Keith M replies to Bill B

[Keith McGavern]

Bill Bremmer's, RPT, post: (Bill B. is used with respect to Bill Simon's
request)
>In a message dated 98-02-08 01:23:22 EST, you write:
>
>Bill B.<< we all can agree that there always must be a tolerance when
> >there is a given standard.>>
>
>Keith M<< Quite frankly, Bill,  (snip) you speak your mind, but your mind
>doesn't
>speak for my mind when you say, "we can all agree...">>
>
> Bill B.   This must mean then that you have a "0 tolerance" at all times
>where pitch
>is concerned.  Frankly, this is unrealistic.

You're pretty smooth, Bill B., but not that smooth. :-)  You inferred,
intentionally or not, what I said into something else.  Doesn't work, my
friend.  Maybe on someone else, but not on this kid.  All I said was, "you
don't speak for my mind when you say, '*we* can all agree...'".  Period.
Try as you may, Bill B., taking my statement into the realm of meaning
anything other than what it says is erroneous and invalid.

>   And frankly as well, it is unrealistic to believe that virtually everyone
>who tunes pianos, RPT's and otherwise, with the exception of a few hair-
>brained fanatics (as many here seem to think) all tune ET's.  What ever the
>errors or deviations are in those temperaments are small and insignificant;
>they don't rellay affect the sound of the music.  While the latter may be so
>in some cases, I know for certain that there is a significant tendancy in the
>tuning profession to believe in ET and its acceptance as a standard and to
>actually render quite another kind of temperament on the piano.

Fine and well.  Some folks fall below the mark of a high calling.  What
else is new?

>    It seems so contradictory to me to have people on this List saying in one
>post that the very smallest infractions of standards are important and raise
>issues of ethics and in the next post, there is lots of elbow room.

You're not alone.  It takes one to know one.

>As long
>as you never talk to your customers about any alternatives they might be
>interested in, they'll never know anything about them.  As long as you never
>study any HT's, never listen carefully to any music played in different
>temperaments, you'll never understand anything about it.  So, the "real world"
>as you express it, remains locked within the limitations that you set for
>yourself.

You imply I'll never understand anything about HT, that I will remain
locked within limitations that I set for myself.  Let's face it, Bill B.,
you don't have a clue who I am, what I have studied, how I have arrived
where I currently am today, where I intend on going, what is required for
my particular situation, and especially the inner meaning of the "real
world" as I experience it.  I promise you, it is certainly not as you
perceive it.

>    Yes, your customers are satisfied.

Something else you are inferring.  You really have no knowledge about such
things.

>So were mine before I offered HT's, by
>and large, although I did have a few customers who were dissatisfied with my
>ET even though it was done to the highest standard.  They like my tunings now.
>There are people who don't call me because they know I won't do an ET.

I can accept this.  I'm just not certain what this really proves though?
There are numerous other reasons why customers call for piano service other
than just the way one does a tuning.  It's very possible consider that what
works for you has no place in other parts of the universe, just possible
mind you.  :-)

>When
>people call me and say "I want ET", I tell them, "Sorry, I never tune in ET".
>You win some, you lose some.  Yes, I could offer to do both ET's and HT's, I
>used to, but there was an incident with a Steinway customer who, after all of
>my careful explanations said, "No fancy tunings, just the regular."  That
>remark turned me off to ET forever.  I let that customer go.  He wasn't worth
>the trouble for other reasons too.  It is quite easy for me to justify in my
>mind the refusal to tune in a way in which I do not believe.

Okay, but of what consequence is it to declare what one decides to choose
and do with their life and their profession.  There are things in life I
refuse to do also, but I don't necessarily choose to write a preamble about
it, then repeat it over and over to you as though you were missing the
point.

>    If you see only conflict as a reason to never open your mind to the
>endless possibilities of the HT's, then that is your right and your privilege.
>You may rest in comfort with the idea that seems to summarize the resistance
>to the practice of HT's:  "What you don't know won't hurt you or anyone else.
>What you do know will only get you into trouble"

This is where your comments continue to stray based on erroneous premises
and conclusions.  You haven't stopped making assumptions and haven't quit
making comments regarding who or what you believe me to be, *especially
concerning the subject of Historical Temperaments*.  It's quite
extraordinary to watch you function in this manner through your posts.

Peace be unto you,

Keith A. McGavern
kam544@ionet.net
Registered Piano Technician
Oklahoma Chapter 731
Piano Technicians Guild
USA