THE best RPT in America (rant)

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

Tom,

At 06:33 AM 6/15/2006 -0700, you wrote:
>List
>What do you think about an RPT whom I met recently?  Below are some of his 
>comments that I found...interesting.
>
>1.  Only one or two clients per month can "appreciate" the really fine 
>tuning he is capable of, so he feels that "as long as the unisons and 
>octaves are close" that's good enough for the rest of them.


This could be true, but if he's only "capable of" and not always "doing" 
that fine tuning, what happens if the two groups of customers are not 
mutually exclusive? People _do_ talk.

>2.  Informed me that he never bothered to learn how to splice a 
>string.  His scores on the other areas of the RPT Technical Exam were high 
>enough that he passed without even attempting it.


They can be spliced?? Quick, hand me that marlinspike!

>3.  Told me that his hearing is "too good".  "I actually hear coincidental 
>partials!  When I use a M3/M10 test on an octave, I actually hear the 
>coincidental partials beating!"  (WOW!  Imagine that!  Now there's a set 
>of ears!)


Surprised he didn't claim he could SEE them beating...

>4.  Told me he covets the job of tuning for his local symphony orchestra, 
>and regarding the guy who has the gig, "I can't figure out how he got the 
>position. I've heard his work.  I do a much better job."


Coveting is not a good thing. Check out the Ten Commandments...

>5.  Hired to tune pianos in a warehouse (with me and 4 other tuners), he 
>tuned two pianos in 7 hours.  (I tuned 6.)


One of the best reasons to hire on a per tuning basis. (For your sake, Tom, 
I sure hope they did!)

>"I don't want to scratch the plate.  That's why I use both hands." (Am I 
>super-coordinated or something, that I am able to move the tuning lever 
>from one pin to the next without scratching the plate?


Yes, you are, and you should have demonstrated your superiority ;-}

>Or is this just another Associate-related bad habit?  I couldn't even 
>think of a way to comment on his detuning of each string without insulting 
>him.)


Thank him for making sure that there were no corrosion bonds anywhere along 
the strings and for increasing the pool of pianos which need repinning or 
rebuilding by single(er.. double?)-handedly wearing out pinblocks.

>6.  Claimed that Virgil Smith told him that he tuned as well as Virgil 
>himself and that he could teach him nothing.  (Except perhaps the one 
>thing Virgil should have taught him: to do the best he can on every piano, 
>whether he thinks the client can "appreciate" it, or not.)


See Mother's comment on this one.

>7.  Wore a tie (with the RPT logo on the tie tac) every day to the 
>warehouse while the rest of us wore Tshirts and shorts.  (OK, at this 
>point, every little thing about this guy bugged me...my apologies to all 
>you logo-bearing-tie-tac-wearing RPTs out there.)


He wasn't afraid that the tie tack would scratch the plate or case?  After 
all, both his hands were busy on the tuning hammer and when he leans over 
that grand to move the hammer... Oh! The Horror!!

>8.  Claimed he won an award from his chapter for passing his RPT exam 
>quicker than anyone EVER had in the past.  (Less than 4 years...and...NO 
>STRINGS WERE SPLICED during the production of this RPT!)


Are you sure that's why they gave him an award?


I got depressed whilst reading your account.  I've been working for years 
to gain the title "Best RPT in America".  Almost thought I had it, and then 
this guy comes along... What'll I do now??


>What a piece of work this guy was!
>Sorry for that.  I do feel better, though, sharing that with someone.  Anyone.
>
>This is not a rant against RPTs in general.  I may be one myself, one day. 
>Call me old-fashioned, but I plan to splice a string at my Tech Exam, plan 
>to continue to do the best tuning I can on every spinet I come across, 
>will continue to not cast aspersions on the work of others in my field, 
>and will never drop Virgil's name in an effort to validate myself.
>Tom Sivak


This last paragraph is why you are already a better RPT than whosis EVER 
will be. Keep up the good work!






Conrad Hoffsommer

All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.