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<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 9/23/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Rick Osborne</b> <<a href="mailto:rve@bvunet.net">rve@bvunet.net</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Hello Terry,<br><br>I find it very interesting that you had no help from any technicians<br>in your area. I find myself in a similar position. Now to be fare,
<br>I have some help from a local piano technician/rebuilder in the area<br>in which I live from time to time, but his time is very limited. My<br>question to you and anyone else who is currently or who has dealt<br>with the same situation iS "HOW DO YOU DO IT!!
<br>Randy's course is wonderful, and I have learned a great deal from it,<br>but I am having a very difficult time getting any hands-on practice.<br>For one thing, I don't have the room to bring in an old used piano to
<br>work on. For another, the time factor is a real problem. It isn't<br>the tuning; it's learning the repair and regulation. Trust me; I'm<br>not complaining, but if anyone has any helpful suggestions, I would
<br>love to read them. Thanks.<br><br>Rick Osborne<br><a href="mailto:rve@bvunet.net">rve@bvunet.net</a><br><a href="http://www.rickosborne.net">www.rickosborne.net</a><br><br><br>> Hi Rick & Michelle,<br>><br>
> I agree with all the comments. After completing Randy's course, I<br>> went to his week-long summer session about ten years ago. I found<br>> it to be very informative - perhaps especially for me as I did the
<br>> course completely on my own - I did not have any local techs to<br>> work with.<br>><br>> I really wanted to respond to this thread to comment on Ward<br>> Guthrie & tuning. The guy is amazing. I describe him as a
<br>> "performance tuner" - not indicating that the fruits of his tunings<br>> are worthy of a piano performance (which, of course they are), but<br>> rather that just watching and listening to Ward tune a piano is
<br>> "performance art" in itself. I'm talking about a person whose<br>> consciousness transcends to a different level when he tunes a piano<br>> - much like when Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaugn
<br>> go (or went) to a different place while playing their guitars. Ah,<br>> well, whatever - just really cool to watch a true master at his<br>> craft. It's been ten years since I saw him tune a piano, but it is
<br>> still as vivid in my mind as the day I saw him. He sure has my<br>> respect.<br>><br>> Terry Farrell<br>><br>> ----- Original Message -----<br>>> Hi Rick. I attended Randy's seminar last January and plan to go
<br>>> back for<br>>> the Advanced in Jan 08. The seminar is full of long days, tons of<br>>> information, helpful one-on-one with the instructors, and 3 meals<br>>> a day<br>>> together which is a good time to visit.
<br>>><br>>> Randy asks that you be very familiar with the beginning chapters<br>>> of the<br>>> written course before you attend but I felt like some of the<br>>> students were<br>>> really just starting out. I was wishing they had an Intermediate
<br>>> course<br>>> with more in depth information on repair/regulation. Ward Guthrie<br>>> did some<br>>> fabulous lectures on basic as well as more complex tuning principles!<br>>><br>>> I have heard through the grapevine that they are planning to do
<br>>> more of a<br>>> beginning/intermediate/advanced format this year but I don't know<br>>> that for<br>>> sure.<br>>><br>>> Concerning what you can do to prepare, read, read, and read
<br>>> again. Then<br>>> start trying out the aural tuning concepts taught in the course.<br>>> Be solid<br>>> on setting your A, understand the contiguous 3rds concept, and start<br>>> memorizing Randy's tuning sequence. I know this is a lot, but it
<br>>> will help<br>>> you maximize the time/money you are about to spend.<br>>><br>>> By the way, I would highly recommend the pre-seminar. It's full of<br>>> miscellaneous topic discussions and getting to know the people
<br>>> with whom you<br>>> will spend the next 7 days!<br>>><br>>> You're welcome to e-mail me if you have any other questions. Have<br>>> a great<br>>> day!<br>>><br>>> Michelle Smith
<br>>> Smith Piano Service<br>>> Bastrop, Texas<br>>><br>>><br>>> -----Original Message-----<br>>> In January, I plan to attend Randy Potter's seminar in Bozeman, Mt.<br>>> I know that some of you, in the past, have attended. First, is it
<br>>> all it is cracked up to be? In other words, do you get a real hands-<br>>> on education? Are the days as full of information and training as his<br>>> brochure suggests? Secondly, and this is important, would you go
<br>>> back for further training? Finally, for those of you who have<br>>> attended, what can I do between now and then in order to truly<br>>> benefit from this week long seminar? Any info. would be greatly
<br>>> appreciated.<br>>><br>>> Rick Osborne<br>><br><br></blockquote></div>Hi Rick, I agree with Terry but I understand that some folks have limitations about what they can do. So if you cannot acquire a piano of your own go to your church or a school and ask to let you work on some of their old pianos. My experience with many church Sunday school pianos and school practice room pianos is even a beginner can't make them much worse and would probably be able to improve them!
<br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience. <br>- Denis Waitley<br><br><br>Michael Magness<br>Magness Piano Service<br>608-786-4404
<br><a href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</a><br>email <a href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</a>