I would estimate that one piano in 10 gets tuned once a year. Rich ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Bunch" <pdtek@mchsi.com> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 6:42 PM Subject: Re: Fermi, was average tuner income >>>150,000 pianos in Chicago. Estimate that > each piano gets tuned an average of 1 time a year.<< > > Yeah, right. > > Dave Bunch > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "jason kanter" <jkanter@rollingball.com> > To: <dporritt@mail.smu.edu>; "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 3:08 PM > Subject: Fermi, was average tuner income > > >> Many of you are probably familiar with Enrico Fermi's famous problem, >> "How >> many piano tuners are there in Chicago?" - asked of physics engineers. >> "Sometimes we must attempt to estimate important scientific and/or >> engineering values based on scanty or apparently non-existent >> information. >> Experimental science seeks its answers from Nature; but, before an >> experiment can be designed, some idea/estimate of the parameter space >> involved must already be in hand. We must make an initial guess. How do >> we >> proceed? We use what we already know, of course. Most people could do far >> more than they think if only they really knew how to use their heads. >> Enrico >> Fermi, hailed by some as, "the last universal scientist," had a unique >> way >> of initiating his graduate students into this important discipline. >> see http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/CoE/Fermi.mod_files/v3_document.htm >> and >> http://www.stthomas.edu/physics/Academics/111/Green%20Group%20Problems/Fermi >> %20Problems/Fermi%20Piano%20Key.gif >> for two versions of the Fermi problem and its solution. (the second link >> above uses Twin Cities instead of Chicago). >> >> In the various solutions to the problem, the engineers make the following >> reasonable assumptions: 3 million people, 4 people per family, 1 piano >> for >> every 5 families, therefore about 150,000 pianos in Chicago. Estimate >> that >> each piano gets tuned an average of 1 time a year. >> And they proceed to estimate how many tuners are required to service >> those >> pianos thus: 4 to 5 tunings a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, >> therefore >> about >> 1000 to 1250 tunings a year per tuner ... >> therefore there are 120 to 150 tuners in Chicago. >> >> For our purposes in looking at average income, this tallies with Dave >> Porritt's rule of thumb that gross income is about 1,000 times your >> tuning >> fee. >> >> But do we actually average 1,000 to 1,250 tunings a year? I would have >> thought less. >> >> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | >> | | | | | >> Jason Kanter . piano tuning regulation repair >> jkanter@rollingball.com <mailto:jkanter@rollingball.com> . cell 425 830 >> 1561 >> serving the eastside and the san juans >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On >> Behalf Of David M. Porritt >> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 11:41 AM >> To: pianotech@ptg.org >> Subject: RE: average tuner income >> >> >> Terry: >> >> This is a touchy subject on many levels. I have always thought, however, >> that a good rule of thumb was 1,000 times your tuning rate as a gross >> income. That's assuming that you have some skill, some business sense >> and >> this is not your first year doing it. >> >> dave >> >> __________________________________________ >> David M. Porritt, RPT >> Meadows School of the Arts >> Southern Methodist University >> Dallas, TX 75275 >> dporritt@mail.smu.edu >> >> >> ----- Original message ----------------------------------------> >> From: pianolover 88 <pianolover88@hotmail.com> >> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> >> Received: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:36:03 -0700 >> Subject: average tuner income >> >>>I know it's hard to generalize, but I'm curious to know what other >> full-time >>>tuner/techs average income is per year. I will understand if not too many >>>want to divulge this info online. I'm just looking for a "ballpark", for >>>LA >>>and other major cities or whereve. I read somehwere a while back in a PTJ >>>from about 3 years back, a little questionairre, where one of the >>>questions >>>asked how much do you earn in a year. There were four multiple choice >>>answers listing income ranges. On the high range was "$200,000 or more", >>>and next to it in (----) was: "average for tuners in Los Angeles". Not >> being >>>able to find that particular article, I wonder if that was accurate or >>>just >>>a joke! That would basically translate to no less than $766.00 per day, >>>every day, based on a 5 day week, or $639.00 every day, based on a six >>>day >>>week. I've had days like that and sometimes even more, but not EVERY >>>SINGLE >>>DAY! Of course when I think about it, that's really only 4-6 tuning per >> day, >>>with a few pitch raises, cleanings or extra stuff added to the mix. For >> me, >>>single with no debt, (except my home mortgage) I guess I'm happy keeping >>>my >>>work day as short as practicable. Some techs might work from 8am 'till >> dark, >>>but I sure as heck don't need to, and never will! I love what i do-and I >>>love ice cream-but i don't over do it. The sky's the limit if we really >> want >>>it bad enough. >> >>>Terry Peterson >> >>>_________________________________________________________________ >>>Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools >>>and >>>more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx >> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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