The Complete Technician (was Europe vs. USA)

[Barb Barasa]

Thanks, Barbara!  This puts a good positive spin on the whole deal.

>A real regulation and voicing *would* be ideal, but why wait for that
>situation to arise before learning--old Cable spinets are ideal for learning
>voicing methods.  One doesn't need to spend gobs of time on voicing.  Learn
>in five minute increments.

Actually, that particular customer only called me because "this one F# just
started sounding awful."  The whole piano was horribly out of tune, but it
was also true that the wound strings above the break had that really
terrible thwang they sometimes have, and the F# and it's neighbor were the
worst.  So I did just sand off a tad and they fit right in with the rest of
the piano.  This isn't saying much, of course.  :-)  But the customer was
thrilled.  (This is the equivalent to a "broken key" that I miraculously fix
by popping the lifter back in place on a spinet.  I love to work miracles,
but I always show the customer what the problem was.  Kind of like Penn and
Teller, huh?)

I will take your suggestions to heart.  I usually feel like it's an all or
nothing proposition, but I will start to look at it like I do those quick,
tho inadequate, adjustments I make to the regulation just to get the thing
playing half way (and I do mean half way) decently.  If it improves the
playability or sound of the piano AT ALL, it is better than nothing.

I guess part of my apprehension comes from the fear that I will suggest
doing some of this and the sound will not be noticably different when I'm
done.  But, as I said, most of the pianos I work on are pretty bad, so I
guess that would be highly unlikely!

So I'll take the plunge.

Thanks again for the reality check -- that it's OK to do less than a 200%
super duper job,

Barb Barasa
Sycamore IL