<html 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="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"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PersonName"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> Hey, if we agreed on everything one of us wouldn’t be necessary. ;-)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Yes, I can be accommodating for this kind of work on a 100 year old Brambach that no one wants to put any money into for a self-taught beginning tech who has very limited resources. As ugly as it is, it was probably marginally functional. I could even admire the guy for having the gonads to tackle the job. I remember being very intimidated on my first hammer job.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Don’t forget, Terry, that you have the benefit of working in a large urban area with lots of resources that a guy working in the sticks with only a Reblitz doesn’t have. He does not have access to new pianos to see what they look like. He does not have lots of skilled techs he can call on for help or whose work he can observe. He does not have a local chapter, may not even know how to get in touch with the guild, and is very intimidated by it and its members. He desperately needs the guild’s resources but will likely stay away if he is called names. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I’ve shared it before. I worked as a tuner for almost 20 years before joining the Guild, and even then it was very scary for me. I felt like I was going to be judged and found deficient. If someone had called me a derogatory name for work I had done in the early eighties I would have been out of here. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> We need to make the guild inviting for these techs, not hostile. So go ahead and judge the work, but let’s not impugn the guy’s motives or character when we don’t know anything about him or his circumstances. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Dean<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Dean May</st1:PersonName>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Terre Haute</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">IN</st1:State>  <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</st1:PostalCode></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p>  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Farrell Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 6:57 AM To: <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Pianotech List</st1:PersonName> Subject: Re: They're out there, but let's try to bring them in the fold <o:p> </o:p> Dean - I have to respectfully disagree with you here. Your response implies <o:p></o:p> that the type of results shown in the photo are acceptable if the piano <o:p></o:p> technician is new to the trade. Whereas it often does take several attempts, <o:p></o:p> practice, studying, etc. to get to the point where a technician can produce <o:p></o:p> acceptable results for certain tasks, from day one, any ethical technician <o:p></o:p> should be able to distinguish between acceptable work results and <o:p></o:p> unacceptable results. Clearly John's photos show unacceptable results. If a <o:p></o:p> technician's skills are such that the work in the photo represents his/her <o:p></o:p> skill level, then the ethical tech would sub this work out to a competent <o:p></o:p> tech. The piano owner is smart enough to sub the work out (to someone who <o:p></o:p> claims to be competent), the tech should be at least that smart/ethical.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> There have been numerous times when I have started a project and found that <o:p></o:p> a certain step was beyond my skill level. I will either redo the task until <o:p></o:p> I get it right, or if I feel I can't (or don't want to learn) do it <o:p></o:p> correctly, I have subbed the work out to another technician to get it done <o:p></o:p> right. Heck, I have even paid another technician to come into my shop and <o:p></o:p> work on a task with me because I was having trouble with it.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> And speaking of hammers - that's why God made Wally Brooks!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I have found that nobody knows everything. I certainly don't. But if you can <o:p></o:p> observe what the typical new piano looks/plays/sounds like, then you should <o:p></o:p> be able to identify whether the results of your work are up to par. IMHO, <o:p></o:p> any person who claims to be a piano technician and produces work like that <o:p></o:p> shown in the photo should at least be able to identify that his/her results <o:p></o:p> are unacceptable. If not, then that person is a real _____________________ <o:p></o:p> (insert any derogatory term here you wish).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Like Clint says: "A man has got to know his limits.....".<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Terry Farrell<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> ----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p> > Come on now, my earliest sets of hammers didn't look that different and I<o:p></o:p> > have since taken advantage of PTG seminars, journals and Pianotech. <o:p></o:p> > Calling<o:p></o:p> > names doesn't encourage those at their earlier stages of career to stick<o:p></o:p> > with us to do what you want them to.<o:p></o:p> ><o:p> </o:p> > <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Dean May</st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> > -----Original Message-----<o:p></o:p> > What are they thinking...<o:p></o:p> > And why don't these piano tooners that advantage of PTG seminars?<o:p></o:p> ><o:p> </o:p> > Crook or grossly incompetent (light's on, no one home)?<o:p></o:p> > Jon Page <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>