At 11:52 PM 4/27/96 -0600, you wrote: >On 4.27.96 Ken Hale wrote: > >"I have talked to a few technicians about Europe and understand piano stores >there are different. They talk of musical and tone quality and playability, >not so much about my glue is better than your glue. I wonder if there are >some technicians from Europe or other countries, on Piano Tech that would be >able to comment on this or am I just dreaming." > >Hi Ken, > snip > In my opinion it is a true Art (and possibly the ultimate >challenge) for any piano technician to notice and "bring out" the best sound >that particular instrument is capable of. YES!!! >By the way, would you be able to recommend to me any book or valuable >articles that were written by the American authors about different viocing >procedures? > >Thanks, > >Paul Siwko-Bajon > Ken & Paul & List, I must admit that *my* experience has been that there are an awful lot of piano techs out there who don't voice (and may I include don't touch-up regulation, but leave it to the point of being a major job). IMHO, attention to voicing should be made if not every time the piano is serviced, then almost every time it is serviced. Maybe folks don't voice because they don't know how, don't want to bother or have no sense of the true potential each piano is capable of producing (yes, yes, one must talk it over with the customer). Maybe voicing and general making-a-piano-perform-well lag behind because many technicians base their service rate only on tuning instead of servicing the whole piano and have the attitude that tuning costs this much and by God, I'm going to get paid for anything else extra I do! I'm not suggesting giving one's services away, but taking the time (and charging thus) to truly make a difference in the performance of the piano. It worked for me! I was always the highest priced tech in town, did no advertising and had a steady supply of customers, most with *very* nice pianos (even before I had a university job). My ability to voice and get a piano playing up to its potential [among other things :-)] really set me apart from the rest of the boys! Paul, I learned everything I know about voicing from going to PTG classes, talking with other technicians at or after meeting them at PTG meetings, seminars and conventions and experimenting and practicing on my own. (Thanks especially to Wally Brooks, Ben McKlveen, Jim Harvey and Karla Pfennig.) Oh, yes, I've learned a few tricks on this list, too! Barbara Richmond, RPT Palestine, Texas* *Texas--voted most annoying state in the US by Spy magazine.
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC