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<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>two off topics.............. Off- being operative.</TITLE>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Thanks for sharing Les. Very interesting. I do however
disagree with you on one point: All that you posted is entirely
ON-topic!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net
href="mailto:l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net">Leslie Bartlett</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 22, 2008 9:28
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> two off topics..............
Off- being operative.</DIV>
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<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>There is no legitimate reason to continue the
Guild. I met a man from a place here locally "Everything piano".
Old pickup pulling a trailer. He does "everything", is not associated with the
Guild. I asked him "What do you do when you don't know something
and need help?" His response, "WHAT IS IT I DON'T
KNOW?" So obviously someone knows it all! Thus if we simply learn from
the one who knows it all
Truly scary.</FONT></P><BR>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>I had a lovely experience today, sort of. If
any tuning of a 100 year old piano can be a good experience, I had
one
.. I groaned out loud when I saw it- lovely case
.. you
know the kind. Inside the hammers were all filed very nicely over the
entire surface. AHA, another piece of junk on which these suckers put good
money and have nothing in return
.. Well, not quite so. All original
stuff, cracks all over the place, and obviously an old piano which probably
should be trashed, but it had been worked on by one Dan McElrath in Anchorage,
Alaska. The guy had done a fair amount of work, even to replacing the
let-off button felts, but nothing frivolous. Pins were awfully loose,
but would hold a tune. The piano was actually a couple cents sharp, but close
throughout except in the very top. The more I sat, the more impressed I
became that whoever this guy was, he was honest, caring, and judicious in what
he did. I asked for his address. They had no address, but did have his phone
number and called him, then put me on the phone. I simply
complimented him on carefully selecting what he chose to do and not do,
seemingly trying to make something useable, actually useable without claiming
it was more than it was, but bringing out the best which could be
reasonably done to an old upright. He told the piano owner that he
seldom got calls from people wanting to thank him for good work- this made his
whole day.
. It's such an easy thing, easily
forgotten, to acknowledge another's good work, and lift their spirits.
It's something we all can do, and in so doing might be working miracles, not
knowing of course what we're really contributing, except our little piece of
praise for something we see done well. But it certainly makes a big difference
to people who work week after week, year after year, often with little real
thanks. Just wanted to share something we know- it's a very
easy thing to take a moment to appreciate a fellow technician or any person
who simply has done the quality of work we would like to see offered us, it
always pays richly to do so.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>les bartlett</FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>houston</FONT> </P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>