shake, rattle & roll

[Jim Coleman, Sr.]

Hi Dick:

Here is how I have always handled the noisy children situation. I get their
attention first by showing something in the piano. Then I explain that if I
am to do a good job I need their help. I usually make the older child
responsible for helping the others to maintain the quiet time. I promise to
show them a magic trick when I get thru if they do a good job too. Sometimes
I will even ask them if they can hear the little beats in the tone (most
people can't at first). This helps them to understand how difficult it is
to hear even when it is quiet.

I always show a little hand trick at the end even when by my standards they
weren't perfectly quiet. You can pick up various simple tricks at a magic
store. Or, you can improvise with disappearing thumbs etc. I like the
stretchy middle finger trick. You always have that available unless 
your are like my son Pete who lost part of his when he worked at the Walter 
Piano Co.

I never come on strong and announce to the customer that I must have
absolut silence while I tune. Sometimes if there is just one child who hangs
around, I do not let that bother me because usually within 5 minutes he will
get bored and leave.

I hope some of this rambling will help in your situation.

Jim Coleman, Sr.

On Wed, 10 Jun 1998, Dick Powell wrote:

> Why is it that while tuning a piano ,all is calm & quite untill you start
> tuning the treble section? Then vaccums start ,dishes are being washed,
> dogs start to howl, washers & dryers are started & kids start scrapping.
> Its hard enough to hear in this section when its quite. Does anyone else
> have this problem, or am I the only lucky one this happens to.
> I don't want to get real fussy with my customers & lose their business.I
> would appreciate any ideas that some of you out there have& how do you
> handle these kind of situations.
> 
> Thanks for reading my grips,
> 
> Dick Powell
> 
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