mfarrel12, I would like to tell you the story that I tell my clients, regarding quality vs substandard instruments. At the age of 7 I hounded my folks for a Trumpet. Finally at the age of 8, they gave up and scrounged an old beat up trumpet that was laying around the nightclubs in Juneau, Alaska, where we lived. It had one missing valve cap and the 3rd valve stuck, most of the time. I played on that thing for 2 years, before my "Bitching" caused my parents to go to the one and only music store and buy a used Cornet. I played on that cornet all through high school, until the last half of my senior year. During the first halve of my senior year, I had the opportunity to play on a brand new Selmer "Paris" trumpet that belonged to the first chair. Her father had purchased it that summer. She wouldn't let anyone even touch it. It cost $350.00, (In 1954 that was a hunk of dough!). I finally convinced her to just let me play it for one minute. I picked up that trumpet and played. I WAS INSTANTLY A BETTER TRUMPET PLAYER! I could play faster with better articulation, I could play higher with better clarity and I had a profoundly better tone. All that for just playing a quality instrument! I have told this story 100's of times and it's true! I never forgot the excitement and joy, to be that good and finally realize it. So, you want to know how to tell a client why they should have a better instrument for their child? Please feel free to print this out and show it to any client you wish. Or perhaps you have had a similar happening in your life that will equal this. Very Best Regards, Joe Garrett, R.P.T. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2001 7:05 PM Subject: Re: Kids and Pianos [was Re: Scaling problem] > Oh, great Z (or anyone else)! Teach me about pianos! > > > "Oh yes yes, that is a good idea. I think she will like that." Makes me > > wonder how much of an input she had (if any) in selecting the current > piano, > > which is beneath her playing skills. > > Anyone care to discuss the concept of a pianist outplaying a piano? Whether > it be the 10-year old that has been progressing well through four years of > lessons trying to play "fur elise" on the 1962 worn-out Baldwin spinet - or > the greatly advanced pianist/student having trouble playing the > "Pathiatique" on the cheep-cheep unmaintained 1982 Young Chang 160 cm > grand - or even a newer, better piano, but one that might be less than what > Glenn Gould would have been happy with. > > I guess what I am asking is what makes a piano "beneath her playing skills"? > How do we determine what her needs are? How do we explain to a client these > concepts? > > Now Beethoven played concerts on pianos that were below today's performance > standards (at least as projecting on a stage goes). And my information is > that he was able to make some pretty nice music. Was his pianos not beneath > his playing skills? (Of course, I have read that he sent many a nasty letter > to piano manufacturers describing how lousy their pianos were!) How do I > explain to Mrs. AnypianowilldoforSusie that tenth-year-of-lessons Susie's > playing progress would benefit from a good quality grand piano rather than > that old ratty spinet. And what can we do about these %&*# piano teachers > that teach on some gastly holding-together-with-scotch-tape-and-super-glue > old &+#$ uprights? How do we tell them?????? > > Arg. Now I am getting mad. Well, I think that is enough for now. I have > wondered these things for quite a while. Very curious for any thoughts. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Z! Reinhardt" <diskladame@provide.net> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: Monday, May 21, 2001 11:07 AM > Subject: Kids and Pianos [was Re: Scaling problem] > > > > So why don't more parents bring the kids with them when shopping for a > > piano? Does it occur to them that if they want the kids to enjoy > > practicing, they will have to let the kids be a part of the decision > > process? I've lost count of the number of times I've overheard > > conversations between salesmen and sets of parents about "a piano for the > > kids" (who were nowhere to be seen) at these "Warehouse Sale" events. > > > > Only once have I come to a used piano where the house pianist (a > > then-9-year-old girl) picked out the piano of her choice. The parents had > > wanted her to select something a little cheaper and a little better > looking, > > or at least something that would fit into the livingroom decor. But > because > > she got the piano she wanted, she had "bonded" with it and practiced every > > chance she got. The story goes that she wanted to host the annual recital > > so that her teacher and the other students could play her piano. Alas, > the > > family has since moved out of state. > > > > OK -- I got off the subject a little by talking about used pianos. But, > > I've seen/heard the same thing happen around new pianos. The parents > select > > the piano for the kids in their absence, then expect the kids to practice > > without question because it is a new piano. The parents are concerned > with > > how it looks (and how cheaply they can have that look) whereas the kids > are > > more interested in how it sounds and feels. I've often wondered how many > of > > these parental piano selections would have been vetoed by the kids, if the > > kids were there to voice an opinion. > > > > Just a couple of weeks ago, I urged a family to upgrade to a better piano, > > and to bring their daughter to select something she is comfortable with. > > "Oh yes yes, that is a good idea. I think she will like that." Makes me > > wonder how much of an input she had (if any) in selecting the current > piano, > > which is beneath her playing skills. > > > > Z! Reinhardt RPT > > Ann Arbor MI > > diskladame@provide.net > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ron Nossaman" <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com> > > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > > Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2001 5:19 PM > > Subject: Re: Scaling problem > > > > > > >Fortunately most owners cant hear the problems. > > > > I wish they could, so they'd buy something else. > > > > >>>snip<<< > > > > ...daughter taking piano lessons is telling > > Mom "Tell him to fix that funny sound down there when he tunes it". > > > > The kids always were better and more discerning customers than the > parents. > > > > > > Ron N > > > > > > >
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