<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PostalCode"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue id="role_body" bottomMargin=7 leftmargin=7 topmargin=7 rightMargin=7> <div class=Section1> >>My son is the youngest at 22…<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Hi Dale,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> When you posted about your son graduating <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">North Bennett Street</st1:address></st1:Street> last year, I forwarded it to one of my sons, Jared (age 18), along with a web link to the school. He has been more consistent about helping me in my shop than any of my other sons. Well, he got kind of excited about it and has been thinking about it ever since. Last month he told me he wants to go, a big step. We are going to try to make the spring visit in a couple of weeks. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Blessings,<o:p></o:p> <div> Dean<o:p></o:p> <u1:PERSONNAME u2:st="on">Dean May</u1:PERSONNAME>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <u1:PLACE u2:st="on"><u1:CITY u2:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><u3:place u4:st="on"><u3:City u4:st="on">Terre Haute</st1:City></u3:place></u1:CITY></u3:City> <u1:STATE u2:st="on"><st1:State u5:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">IN</st1:State></u1:STATE></st1:State>  <u1:POSTALCODE u2:st="on"><st1:PostalCode u6:st="on"><st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</st1:PostalCode></u1:POSTALCODE></st1:PostalCode></st1:place></u1:PLACE><o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Erwinspiano@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:03 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: Confessions of a "Lookerson"<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div>  David<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>    I'd love to see the sequel to the movie "A Day without a Mexican" any body see that?  Mine would be called be called"A day without a piano tuner"  Then we'd know if we are missed or not.  I predict that unless new young blood start getting into the business now that someday in many places it will be impossible to get one tuned for lack of a warm body. In every area I'm familiar with out here all the  guys are getting on in age. My son is the youngest at 22, then another guy at 50 then me & so on. Folks don't' understand that WE as a group are a getting to be a rare commodity.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>   Encourage young blood to consider this so all us left over hippies (grin) have someone to leave our knowledge & legacy to.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>   Dale<o:p></o:p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> n piano tuning we give at least an hour, all-in, of very concentrated highly-skilled time,  and during that hour the skill is being fully applied all the time.  But we can't in general charge rates comparable to the stove or drain persons.<o:p></o:p> </blockquote> <div>  For us it's almost always more than an hour & usually  2 hours because we do other things to improve then piano<o:p></o:p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> On the domestic front, if we all hiked our prices up to electrician or plumber heights, people simply wouldn't get the piano tuned, and we wouldn't get work, and homes would have out-of-tune pianos.<o:p></o:p> </blockquote> <div>   O come on. Kindly Wake up & smell the coffee  Perhaps there would be negligible difference to the economy. But what of tunings for recitals and studio recordings?  If there were no in-tune pianos, would the piano be almost instantly wiped out as a musical instrument and replaced with electronic keyboards?  Would pianos simply no longer be featured in recordings?  Would CD sales drop?<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>   The acoustic piano will always be here but it may only be the high end , so take aim now or perhaps become an electrician? I  make more than those guys ....as do many on this list.<o:p></o:p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> I don't know! Best, David.<o:p></o:p> </blockquote> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Dale Erwin--Piano Restorations 4721 Parker rd <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Modesto</st1:place></st1:City>, Ca. 95357 Shop 209-577-8397 Web site <a href="http://www.erwinspiano.com/">http://www.Erwinspiano.com</a> Restoration & Sales of Steinway & Sons & other fine pianos. " Soundboards by Design"<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p></o:p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:7.5pt;text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </div> The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. <a href="http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565" target="_blank" title="http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565">AOL Music takes you there.</a><o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </body> </html>