An Awesome Moment

[David M. Porritt]

Carol:

Fun isn't it!  I'm glad you got that opportunity.  Just don't tell
the pianist, nor the management of the venue how much fun it is or
they'll start making us pay them!

dave

PS   String tying is the most over rated skill in our job.  I really
think broken strings are the reason God made new wire!


*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 2/24/2002 at 11:02 PM Carol R. Beigel wrote:

>I sometimes think that if I was a piano salesperson, and someone
came into
>my store looking to spend a few hundred dollars on a used
instrument, that
>I
>would show them the finest, most magnificent piano in the store,
first.  I
>would want them to hear the magnificence and beauty of this unique
>instrument, and let them decide for themselves how much they want to
>compromise.  How can someone be taught quality if they never see or
hear
>it?
>
>We tell people who want to join our profession to acquire an old
upright
>and
>practice repair and regulation.  Then we ask them to practice tuning
on it!
>Perhaps if we took this aspiring piano technician to the symphony
and had
>them listen to a piano concerto played by someone who could really
play the
>piano, they would see what an awesome profession this can be.  They
would
>know from the beginning what the top skill level could produce.
Maybe they
>would not settle for less than RPT.
>
>For the past 24 years, I have been trying to learn to be a competent
piano
>technician.  The mechanical part of our profession, with the
exception of
>tying a knot is piano wire, has seemed to come fairly easily to me,
but
>learning to tune a piano has been the hardest thing I ever learned
to do.
>It is the only endeavor that I ever failed at - flunking the tuning
exam at
>least four times during my first 6 years in the business.  I have
never
>forgotten those failed exams, and they have always been in the back
of my
>mind - creating a lingering doubt that I might not be up to standard
when
>it
>really counted.
>
>This weekend I attended the first full symphony orchestra concert in
my
>adult life.  I heard my first piano concerto.  I met my first
professional
>pianist.  I heard my tuning on a concert hall stage for the first
time.  It
>was an awesome moment in my life.  I guess I better learn to tie a
knot in
>piano wire!
>
>Carol Beigel, RPT


_____________________________
David M. Porritt
dporritt@mail.smu.edu
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX 75275
_____________________________