BACK ON TOPIC - Band Inst. vs. Pianos

[dltassinpiano@juno.com]

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Jeff, and others...

It's SO hard to compare  "apples"  to  "oranges"  when they are REALLY 
not the same.

Band instruments are on the average 10 - 15 times cheaper than  NEW
pianos.    Most ( at
least 99% ) of  ALL  beginner band students don't care, and it really
(almost) doesn't matter, if the instrument is NEW or used.   For wind
instruments, (i.e: brass, woods, double reeds, etc.) the  "mouthpiece" 
is the MOST important to the student just learning.   THAT will determine
a success or failure of  "most" students.  Really,  NOT the instrument.  
The "other"  ( and the REAL  factor of success )  is  PRACTISE !!!  
Bar-none ==  THAT will never be replaced by ANY thing.  However, one 
DOES  need an excellent  "instrument"  ( piano or other ) to practise on
to be  " SUCCESSFUL !!! "

However,  I truly  "wished"   ALL  piano manufactorers would quit making 
ALL styles of upright pianos.   It would be  "nice"  to live in a world
where everyone who owned a piano had a grand piano.   There are a number
of technicians I know that will   ONLY   tune and work on a grands.
They will refer a customer to another tech.  "who they don't like" to
call him/her to work on their old upright / console.   

But, there are a number of us technicians who live in areas where these 
OLD HIGH UPRIGHTs
exist by the 100's and people believe they are  "National  Treasures."   
HOW in the world can you break someone's heart to tell them,  poor people
whose child  "wants" to learn, but they can't afford a  GRAND piano (yet
along a "new" upright),  that the  old "junker-clunker"  is  DEAD !!   It
will cost MORE to fix / overhaul / rebuild that  OLD piano than if they'd
go out and buy a brand new one.

But, the truth is,  they can't.

Schools and Colleges under such  "tight" budget restrants wants us CAUT
people to do "miracles"  with our hands and minds to pianos that are  
NEVER  regulated / voiced on a regular basis even IF you get to tune the
dang thing once or "maybe" twice a year IF you are lucky.   Then, they
expect a tuning at  HALF  the  "outside" going rates ON TOP OF THAT !!!

The  WHOLE  "ball of wax"  boils down to   =    MONEY !!!
No Body has any, and any BODY who does, don't want to spend it   ---- "
ON THEIR PIANO !!"

It's NOT as important as books...
It's NOT as important as the lawnmower ...
It's NOT even as important as getting yer hair done each week ...

There's  ALWAYS  money for  " other " things,   but    NEVER,  I mean, 
NEVER  enough money
to keep that piano tuned,  regulated,  voiced,  repaired,  adjusted, 
refinished, etc., etc., etc.
Somebody tell me where the justification is in   THAT !!!

If  "one"  doesn't live in the  BIG  cities,   "one" will starve by
segregating his/her working on JUST grand pianos.   But,  WHY  IS  IT  ( 
i ask )  that Colleges and Unverisities have  MORE upright pianos,  but
when you apply to work for them, they want you to KNOW  MORE  about grand
pianos ???    The VERTICAL  piano is  ( actually ) harder to work on,
harder to regulate, and even  HARDER  to tune !!!   Now,  ALL  of you out
there in  CAUT land  ........  Think about that for a moment.   THERE is
the answer to your question when the  "lead" tech  will ONLY  work on
grand pianos,  and hire the contract tech to come in to tune and work on
all the verticals.   It  REALLY  is a  NO  BRAINER !!

But,  STILL  ---  the real problem and the real answer is  =  MONEY !!!  
  I  KNOW I can go to truck driving school and work driving OTR gigs
making 5 times as much more money just sitting on my  "donkey"  driving
someone "else's " truck, and I   KNOW  they have the money to take care
of the truck and have it tuned up and repaired when it needs it.   After
all,  99.99 % of the people don't  MAKE A LIVING playing a piano.   But, 
99.99 %  of the people who own and drive BIG-rig trucks  DO !!

NO  WONDER  the  "ARTS" (?)  are going down the toilet.    After all, 
it's  "just"  intertainment.
Who gives a  C___p ??

 { this is just "something" you ALL  need to start thinking about ... }
                  just  Look what had happen with the U. of Mich. thing
...  someone got "screwed"
                  because of  "Money." !!!!

____________________________

        [ name withheld pending investigation into truck-driving
school... ]  
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