<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff">In a message dated 11/13/04 8:24:44 P= M Pacific Standard Time, davidlovepianos@comcast.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARG= IN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">This is an interesting d= iscussion.  I’m almost getting the impression some people enjoy= tuning in a noisy environment.  I don’t.  If I can get th= e natives to be quiet I certainly will.  If I can’t, well then = I make the next decision to do the best I can or leave.  I certainly wo= uld find it irritating to struggle through a tuning in a noisy environment t= hat I could have quieted down with a few diplomatic words and then have them= call me back because the tuning wasn’t as spot on as usual.  <= /FONT> David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org= ] On Behalf Of David Skolnik Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 5:25 PM To: Pianotech Subject: Re: "should I stay or should I go?"- David Anderson David A - First, too many Davids on this thread. </BLOCKQUOTE> David, David, David, etc., So I feel compelled to jump in, albeit a tad late.   Tuning in a noisy environment can be very stressful.  My worst day = in this regard had me fighting a jackhammer on the first job, a leaf blower = on the second, and a lawn mower on the third.  And they were all outsid= e of the sphere of the piano owner's influence.  Unsurprisingly, I was = not in the best of moods at the end of the day. As David L. says, diplomacy is key.  Many people just don't underst= and the intense concentration required in tuning a piano.  When they ar= e politely informed that tuning with background noise is counter-productive = to the tuning effort, they are often surprised and more than willing to do t= heir part to make our job easier. Being a prima dona won't win anyone friends.  I've been hired by ma= ny people who were displeased far more with the previous tuner's attitude th= an with the work they did.  Demanding silence is far different than ask= ing if it would be possible to limit the noise in order to have the piano tu= ned as well as possible. Dave Stahl </HTML>