Gentlefolk, The thread you refer to actually is to be found on PIANOTECH list, not CAUT. The title of the thread it was addressing was "It doesn't matter". The particular post in question was by Michael Jorgensen on March 26. It's quite long, but I've included it below. Your question renews my curiosity as to how many CAUTs do not read pianotech. David Skolnik Columbia University New York, NY At 05:01 PM 03/27/2001 -0500, you wrote: >Greetings again, >By the way, did I miss something? My previous digest (#44) was very short >with only about 3 or 4 posts and didn't include this discussion (below), >and I'd really like to see the rest of it. This one by Kent was the only >post I got on this subject. > >Are there problems with the digest form? Sometimes I get the idea I'm not >getting all of the posts, as there will occasionally be replies to posts >I've yet to receive. > >Thanks, >Jeff > > >Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 19:10:57 -0600 > >From: Kent Swafford <kswafford@earthlink.net> > >Subject: Re: CAUT spills his guts > > > >This post from Mike really is quite brilliant. For one thing it provides a > >sort of benchmark against which other CAUT's can compare their various > >situations. The details will differ for each institution, and as Ron N > >points out,...<snip> > >Jeff Tanner, Piano Technician >School of Music >University of South Carolina >Columbia, SC 29208 >(803)-777-4392 (phone) >Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 09:20:33 +0000 >From: Michael Jorgensen <Michael.Jorgensen@cmich.edu> >X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.51 (Macintosh; U; PPC) >MIME-Version: 1.0 >To: pianotech@ptg.org >Subject: Re: It Doesn't Matter >References: <4.1.20010320061642.00ac4540@pop-server> ><3ABBB288.1C583ED6@ameritech.net> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; x-mac-type="54455854"; >x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" >Sender: owner-pianotech@ptg.org >Precedence: bulk >Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org > >Hi Greg, > After sixteen years as a full time university tech with 107 pianos > and having >read the responses so far, here is what I would do if you want to be >successful in >it. Here is some of what I have learned, I'll spill guts. > >1. Never get involved in politics, there is no need to. Never listen to >gossip, >gripes, or complaints about anyone, especially faculty, always politely >avoid it. >Your the lowest wolf in the pack so don't start any fights, you'll >lose. But you are >part of the pack, so enjoy it, and eat well!! > >2. Tune three pianos a day, every day, with significant breaks in >between. On the >first tuning round spend two hours on each one to voice it, clean it, fix >all of the >broken stuff, and the squeaky pedal. On the second round, your tuning >time will >decline to about 1 1/2 hours per piano or less. > >3. Do not waste time right away on any computer database building. They >will be >looking for a difference right away, so simply write down the tuning date, >serial >numbers, and locations for later entry into a database. You should have a >computer >for that and you can create it over time during your breaks between >pianos. Tune the >piano faculty pianos first, then do the classrooms and any other pianos >where the >faculty member is a good pianist or uses the piano alot. > >4. Work 7:30am to 4:00 pm with a half hour lunch for the first six >months. Don't do >any private work for a month to allow yourself to adjust to the new >routine. You >will need to start early to get in to everyplace. > >5. After six months consider changing to 6:30am to 3:00pm so you can be >home at five >after doing an outside tuning. Invest all of the money you make outside, you >shouldn't have to work more than eight hours just to survive and live >decently. I >have invested all outside money, and now have a 30 foot sailboat, a nice >ranch home >on 10 acres with a thousand feet of river frontage, two years salary in >CDs, zero >debt, and two cars, two grand pianos, and kids in a private school. When >I started >the job, I had $600. That almost ran out because I didn't get a paycheck >for a whole >month after I started. My current goal is to never spend a cent of my >paycheck >again, and live off tunings. Didn't do it last year, but so far this year >I haven't >spent a cent of it. Forget the concept that there is "security" in the >university. >A big lie, There never is, and never was. God, your wife, your private >business, >abilities, and assets are your security. > >6. NEVER tune more than six hours a day or three pianos in a day. That's >all they >pay for. There should never be any emergencies requiring more than >that. With 80 >pianos, that tunes them all once every six weeks. Your inventory will >always be in >near perfect tune and your faculty will love you for it. Always wear ear >plugs. If >a faculty member mentions it, i.e. (alluding or insinuating that you might be >providing second rate work because of ear plug use), turn their gossip into >complaints about the loud acoustics which is destroying every ones >hearing. Or tell >'em it's to cut out the noise of that musician next door cause there's no >soundproofing so you CAN hear. In other words you must learn to >manipulate the >wolves to be your assets rather than enemies. Every department has >them. For that >type of person who is always policing others, or looking for some other >persons >fault, always be ready to divert them to some another area. Be ready in case >complaints about the concert piano start. Get a sling psychrometer, test the >humidity, keep a record of it and use it for all defense and your >protection if >needed. You can't replace soundboards with the time you have, so remember >what the >lack of humidity control has done to those pianos for all those >years. New hammers >and shanks aren't going to do it. Manipulating wolves is how you get new >pianos and >humidity control. Don't you be a "complainer", the department wolves will >do it for >you. Never mention anything that really is wrong with a piano if no one has >complained about it. Know when to shut up and what to say when gripes >arise. Be "on >the side" of all piano faculty, know their frustrations, make them sense >you are >their advocate. Really be their advocate! Don't let things be your >fault, there >not!, but boy there are always wolves who will make it your fault if they >can. Be >ready, one step ahead of the game. Some faculty well test you. Don't >hate them for >it, for