[pianotech] [OT] Stuff Which Should Really Be on PTG-L

[Laura Olsen]

t was great to hear from Phil, but my bet would be that no such report will be forthcoming before Convention.  Everyone is crazy busy gearing up for meetings, tours and classes  on the Board and at the Home Office.  I expect we'll learn a lot more about this at Council and the Pianotech meeting on Friday.  I believe I'm teaching during that meeting so I hope someone will give me a synopsis later that day.  A quote from Benjamin Franklin keep running through my mind:

"All change is difficult, even the change from bad to good."

I like David Love's quote as well. We should consider both.

Laura Olsen, RPT
Barrington, IL
On Jul 5, 2011, at 9:40 AM, Ryan Sowers wrote:

> My understanding (from talking to a direct source) is that key individuals at the home office hate the new software, and have had to be dragged, reluctantly, into using it. 
> 
> Somebody sold PTG on Higher Logic. There's been a general lack of transparency, so who knows all the details that went into the selection. Certainly most of the frequent users of the pianotech list where not involved. 
> 
> What I don't get is why we need such complicated software in the first place. Many piano technician websites look much more professional than PTG's current site IMO. You will also find piano technicians who manage over 4000 clients without having to invest in software that costs tens of thousands of dollars. 
> 
> Perhaps if the Board could release a report chronicling the research, options, and how a decision was reached, we could all have a more informed opinion about what happened. 
> 
> Ryan
> 
> On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 12:50 AM, <tnrwim at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> One day the manager of the joint was told by a slick out-of-town rebuilder that the piano was not good enough and needed a complete rebuild. 
> 
>  
> I'm sorry, Ryan, but that statement is a slap in the face to the Board and the Home Office. It wasn't a "slick out of town rebuilder", who came and hoisted the new system on the PTG. They did a lot of research, and came up with a program that they thought met the needs of not just the members, but also, and much more importantly, the Home Office staff. The fact the we, as members, are able to continue communicating with each other, is only part of what this new system is all about.
>  
> Hey, if I was able to figure out how to use this new system, anyone who says they can't must be dumber than me. And according to a bunch of you out there, that's scraping the barrel. 
>  
> Wim 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ryan Sowers <tunerryan at gmail.com>
> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Sent: Mon, Jul 4, 2011 8:18 am
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] [OT] Stuff Which Should Really Be on PTG-L
> 
> 
> 
> Wim said:
>  
> "I look at it this way, from a perspective as a piano rebuilder. The piano is functioning, and the owner loves it because that's what she has been playing on for many years. But as a piano technician, recognizing that there are only so many things we can do to keep the instrument playing, we recommend a complete restoration. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I always warn my customers that the rebuilt piano will not sound or play like the instrument she was used to, but that it will sound and play much better. I also tell her that she needs to allow at least 6 months of playing it, to give herself time to get used to the "new" piano, before asking me to make any changes. To ask me to make the piano sound and play like her "old" piano is not fair to me, nor to the money she has spent rebuilding it."
> 
> The way I look at is this: The popular local piano bar had a sweet old Knabe that was played regularly and lovingly every night by some very well respected top-notch artists, much to the edification and delight of the neighborhood. This was a place of intense collaboration and real community, where many of the most creative people of the area would mingle. You might even say it was a major creative nerve center of the town. One day the manager of the joint was told by a slick out-of-town rebuilder that the piano was not good enough and needed a complete rebuild. 
> 
> The manager, really wanted the best piano possible and thought the rebuild would add some prestige to his establishment. Like often happens in these scenarios, the manager bought into the sales hype and went ahead with a $75,000 rebuild. Unfortunately the piano played like a truck and lost it's singing tone. Now the pianists aren't coming around, which was the main draw for the neighborhood (the food was never that good!). The rebuilder insists that everything is fine, the piano just needs to settle, and the players will get used to it. "We could add some weights to the front of the keys" to lighten the touch, he claims. 
> 
> Business has dropped off about 80% and its really caused some hard feelings in the neighborhood. Of course, there are a couple of pianists who don't seem to mind the heavy touch and percussive tone, but the whole feel of the place has changed, and most of the regulars have found other places to spend their time and energy. 
> 
> Now it is possible, that if the manager finds the right technician the piano can be made acceptable. Yet it will likely not have the charm it previously had. In all likelihood, it may need a new belly-package, which if done properly, the piano may indeed perform even better than it did when business was booming. The challenge now is to win back the loyalty of the patrons, and the artists, some of which feel betrayed because it never occurred to the management (he's a businessman after all), to actually ask the pianists how they felt about the instrument. 
> 
> Chances are, the piano will eventually be made acceptable, and with enough tweaking may regain some of its former appeal, and perhaps even surpass it. That remains to be seen. The greater issue may be the lack of communication, the perceived lack of respect, and the fallout that occurred as the result. Most of the pianists and the clientele are company stockholders, and are not happy with the lack of dividends. 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Ryan Sowers, RPT
> Puget Sound Chapter
> Olympia, WA
> www.pianova.net
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Ryan Sowers, RPT
> Puget Sound Chapter
> Olympia, WA
> www.pianova.net

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