<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">One catches more flies with honey than vinegar...simple, but timelessly, deathlessly true. The Golden Rule lives.<DIV>Good post, Dean. I'd love to see a thousand passionate pianotechs at a national conference, but that is not going to happen </DIV><DIV>until we welcome all the independent loners, all the good tuners lacking a great mentor, a spark; all the eccentric, quirky, bohemian, fascinating people that work at a very high level in this big ocean of piano technology. Nobody wants to be where they're not respected, not welcomed...it's common sense.</DIV><DIV>DA</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Jun 13, 2007, at 1:37 PM, Dean May wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Thank you and amen, David and Andrew.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">Might I add that we also don’t build up the guild by using pejorative and derogatory terms like tooner for those in the trade. When I first started out I was basically self taught but still a ways ahead of the guy who had been taking care of my piano. Two weeks of studying every book that my local libraries had led me to the quick conclusion that the guy who had been working on my piano knew very little about pianos. He was a good tuner and could change parts. There are many just like him out there who don’t need the condescension of being called a tooner by those in the guild. I desperately needed what the guild had to offer as I was starting out, but scarred to death to subject myself to ridicule, perceived or real. If I would have joined this list back then it would have only lasted until the first time I saw the term being used. It wouldn’t take long to make the application to me and I’m outta here. I propose we make every effort to avoid categorizing or passing judgment on those who are at a different place, who maybe haven’t progressed as far as we would have liked them to.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">I have met many techs who are all too much like my first tech, good tuners with little understanding of pianos. They don’t need to be called tooners and ostracized. They do need the encouragement of the people on this list, and they won’t stay here long if they feel like they are being called names.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>