The pitch raise speech

[Robin Blankenship]

Michelle,

You have asked a wonderful question in that it leans into a whole universe 
of understanding about what piano techs do and how we do it.

Whenever I first see a new piano, I start opening all sense to input from 
it. What visual clues as to its condition and life. Things like rust, of 
course, but also heavily worn hammers, corners of veneer knocked off, a 
pedal sagging or laying down entirely. Then, there's smell. Does the inside 
have an odor of decaying or even smoldering wood?? Or, perhaps the essence 
of long departed rodent guests.

What does the owner know about the history of the instrument? What do they 
expect of it for their own use? What kind of music will they be playing on 
it.

And, as much more in the way of helpful input as you can collect in a brief 
period of time. Then, you bring your own musical and personal experience to 
the table and start doing all the "if's", "and's" and "but's" and "on the 
other hand's" as you need to do to reach a conclusion that feels reasonable 
and that you can explain to the customer.

Run your hands over the piano, inside and out and notice things like surface 
grime, sogginess or dryness of the wood, etc.

And, of course, after every new piano encounter, do some reflecting on what 
happened and why. Add that to your knowledge banks and after a while you'll 
feel like you have a fairly reliable sense of what to expect with a given 
instrument. Thus, you'll know what to share with the customer and how to 
perhaps help guide their decisions on what best to do for it.

Hope that helps a bit.

Robin Blankenship
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michelle Smith" <michelle at cdaustin.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 12:36 PM
Subject: The pitch raise speech


> As a new tuner, I have read with much interest the non-emotional  speech 
> given to customers concerning the possible outcomes of a pitch  raise. 
> (Plate failure, string breakage, etc.)
>
> Is there a certain point (cents-wise) that you give this speech or is  it 
> based more on the condition/age of the instrument?
>
> Also, I'm assuming the customer's answer is usually in favor of the  pitch 
> raise.  What do you do when they don't want to risk it?  Go  home or tune 
> the piano to itself?
>
> Thanks for sharing your experiences.
>
> Michelle Smith
> Student Tuner
> Bastrop, Texas
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.6/337 - Release Date: 5/11/2006
>
> 



-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.6/337 - Release Date: 5/11/2006