The Good News; was The Bad News

[Farrell]

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Oh, Man! No Way! Have you been tuning too long Leo? Have you forgot what =
it was like the first time you picked up a tuning hammer? I remember =
clearly. It was a nightmare. It took me 5 hours to put a BAD tuning WITH =
a SAT II (just used a canned tuning) on my piano. IMHO, I believe that =
far less than 1% of piano owners in the future will be inclined to tune =
their own piano. You raise many good points, and I think most of what =
you say has a lot of merit. But saying that "anyone can tune a piano and =
in some cases just as good as the experienced professional", I think is =
way off base. It took me six months of practicing hammer technique just =
to get to the point of doing a 2 hour tuning (Acrosonic) using the SAT =
II with a canned tuning - and I know it wasn't all that great a tuning =
because I didn't know how to smooth out the bass/tenor break or how to =
compensate for the lower inharmonicity of the bass strings.

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: LHSBAND440@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 7:09 AM
  Subject: The Bad News


  In a message dated 3/16/01 11:21:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,=20
  drose@dlcwest.com writes:=20



    http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/piano.html=20




  The bad news is that this is soon to be the future of the piano tuning =

  industry.  With ETD's becoming more and more accurate, the common =
piano=20
  player will be able to tune a piano to the same accuracy of a good =
piano=20
  tuner.  The only saving grace to the piano tuner of the future is that =
one,=20
  people won't have the interest to tuning their piano and two, they =
won't be=20
  able to afford to purchase a tuning device.  Repair will be the area =
in which=20
  the piano technician will still be able to make consistent money.  As =
ETD's=20
  develop even more and more it will also be the piano tuner who =
advances to=20
  this stage that will be able to keep the profession going.  The days =
of the=20
  aural tuner is and will slowly diminish.  How many remember the days =
when the=20
  private citizen wasn't able to pump his own gas.  Now, gone is the day =
when=20
  the attendant comes out and pumps your gas on a regular fill-up.  This =
will=20
  soon be the way of the piano tuning profession.  We will be called by =
those=20
  clients that don't care to tune or those who tune their own piano but =
need a=20
  repair or something that is beyond their ability to fix.  With the =
Reblitz=20
  book on the market and many home correspondence courses this number or =
people=20
  who will need us to administer a repair to their piano will also be =
greatly=20
  reduced to those who screw it up so bad that they need to call a=20
  tuner-technician.  I my opinion the rebuilding and restoration area =
will also=20
  be the area that the piano tuner-technician will be able to still make =

  adequate money.  My suggestions to the future tuners are as follows.  =
Still=20
  learn to tune aurally but only concentrate on unisons and octaves, =
become=20
  very skilled in the use of an accurate ETD and work toward eye had=20
  coordination more than ear hand.  I would say 40% ear hand and 60% eye =
hand.  =20
  Tune as good and professionally as possible and judge yourself not by =
the=20
  letters you have after your name but the number of satisfied customers =
that=20
  you retain.  Work on your bench skills for they will be your bread and =
butter=20
  for extra income and learn, learn, learn from every piano you work on =
because=20
  as the futures progresses the playing field has just been leveled for =
all=20
  tuners.  It has to be said and accepted that soon will be the day if =
not here=20
  today that anyone can tune a piano and in some cases just as good as =
the=20
  experienced professional.=20

  Sincerely,=20
  Leo Silverman=20

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