[pianotech] Zen and the Art of Piano Maintenance

[David Andersen]

Dude, this is my sweet spot and wheelhouse combined...great post.  
Diagnostics is a huge part of our value as technicians, and the truth  
is your body is a brilliant diagnostic tool. Putting one's attention  
into the work at hand with interest and gratitude pays massive  
dividends of all kinds.
David Andersen


On May 13, 2009, at 9:48 AM, John Dorr wrote:

> Hello list,
>
> John Formsa wrote: (in regard to diagnosing a damper noise)
>
> "Hard to say exactly without being able to probe around in it. :-)   
> I don't consider myself to be all that great at diagnosing  
> problems.  But I find that if I stare at it long enough, and check  
> everything methodically, the solution eventually appears.  Don't  
> give up!"
>
> John, I'll bet you're just really modest, or short-selling  
> yourself.  I'd bet you're really a great diagnostician because your  
> way is a VERY good way to get to the root of things.
>
> List: if you've never read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle  
> Maintenance", you really should AT LEAST read the part from which  
> the book gets its title.  The author tells of a motorcycle shop  
> unable to fix the ROOT CAUSE of a recurring problem with his  
> motorcycle.  Taking matters into his own hands, the author  
> contemplates the problem deeply, twiddles and fiddles, stares at it  
> long enough, and the solution appears.  The author describes the  
> shop environment as being at fault by being distracting -- with  
> radios, girlie posters, chit-chat, snacks and what-all keeping the  
> mechanic from being able to focus solely on the job at hand.
>
> I think about this sometimes when I'm doing something repetitive but  
> demanding, like shaping hammers.  Sometimes I wish I had a radio,  
> but that might distract me from doing this otherwise kind of  
> "menial" job well enough. Sometimes I find that if I just look and  
> touch and observe with a mind empty of preconceptions the answers to  
> the diagnostic riddles seem to appear on their own.
>
> How do others on the list feel about these things?  Distraction  
> versus focus. The Zen of Piano Repair.
>
> John Dorr
> Helena, MT
>
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