<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2723.2500" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sounds like an education problem in the
hallowed halls of higher learning. Even bean counters can hear the
difference between a Horowitz recording played on a worn-out Radio Shack
cassette deck and a top of the line CD player. While we may abhor the
stereotype, reality often finds much more open, and aethsetically atuned,
minds. Part of your job is to "awaken the latent artist" [ :-) ] in
your faculty and music dept. admin. An enlightened and enthusiastic
faculty will sell the concept of good piano maintenance if they really desire a
cutting edge music program. If they don't care, or have given up, or if
you evaluate pianos as so many beans in a bag, you've got a real problem.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If we merely appeal to the "bean counter's bottom
line", then we've lost sight of the art. We just as well go mow the
lawn....but when you think about it, that has no real, productive purpose
either......think I'll sell the lawn mower.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Otto</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Wimblees@aol.com href="mailto:Wimblees@aol.com">Wimblees@aol.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org
href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 12, 2003 1:57
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Guidelines comments</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF">In a message dated 6/12/03 12:35:22 PM Central Daylight
Time, <A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A> writes:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
TYPE="CITE">I don't know, Wim. I can't see how we can argue that a piano
_lasts_ longer <BR>if we do the recommended maintenance as you describe. In
fact, it seems to <BR>me that doing what we recommend costs more and makes
pianos last less long <BR>- or at least makes the components of pianos last
less long. Regular hammer <BR>filing makes hammers die quicker; repinning
shanks to maintain frictional <BR>parameters means more rapid replacement of
shanks and flanges; regular <BR>re-stringing means more rapid replacement of
pinblock; etc.<BR> Now there are schools where quality rebuilding and
maintenance isn't part <BR>of the picture, and where, particularly with
regard to performance pianos, <BR>there is a tendency to replace more often
than necessary. The hammers get <BR>beaten in, some zings appear, key
bushings get sloppy, knuckles and tails <BR>are glazed - the piano just
isn't that wonderful instrument they picked out <BR>so carefully. Better get
a new one. I've seen that often enough, and I <BR>expect many others have as
well. It means piles of money goes to replacing <BR>prominent pianos,
leaving next to nothing for maintenance and replacement <BR>of the rest of
the inventory.<BR> In that kind of circumstance, you can certainly
argue that hiring a <BR>qualified tech would save you money. But for the
most part, I think the <BR>only argument that makes sense is that you have
to invest in maintenance by <BR>a skilled tech if you want to have
instruments at a quality level adequate <BR>to higher education needs.
Period. Keeping pianos a performance level <BR>requires a constant
investment of time and skill.<BR>Regards,<BR>Fred Sturm<BR>Universidad de
Nuevo Mexico<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Unfortunately, trying to convince bean
counters that the school needs to spend money on piano tuners is going to fall
on deaf ears, if we can't show them it is going to save them money. Just
telling an administrator that WE say one full time piano tuner is needed for
70 - 100 pianos, because WE say what needs to be done to keep piano working
the way WE say they should work, is just not going to cut it. I think we have
to show, with actual case studies, that investing in a piano tuner is going to
save them money in the long run. We have to show, in writing, with examples,
that, to paraphrase the Fram Oil Filter commercial "you need to pay a piano
tuner now, or you will have to buy new pianos sooner." <BR><BR>If we can show
that a qualified piano tuner can postpone the purchase of new pianos by 20 or
even 40 years, they might listen. But just telling them that investing in a
piano tuner is going to make the pianos play and sound better, only a few
piano professors are going to agree with you. But the bean counter, and maybe
even the rest of the department, is going to say, so what, I'd rather have the
money for scholarships, or some new music, or a new desk in my office.
<BR><BR>The new Guidelines are very good, and helpful, and hopefully it will
give a few department chairs the ammunition they need to get a qualified piano
tuner. I'm trying to suggest a few ways to make the guidelines even better. It
will require some more work on our part. But we've gone this far, so why not
go the extra mile, and make it even better?<BR><BR>Wim
</FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>