The same basic argument is there in many fields where technology has enabled people to make money without having to learn about the underlying science. My mother was an audiologist. She had a Master's degree in hearing and speech, and her business was supported mainly by fitting hearing aids. There were other clinics that did only that- fit hearing aids. But, without the education, they didn't know very much about the physiology of the ear or the pathology of ear diseases. Both groups made money. Which way is better? If you can make money without spending time learning about the science, who cares? Duaine's argument that he can tune a piano well using the latest ETD software is the same argument as the hearing aid fitter. Who cares how you get the job done? What he fails to understand is that those who have more extensive knowledge of a subject are more valuable. Why do people go to college and get a degree? If you're looking for a job and have a degree, you're more likely to get the job than if you don't. The more you know, the more valuable you are. And it's likely that you'll have the confidence in yourself that comes across to your customers.
I learned to tune with my SAT first, and later joined the Guild and learned to tune by ear and become an RPT. My experience is that I became a better technician by studying for the exams, and the confidence that I have gained is not lost on my customers. I enjoy a good reputation in my community and the trust that I have built up with my customers makes them want to recommend me to others. I will also say that much that I've learned about piano technology has been from this list.
In reply to his argument about a one-pass tuning being sufficient, I have used the Cybertuner and it works extremely well. You can get a very good tuning with the pitch raise feature, and it could be ok for a floor tuning. It's that good. In my opinion, it still needs a second pass anyway to come up to the standard I demand for myself and my customers.
Your reputation is on the line each time you do a job. Even if you're just tuning a Lester spinet, you never know who will play it. You may think that it's just a spinet, and they have it just for the kids. You may not know that their neighbor is a concert pianist who just happens to need a tuner. If you do a sloppy job on that spinet, and they notice it, you just lost a potential customer. Maybe that spinet owner can't tell the difference, but your reputation will be tarnished when someone with a good ear plays it.
Duaine feels that he is doing well enough, so let it be. But if he were to upgrade his skills, he could expand his business and his reputation too. The Guild is more than willing to provide the education and help. He just has to decide if that's something he wants to take advantage of.
Paul McCloud
San Diego
----- Original Message -----
From: paul bruesch
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: 12/17/2008 5:43:40 AM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Verituner Help...
And I'll just chime in here to reiterate what someone else said, that it's like learning math before using a calculator. Ya gotta know the details behind the technology. Long before I ever started tuning pianos, I advocated learning arithmetic/math before using a calculator. As a computer science major in college, I felt that learning assembler language was most eye-opening, especially the part where we wrote a (very rudimentary) operating system. It's like reading the book before seeing the play, or the movie. There are probably many more analogies, but I gotta get my coffee before I can think of more. Oh, it's like knowing the working parts (and the interaction between and betwixt) before attempting a regulation.
Paul Bruesch
Stillwater, MN
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