And I'll third David and second Dale: Individual human beings have different learning styles. I know some people who are absolutely brilliant yet have always been a round peg trying to go into a square hole in the established educational system - their learning style just can't work in that setting. My goal in life is to go to my deathbed with my enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to learn intact. I'm old enough to know people who have already stopped learning. That aspect is not a function of formal or informal training, but is more a part of our character. I think the point that I have seen a lot of people trying to make is that it does not matter whether you tune aurally or by ETD, with sufficient care and knowledge, you can get a fine tuning either way. My rhetorical question: how much knowledge is enough? My answer: It's never enough, because the goal is to continue learning and satisfying newer curiousities. Speaking only for myself, I have found that when I have reached a plateau in my learning and stopped, usually I see myself getting sloppy and my work suffering a bit. And when I get back on the learning horse again, my focus returns, my desire for excellence reasserts itself, and everything gets kicked up a notch or two. And I have then have that feeling of satisfaction - for me only - that I have gotten better. I think that if we are learning only to increase our income, then the process is ultimately barren and very limited in value. Duaine seems to be saying, "I already know everything I need to know to make a good living and satisfy my customers, so why bother with the rest?" He has answered his own question, and he is free to make that choice. It does strike me as ironic that someone who was so obviously a strong and creative self starter in his earlier career, seems to find little value in that approach in this following career. Finally, I think it fair to say that the Guild is a combination of shared learning built upon a whole lot of creative and industrious people who have often come up with new processes and ideas mostly in isolation. But I would also say that we are always standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us as the state of the art gets advanced. Will Truitt From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of erwinspiano at aol.com Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 2:25 AM To: ilvey at sbcglobal.net; pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] RPT Credibility and "Status" Hi Floyd I second that David. I often recall that the late great hero of American history, a backwoods lawyer named Abe Lincoln was .....basically home schooled & "self directed". Combine that with integrity of character, infused with morals,love and other virtues & I believe the recipe for being a fine human being & fully functioning in any endeavor is,.... a definite possibility. Regards & respect Dale Erwin Well said... David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- >What do letters after my name mean? Are they a sign of perceived self >importance? I suppose for some people they might be. >But I tend to look at them in a different light. >I believe in the value of self directed study. But when I hear someone >describe himself as self-taught, it bothers me. >There are a number of areas in which I have worked at gaining expertise >outside of a formal learning environment. Doing so >is almost always a combination of reading and dialoguing with others who are >interested in the subject matter. I am not >self taught in these areas, even though I have exercised significant >initiative. My teachers are those who have invested >time and effort in writing to pass on their knowledge, and those who share >their time and ideas with me. >I cannot yet put the letters RPT after my name. I hope to be able to do so >in the near future. There are some other letters >I can put after my name, and when and if I choose to do so, they indicate >that I do not consider myself self-sufficient >in knowledge, but that I have valued the input and evaluation of those more >experienced than myself. I have considered it >valuable to learn from them and to submit myself to their standards of >evaluation, rather than simply to my own. >It is obvious that one can operate a successful business without formal >credentials. That fact does not make meaningless >the practice of submitting my work to the evaluation of those more >knowledgable than myself. It is also true that most people cannot tell the >difference between someone who actually knows what he is doing, and someone >who is simply following >a set of step-by-step instructions created by someone else, without knowing >why he is doing what he is doing. >I currently tune using a set of instructions created by Robert Scott. I am >grateful to him for developing the Tunelab >program. It enables me to earn some income to feed my family, even though >my aural skills are not yet sufficient for me >to tune without the visual feedback. But the fact that I can use a tool to >do a job without fully understanding it does not >render real understanding meaningless. >When someone says I do not need anything more than the ability to "get the >job done" in order to earn income in that line >of work, I won't argue. But when someone says that the standard for >obtaining credentials in the field should be lowered >to the extent that I don't need to know why I am doing what I am doing to >hold the credentials, I must complain. If I can't thoroughly evalute a >tuning with my ears alone, I should not be holding credentials. >Right now the RPT designation means something. Sure, there are people that >have passed the tests and quit learning, or >have not demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence and customer >service. But these are not the people that >define the value of what it means to be an RPT. Let's keep pursuing a >vision of excellence and of a high level of skill >that is rooted in learning, preparation and understanding. >Floyd Gadd, associate member >Manitoba chapter _____ Listen to 350+ music, sports, & news radio stations - including songs for the holidays - FREE while you browse. 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