learner with some questions

[Farrell]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Susan Kline" <skline@peak.org>

> At 09:10 PM 8/5/2005 -0400, you wrote:
>>to be able to produce a decently tuned piano - pretty clean unisons (as 
>>the piano allows) and the rest where nothing stands out - within maybe two 
>>hours or so.
>
> I was at 3 hours + when I first started tuning for money, but I got 
> results I could live with. The time went down to 2.25 hours within the 
> first year, and stayed there a lot longer than that, unless I had reasons 
> to hurry.

Come to think of it, I also was probably taking closer to three hours to do 
a tuning when I first started tuning for pay. I remember the every-so-often 
when the customer would ask why it took me so long that I would mumble 
something to the effect that it usually doesn't take me quite that long, but 
that some pianos just take longer than others, and yes this one seemed to 
take longer than most (even though it may have been pretty average for me at 
the time). I would try and make a slightly perplexed look on my face to 
indicate a little bit of surprise - not so much to suggest their piano was a 
problem, but just enough to corroborate their observation. I guess what I am 
trying to say is to not say much about how long it takes you, and maybe act 
just a little surprised, just as they are, about how long this one tuning 
took: "oh my, yes I see, you are right, it did take several hours - usually 
doesn't take that long - oh well, some just take a little longer than 
others!" Something like that.

> I found that a whole lot of folks asked, and kind of anxiously. I said, 
> "I've been tuning for two years" since I had, truly, finished the two year 
> course a couple of months before.

Well, I don't get too many questions about that - once in a while - but the 
few times I did I would do the same thing as you. "How long have you been 
tuning?" "Oh, (while maybe rolling your eyes to search back into history 
that far) I've been in the business for X years now I guess." And yeah, the 
calculation would start from the day I ordered the Randy Potter course, 
rounded up to the nearest year.

I didn't have any grey hair when I started, so I did get those few people 
who stare at you with crossed eyes wondering how someone so young could 
possibly know what the heck they were doing inside a piano.

Nancy - do you have any grey hair? If not, consider my advice above - if you 
do, you are in like Flinn - don't worry about it!

Hey, you do what you gotta do - don't fib - but just be able to back up your 
advertisement with a good product.

Terry Farrell