once you prove yourself, they will be your biggest >supporters. Laugh it off, >you know more than they do. > >7. Newton is right, you cannot do everything that needs to be done when >there is >less than one tech for 60 pianos. BUT, IT IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT >WILL MAKE >THE DIFFERENCE. Being a CAUT is like being an army doctor. You work in the >trenches, must be fast, efficient and do what counts, and take your rest. > >8. Never get bogged down in what doesn't count much. Don't bother fixing >ten swing >hammer shanks on practice pianos or most studios, unless they clack. Forget >perfection and concentrate on what makes the greatest improvements. > >9. Always look like your working. Computers, databases, the list, the >journal all >help. Physically, eight hours of condensed piano work is too much, day >after day >after day. When bored, experiment with voicing techniques, goof around >with new >techniques or new things you haven't done before. The university loves >all types of >development and education. If not a pianist, learn on school time. If >you are, >simply play the piano for fifteen or thirty minutes after each >tuning. You'll get >good. Be careful who you play for though. If anyone asks, your testing >carefully >before choosing which advanced voicing methods to use. Then talk their >ear off as >your rest. > >10. Attend all piano faculty concerts. > >11. When questioned about your work or ability to tune by some overly >confident >pompous PHD wolf, dazzle them by explaining temperament, and >inharmonicity. Take the >time to explain it, consider it a break, draw a picture of a vibrating >string, tell >em the inharmonicity formula and talk about its' merits, demonstrate some >different >sizes of octaves, show them false strings, stack up three pure major >thirds, talk >their ear off for half an hour, and enjoy it---all part of school >time. Soon you'll >be lecturing for their theory class. After the first months, such persons >will never >bother you again. Never fear, have fun, you know more than they >do. Chances are >99% they never heard of any of that stuff. > >12. Don't attend many all concerts, just the solo piano ones. Let it be >known to all >that you work 6:30 to 3:00 to get in to all rooms and it simply is not >physically >possible to be at concerts until 10:00 PM. >Say to the wolf, "They oughta quit over scheduling the place you >know." The wolves >will jump right in on your side and start complaining for you. > >13. Eight hours a day is hard, tiring, and boring. Now that I have done >this for >16 years, I'm not sorry, but MAN was it hard. I think being a good tuner in >Cleveland might be a better deal. Of course with property values there, I >couldn't >have my home. > >14. Don't waste time getting to know the custodians, students, or spend time >listening to gripes from any workers. Mind your own business. Be friends >with >faculty and administrators. > >15. Wear a tie, dress pants, and decent shoes. Do not wear jeans or >overalls. Your >one of them, the faculty, just be one. > >16. Agree with the university on all social issues, or at least shut up >if you >don't. > >17. Avoid tuning three of the same type of piano in one day. i.e. do >some uprights >and grands as this avoids fatigue. After the first round, you will know >the hateful >pianos, and can avoid selecting three hateful ones in the same day. Never >bring your >work home > >18. They should buy all tools. If you use your own, some jerk might >think you are >stealing them when you leave to tune your private pianos. REMEMBER THAT THE >APPEARANCE OR WRONG DOING IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS THE WRONG DOING, At >least in the >university. > >19. Don't make them buy them all right away. Get them gradually, and use >your own, >but making sure that they know it. > >20. You must be smart. Give them what they think they need, not what >they really >need. All the truth of the PTG and perfectionism of the list is good to >know and >understand and use, but be realistic. Your job is to please the faculty, >any way >possible. You must please the piano faculty if you are to survive, so >you do what >you have to. Not hard really. > >21. Keep a record of all tunings. The concert piano is 'sposed to be >tuned "before >each concert" NONSENSE!! Yeah, go over it and check the unisons, fix a >few here and >there, and record it tuned. You do this 100 times a year. If you really >tuned it >that much, the hammers would be worn out in one year----trouble you don't >need. >Whenever it gets off pitch is when to tune it. Those tuning records >prove your >worth, in case some hatchet minded administrator starts looking around for >somebody >to cut. These always originate from higher up than in music. Chances are >music >really struggled to "get that position" and there are folks up high who >wish it >weren't. > >22. Fix every request within a day. and always tune to A440. > >23. Always make every faculty member feel really important. > >24. You remove the mountain of stuff stored on the piano. Lay it down in >perfect >order so it all goes back in perfect order. When the faculty member >apologizes, >say, "no trouble at all, one of my goals is to make it as easy for you as >possible" The truth is that unloading pianos of junk is easier than >tuning them, >It's all part of the job. Be a slave and accept it or don't take the >job. Puff up >the pride of faculty whenever possible, It'll do you good. > > >You got the brains the knowledge to do great, Its' just a big question >whether it's >worth it. I'm not sure after sixteen years, but, hey I got three >beautiful kid and >still got my wife. We were just a young couple when I started. I would >encourage >your wife to also develop a career because these university jobs are dead >ends and >really not that secure. They just don't lead anywhere. As time goes on, >needs >increase, and one just wants to do better in life. > I'll bet you have more than 80 pianos. After your there a while > you'll find >more, in closets, in pits, lost about on the rest of the campus. Likely >they don't >know how many they really have. When I took the job they said I had >84. When I told >Van Grimley, my predecessor, he laughed, and laughed, and then said " I >think you >got more like about 135!" A good man he was, and he was right on the >nose. Since >then we got rid of some worthless ones. > > >-Mike >----So that's the way it is-----, my guts spilled.
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