
> restored to a point, but cannot come close to the performance or 
> safety standards of a modern automobile.
>
> B. The “tuning fee” debacle. This got waaay out of hand as well. When 
> someone (I won’t name names) implied that “I must not be as ‘good’ as 
> a more expensive technician” if I charged less, that’s fine. I’m a big 
> boy and can take it. I just felt it was a bit below the belt to call 
> me a “bozo”, and “pathetic”, etc. As any fair minded person would 
> agree, high price does not always guarantee high quality. For example: 
> The Olsen twins got BIG bucks for a recent “film” they starred in. 
> Does that mean that they are great, or even good actors? Hardly. Or 
> just because a movie like “airplane”, which I thought was hilarious, 
> and made millions at the box office way back when; is that a better 
> quality film then, let’s say, Amadeus, which was critically aclaimed, 
> but made much less at the box office?
>
> And what I said about addictions was taken totally the wrong way by 
> some people. Let me clarify. I lost a very close friend to substance 
> abuse. He died  (at only 39) after lapsing into a coma. He lost his 
> wife, house and most of his friends; I didn’t abandon him. But I could 
> not help him because he was so addicted to pain killers and booze, he 
> was shut off and in his own world of denial. He died that way. And 
> addictions like this and worse can and DO affect every strata of the 
> social and economic spectrum. Now I know some people are unforgiving 
> no matter what, but most people are good-hearted, as I believe I am. 
> People who know me see me as a warm, friendly person who is usually 
> the first to pick up the check, compliment others and have a good, if 
> sometimes “edgy” sense of humor. I have a background as a stand-up 
> comedian/actor and, believe it or not, ventriloquist! I actually made 
> a living doing that, as well as a radio announcer for a few years.
>
> Lastly, I want to offer a sincere apology to ANYONE who I may have 
> offended. I have been a list member for several years, having 
> contributed positively for the most part, but admittedly, I stepped in 
> it more than a couple times. I hope those who were offended will 
> accept my apology. Unfortunately, sometimes the printed word is often 
> misconstrued, or taken the wrong way. I know sometimes little snips 
> are lifted here and there and then “quoted” out of context to make the 
> person look bad. But again, I will take responsibility for what I 
> wrote and again say I’m sorry. Please everyone have a wonderful 
> thanksgiving and HAPPY HLOIDAYS!!
>
>
> Terry Peterson
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>
friendly greetings
from
André Oorebeek

Vita Dura Est