<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>My first question was  about Stephen Birkett</DIV> <DIV>You are mixing things here</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don't know you and you don't know = me</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So why are you doing this?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear list I don't know wha</FONT><FONT = face=Arial size=2>t is going on and why this guy his always picking on = me.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Ola Andersson </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no" title=Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>Richard Brekne</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, November 13, 2000 = 11:51 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Hello Richard = Brekne</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>  <P>Ola Andersson wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE">Well I play on gut strings if you know what = that is. <BR>When I started doing this nobody did it but now we are some = people doing this. <BR>I thought I contributed.</BLOCKQUOTE>If you did, fine... = maybe you didnt... big deal... We all like to think we contribute..thats good as = long as we dont...er.... "have to" if you get my meaning. <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE"> <BR>I don't find myself on the side line at = all. Do you really think so?</BLOCKQUOTE>Actually yes I do... and sadly by = your own choice. At least in the piano tuning trade. Listen Ola... 99 % of = learning in this buisness is being able to put your ego aside, and sit down on the = school bench. It takes a great deal of humility that piano tuners for the = most part lack. Part of this is the nature of how things are taught. Its hard to = swallow a lot of what a guy will tell you when he cant really explain it satisfactorilly to you. <P>You simply gotta do the following if you want to learn (and I mean = really learn) how to tune and work on pianos: <P>Find a decent tech (and there are lots of them around... even in = Bergen) and learn to tune and regulate to satisfy that tech. Dont matter = whether or not you aggree with a whole lot of his judgements... just learn to do = it til he is full of comments like... "Now you got it". Then take the test to = join an association. If you fail the first time... well welcome to the club of = the majority. These tests are relatively subjective, and to some degree = its... learning how to tune for the other guy all over again. <P>Now...as it were... I happen to be able to show you how to avoid = most of that nonsense if you are interested. I can also teach you enough about = piano and grand action regulation to get you past any and all exams any = association as contrived. After learning that stuff... I 1million percent = guarentee you that a visit by you to Newton, or from Newton to Bergen will yeild you = a whole shitload more valuable info then it would at the present time. <P>I know all this cuz I been through the same route myself. Plenty of = talent... and closed off just about everybody around me (read = accesable) who coulda helped cuz I thought they couldnt teach me anything.. or = because I didnt respect their attidudes (and I had good reason from time to = time... grin). <P>In the end... I learned to forget all that nonsense... and = <I>exploit</I> whoever I wanted whenever I wanted for any knowledge I could get from = them. Some folks might call this kissing ass... I prefer to look at it in a = more positive light. <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE"> <BR>Comming fron Sweden to Norway I have to = say that generally that is less interest in Music history here <BR>than = other places. Maybe not compared to where you come from? It was ofcourse = silly of me to comment on this, I probably don`t have enough experience.</BLOCKQUOTE>Norway is a provincial country... limited = resources in many regards.. converative in many regards... but dont kid your self.. = there are plenty of folks interested in just about anything, including music = history. Perhaps it is a matter of you just not finding the right = folks here yet. Perhaps (likely)  there is more sophisticated expression of = such interests in other places, Sweeden for example. But as the saying = goes... seek and you shall find. <P>As for where I come from... grin.. hard to say as I come from = really no place.. never stayed in the same town for more then 6 years did I as I = grew up. In Montana... they woulda said.. music what ??? In Seattle you = woulda had an entirely different answer. And in New York... well I dont need to = comment on that. <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE"> <BR>Perhaps I`m not as smart as you are. = You have to listen to Richard, he has tuned more pianos than me. <BR>I hope = one day I also can have letters under my name.</BLOCKQUOTE>You have to drop = this kinda stuff Ola. This isnt about smart.. it isnt about listening to me... or = about how many pianos I have tuned or what letters I have under my name. I = am an egg. Just learning.. and hopefully always will remain so. This is = about you... and what you want to do, how much you want to learn. Fact is that I = sit here with a lot of knowledge that you dont have yet. If I wanted to learn = about the Bass the situation would be reversed to the nth degree no doubt. You = can either deal with that, and pump me for what I am worth.. growing in = the bargain..  or you can reduce this to a battle of egos. Its all in = your mind and within your power to decide. <P>Take the neccessary steps Ola. We need good piano techs in Bergen. = And by God you need (if piano work is really what you burn for) to get = yourself in a position where you can start getting really good and interesting = work... without having to rely on Henrik. I convinced Bjørn of that 4 years = ago.. He is now making lots and lots of bucks... and doesnt have to go home = anymore irritated to shit over the fact that he had to argue with Henrick to = get paid again.. or some other unneccesary shit. You dont need Henrik my = freind. He needs you... big time... <P>You can easily make 400 grand NOK a year here in Bergen.. but you = will never do it under the auspisciousness of H.E. He's going Konk again = you know... or didnt he tell you ?? <P>As far as Newton is concerned... As I said.. I am open to the = idea... but not as a pie in the sky thing. I am willing to discuss alternatives... = and I have a few of my own. For your information I have convinced 4 other = techs in town to go good for 2000 NOK each as a participants fee. I have talked = Nils Henrick into putting his workshop and pool of used instruments at our disposal.. he will also participate. I am in contact with both the PTG = and NPTF as to the possibility of helping financing the project in the = name of Intra national cooperation and as part of the ongoing = internationalization process going on within the PTG. Newton is a long standing and highly = thought of member of the PTG and it may be that this will also weigh on their decision. I have no idea of whether or not we will recieve any such = support yet... but I do know how to go about approaching these folks with such = ideas.. and it isnt ...grin... balls to the walls enthusiasim with resulting depression when they get scared off. <P>If it happens it will happen in the fall around the fall school = holiday. Thats a lull in the action around here, and it will give Newton time = to fully recoperate from his recent accident. Realistically we must operate on = a budjet of at least 4000 dollars. (Circa 40,000 NOK)  If it turns out we = can do it cheaper... great.. but we need to cover our butts. 7 participants = at 2000 apiece is 14000 NOK. It is not un-thinkable to recieve blessing and = support from two associations for the remaining 26 000 NOK. Thats only about = 2,600 dollars and in itself is small potatoes for the PTG if they first = decide to come on board. <P>So... like I have said... slow down... lets go through channels... = dont feel left out... and dont start pouting about this, that or the other = thing. I am not your enemy... My professional freindship is at your disposal if = you choose to utilize that. I can help you on your way and smile at the = day when you far surpass what I have been able to accumulate in skill and = knowledge, should that day come. Perhaps one day you will have the opportunity to = do the same for somebody else eh ??. <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE">Ola Andersson</BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>btw .... names and titles and letters are just part of the = game.. <P>-- <BR>Richard Brekne <BR>RPT, N.P.T.F. <BR>Bergen, Norway = <BR>  </P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>