I've been listening in on this discussion and had no intention of joining in. However, David A.'s offering moved me to the edge, and Ryan's post below resonated so strongly with me that I had to at least speak a word of agreement. The ETD's are wonderful tools, but when beginning tuners use them as a short-cut to full-time work, I think we have lost something foundational to our craft. Well-said, Ryan. Claude Harding _____ From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Sowers Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 9:30 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] The big discussion OK. First of all let's get things straight. There is no such thing as "aural tuning" really. Tuning is mainly a mental activity. We tune with our minds. And the mind is by far the most sophisticated tool we own. And for our minds to stay keen, they need to be exercised, stretched, and given time and space to explore. Aural tuning is one way I choose to keep my mind active while I work. When I tune, I'm navigating through a landscape of complex sound and harmonic interactions. In the course of a tuning, I'm making a thousand or more quick judgments and decisions. Every note is where it is because of a decision I have made, a decision reached by simply listening, thinking, feeling. I'll say it again - the VAST majority of tuners on this planet don't know what an in-tune piano really is. Without their crutch they can't walk. My experience mainly comes from the PTG tuning exam. I have seen time and time again, professional tuners come to the exam and perform very well during the parts where the machine is allowed. But when it comes to just tuning two octaves in the middle of the piano to a *minimal standard* they have no idea what they are doing. The ETD users who contribute to this list are an elite group. Some of them tuned many thousands of pianos over a period of decades before they became ETD users. They have earned the right to argue for the use of the machine, and I won't deny that some of them can probably tune circles around me. The reason they know that the machines are good is they know when a tuning is good! They use the machine to get the result they desire. Aural tuning is a really challenging skill to acquire! I remember agonizing over an old piano for hours and hours and it still wasn't a great tuning. It was hard work! Exhausting and tedious. But eventually things began to fall into place. The four-hour tuning became the 3-hour tuning became the 2-hour tuning. 10 years ago I never believed that I would be able to accomplish a solid tuning in an hour. The new folks need all the encouragement they can get to persevere through the tough learning curve! They need to be mentored, nurtured, and praised for taking this challenge on. The ETD is a tempting short cut for the modern tuning student. I think we owe it to our craft to keep some of the traditions alive. Since we have calculators should our kids not have to learn their times tables and other basic math skills? Since we have computers should we not learn how to write with pen and paper? Why do we learn to play piano, when we can pop in a CD and listen to a world class performance at the touch of a button? I''ll admit that I've been contaminated by a Liberal Arts education. I think as professionals we should also know something of the history of our craft too. The piano is an amazing intersection of culture/history/science/philosophy/art. The more I learn about it, the more of a kick I get out of this business. Learning to tune "by ear" the old fashioned way is a great way increase our appreciation. Have you ever met anyone who regretted learning to tune a piano aurally? I don't think one exists. But I know many technicians who wish they had taken the time to learn it, and regret that they didn't. If its not the foundation of your studies, it is easy to put it off indefinitely. So I submit that we have a responsibility to promote aural tuning skills. Otherwise we risk becoming a tool of the machine instead of the other way around. A craftsman implies something more than "just getting the job done". It denotes a depth of understanding and skill that is beyond the generic and superficial. In this mass production, throw away culture that is being flung at as us from every direction, I have hope that those activities that celebrate the richness of what we are will prevail. Ryan Sowers _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3406 - Release Date: 01/27/11 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20110127/86da5724/attachment.htm>
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