Coleman vs Coleman Tuneoff

[Phil Bondi]

Good morning all.

I have a chance this morning to comment on this subject..i have no idea how
many RPT's, Associates, non-members commented. I don't think that's important,
or is it?

Speaking as an Associate who has every intention of becoming RPT, may I say
that we are NOT gilding the lilly..we should NOT lower our standards, period.

>From what little I know of the tuning test, and it is very little, I feel it is
a good measurement of one's ability to put a piano back in tune. I don't know
about multipliers or dividers or any of that stuff and frankly don't care. The
Tuning test was originally set up with the best intentions of satisfying ALL
concerns, meaning Aural Tuners, Visual-Aide Tuners, and having the result be
made measurable and accounted for with open and honest discussion on the part
of the CTE's and RPT's in attendance. Having not officially been given the
test, from an outsider looking in, this appears to be a very workable situation
for an art that is anything but perfect.

Jim, i know your original comment about this subject circled around the Tuning
potion of the Test...I'm going out on a limb and suggest we come up with a
procedure that better represents the real-world aspect of our profession ie:
repairs and troubleshooting..that, to me, is where the big difference is
between Associate who is LEARNING(like myself), and RPT..I think there is too
much emphasis put on the Tuning portion and not enough emphasis put on the
repair and troubleshooting part of the exam..

I have made numerous phone calls to some of you on this list regarding mostly
REPAIRS..I rarely have a tuning question anymore not because I'm a great tuner
now..no..my tunings have been proven by my customers and by my mentor and by my
own self-imposed standards that they stand up well to almost anyone who is
reading this..cocky?..no..confident.

Let me give you a perfect example of what I mean..just yesterday I was at the
home of a customer(Kimball Spinet)..2 notes on this piano "felt" like something
was blocking the hammer from full travel..without a very hard blow, these 2
notes did NOT work...my visual inspection and troubleshooting came up empty..I
couldn't find the problem without having to remove the action, and I have a
personal distaste for Spinets, as do alot of you...so I have the action out of
the piano and I'm working on it outside using the bumper of my truck as a
table..I pick up the phone and call Larry because I am at a loss as to why
these 2 notes don't work properly..within 5 minutes, he had troubleshooted the
problem over the phone, going through all the possibilities that it could
be..what the problem ended up being was 2 screws of unknown origin had found
their way into this action, preventing these 2 notes from playing..and how I
found this out was to turn the action over and see if anything had fallen
inside the action, per Larry's instructions..

Folks, to me, this is the type of stuff we see everyday, correct?..well, at
least some of us!..

..there seems to be an awful lot of emphasis place on tuning to acheive the RPT
status, and I feel that is wrong..maybe I'm wrong..like I said, I don't know
alot about the whole procedure..i just know my gut feelings..

Frankly, there have been some questions asked on this list by people who have
RPT after their names and I have found myself scratching my head wondering why
they are asking THAT particular question..without being able to recall
specifics, you're gonna have to trust the Rookie on this one!

and one more thing..I have kept my mouth shut for a long time regarding the
subject of Associates somehow being a lower form of species than RPT's..I have
been called "just another dues-paying ASSociate" by an RPT..the classification
issue will never go away, but I will suggest to a few of you that you have some
respect for those who are working in the field, making a living, have mouths to
feed and bills to pay, but just don't have the letters 'RPT' after their
name..I have been talked DOWN TO by more RPT's than I ever have before in my
life..and I've dealt with some real full-of-themselves musicians in my day...is
their something that happens to you once you become an RPT that classifies you
as somehow being better than the next guy?..gee I hope not because if that's
the case, I want no part of this organization..it's only a few people, but boy
does that leave a baaaaaad taste in your mouth.

I'm in this business because I LOVE the Piano, I love what I do, and I intend
to make my customers happy with their choice of selecting my company to do the
work...passing the Tuning portion of the exam will never change that..Passing
the tuning exam means that I meet the standards set by an organization that I
choose to be a part of and have respect for..an organization that has proven
over the years that quality work is being done by a person who has the letters
RPT after their name..that's MY perception..lowering any standard is a bad
move.

sorry this got long-winded..thanks for listening.

Rook