Furthermore, visit my website of the restored player piano pictures and see how many aspects would be taught at conventions. http://www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com/rest_players.html Duaine On 07/24/2012 04:13 PM, Duaine Hechler wrote: > I swear - some of you are as dumb as a door nail - and - how many times do I have to say it - how many classes do I > need to take that include player pianos and reed organs. > > Voicing the Vertical Piano (Fred Sturm) - don't really need for antique players - the clientele just wants them to PLAY. > Vertical Regulation - Max Results in Minimum Time (Kawai with Don Mannino) - Possible - but - how many ways can you > regulate the same items - and - more importantly, what kind of regulation would benefit the mechanical aspects of an > antique player piano ? > Vertical Regulation Plus (Hailun / Keith Bowman and Mike Carraher) - Possible - but - what kind of regulation that > would help antique players > Everything Upright (Paul Rea) - Possible - but - I've run into almost every possible problem with antique players > > And we had a stellar offering of classes that were not specific to grands or verticals, on topics such as: > Business - Possible - although have been mentored by a 30+ year veteran of the business > Health - Possible - although my doctor takes priority > Tuning - use an ETD exclusively with some aural tuning checks > Refinishing - Not my line of work - farm it out - although I know enough for the basics. > Keytops - Possible - although how many ways can you accomplish the same thing - and - any classes for antique ivory > keys ? > ETDs - Possible - although, I know the basics of Cybertuner to produce a very good tuning for my kind of clientele > Restringing - Already know the basics however will probably never be done for antique players > Exam Prep - Don't need - probably will never take the exams - what exams are geared to antique players > > If you haven't noticed, there was a reoccurring type of piano listed. > > So, PLEASE, everyone STOP telling me how to run my business - and - these almost useless conventions. > > Thank you, Duaine > > On 07/24/2012 12:11 PM, Mark Purney wrote: >> On 7/17/2012 10:45 PM, Duaine Hechler wrote: >>> 1) At least 95% of my profit goes back out in supplies. >> >> Anything you spend on supplies can't be considered "profit" in the first place. But if you're saying 95% of the money >> you collect from clients is going back into supplies, then something is wrong. Somewhere along the line, you made the >> same mistake that many technicians make: You set aside continued education in order to focus on working, with the >> notion that later on it will somehow be easier to bring education back into the routine. It's like saying, "I've got >> to get to my destination, so there's no time to change the oil, stop for gas, or check the tire pressure." And then >> you find yourself stuck on the side of the road, working on the pianos nobody else in your area wants to touch, and >> making no profit. Don't blame the PTG. Don't blame the pianos. Don't blame the clients. Don't blame the other >> technicians in your area. If you aren't where you want to be, there is only one person responsible for that. >> >> Continued education is critically important to the success of the piano technician. The PTG offers lots of great >> educational opportunities, but the National Convention & Technical Institute is the biggest B12 injection that you >> can get for your piano service career. It's not just the technical knowledge gained that makes it so worthwhile. The >> business classes, alone, can be life-changing. Just being able to spend a week socializing with some of the world's >> best and brightest technicians can positively impact the way you approach your own attitude and business methods. The >> Convention is also a retreat, where you can step back from the daily grind of running the business long enough to >> look at the big picture. This enables you to discover what you're doing right, what you're doing wrong, and see >> yourself and your business in a new light. It's recharging your batteries for another year, to go back to work with >> an excitement over how you're going to apply everything to achieve a new level of excellence in your work and reach a >> higher income. >> >> Sometimes you need to spend money to make money. Some never go because they view the hotel, airfare and registration >> as simply too expensive. I view it as the best possible investment you can make in yourself and your business every >> year, with the highest returns. The regional conventions are fantastic, too. And it's silly to not attend chapter >> meetings, because the only cost is a little gasoline and one evening every month. >> >> >> >> >>> 6) Finally, as I have said my times before, the organization is geared towards Grands - and - clients with lots of >>> money to spend. >> >> >> That statement is complete Nonsense! In case anyone thinks there is truth to Duaine's negativity and excuses for not >> continuing his own education, note the following information: >> >> In Seattle we had five or six classes that you could say were specifically grand-oriented, but there is also a large >> demand for grand-oriented classes. In fact, most PTG members service both grands and uprights, and both are >> incredibly important to the work we do. This is why we also had four classes just for upright servicing: >> >> Voicing the Vertical Piano (Fred Sturm) >> Vertical Regulation - Max Results in Minimum Time (Kawai with Don Mannino) >> Vertical Regulation Plus (Hailun / Keith Bowman and Mike Carraher) >> Everything Upright (Paul Rea) >> >> And we had a stellar offering of classes that were not specific to grands or verticals, on topics such as: >> Business >> Health >> Tuning >> Refinishing >> Keytops >> ETDs >> Restringing >> Exam Prep >> >> And not to forget the dedicated crew of examiners who helped members achieve RPT or get much closer to doing so. >> >> >> >> >> >> > > -- Duaine Hechler Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ Tuning, Servicing& Rebuilding Reed Organ Society Member Florissant, MO 63034 (314) 838-5587 dahechler at att.net www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com -- Home& Business user of Linux - 11 years
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