<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: new meaning for weighing keys</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> As often happens, my unconventional attempt to make a point was off the mar= k. On my soapbox... Of course I don't think the washer was the proper repair.  I just foun= d it interesting that you assumed it to be ingenious by a piano owner, but i= ncompetent by a tuner, when you had no idea who the tuner was, or his level = of training.  For all you know, it may have been his first piano. &nbsp= ;We're all incompetent relative to the next person with higher skills and kn= owledge. This is one of my pet peeves about PTG.  We pass a few tests that put = us at entry level at best, and suddenly we become God's gift to piano owners= .  From what I have seen, for the remainder of their careers, a large p= ercentage of PTG members, RPTs included, don't climb much higher up the prov= erbial competence ladder, yet many are all too willing to scoff at the unwas= hed of the piano world, the incompetent waifs.  You wonder why so many = tuners outside PTG hate our guts? Yes, I've seen some interesting and bizarre repairs to pianos by novices of= the trade, but to tell the truth, I've seen a lot more damage from PTG memb= ers.  I tire easily of discussions of how incompetent others are when, = quite frankly, a lot of the discussions on this and other PTG forums are not= much higher than which size of washer to hang on the sticker, ie., "wh= at is a pitman."   Lest I be misunderstood yet again, no, I don't think there are stupid quest= ions, I just don't think "stupid" questions should share the same = forum with belittling others' level of understanding. That, Wim, is what I was suggesting. Off my soapbox. Rick on 3/12/04 8:42 AM, Wimblees@aol.com at Wimblees@aol.com wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>In a message dated 3/11/04 2:14:00 PM Central Standard Time, Ri= ck.Florence@asu.edu writes: <BLOCKQUOTE>Some might consider not knowing what a pitma= n is, or not knowing the Steinway spec. for hammer shank distance as a sign = of incompetence.   Incompetence is a relative term. Rick </BLOCKQUOTE>You're not suggesting that you think the washer was a c= omepent repair, are you Rick? Wim </BLOCKQUOTE> _____________ Rick Florence Piano Technician Arizona State University, School of Music </BODY> </HTML>