Ladies and Gentlemen, I think this discussion about men-vs-women piano technicians had gone off the deep end and been run into the ground. The fact is, the two sexes are different, in different ways, but that does NOT make one any "better" than the other. Some 25 or mere years ago, when I worked at the Lab at Oak Ridge, and a bunch of us guys were eating lunch, one who liked rock climbing as a sport was telling how much better men were at it than women - strength of arms, etc. But he didn't stop there with his comparison. (He was a high-energy physicist - and very smart.) I stopped him, and I said: "(His name), how can you compare TWO ESSENTIALS?" He just looked at me, and didn't say another word. More than three decades ago (I forgot the details), I was listening to a recorded interview of a woman who had just been appointed conductor of a major symphony orchestra. The interviewer led off into the sexist line of questions, but the lady conductor dodged them. The interviever then decided to push for the limit, and asked, "How would you like to have an all-woman orchestra?" The conductor answered: "No, I would not want an all woman-orchestra any more than an all-man, an all-black, or an all-white orchestra. The only thing I must have is an all-musician orchestra!" Her answer put an end to that line of questioning. Now, as for the flexure of tuning hammers (that someone mentioned along with the discussion about men, women, and strength of arms). Most of the flexure that you feel when you use a tuning hammer with a long handle to turn a tight pin is NOT coming from the tuning hammer; it's coming from the tuning pin itself. The long handle just makes you more aware of it. Sincerely, Jim Ellis
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