<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="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"/> <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> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> and Joel,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I can’t help but jump in on this one. Fortunately it all happened at the same visit for me, not a callback. A true story.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I just finished tuning an old but decent upright for a weathered and wise cowboy on the West Side of Albuquerque, got the unisons as clean as I could. I start playing the piano and the old cowboy appears in the doorway --- large Stetson and belt buckle, thumbs in his waistband, a large shoulder leaning on the doorjamb and, with a thick western drawl, says, “My, my, that sure sounds purrty. And I sure do like that classical music sometimes.” <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I was playing Misty.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I said something like, yes sir, the old workhorse tuned up pretty well and started to pack my tools. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “There’s only one thang wrong with it”, he continued and moved out of the doorway.<o:p></o:p> “Oh, what’s that?” I asked.<o:p></o:p> “You took the twang out.”<o:p></o:p> “The twang?”<o:p></o:p> “Yes sir, the twang. You know, that honky-tonk thang like ya hear in the old western movies.”<o:p></o:p> “OHHH, The TWANG!”  I continued, “Well sir, as piano tuners we go to no small trouble to take the twang out. In fact, it is a big part of what we do.” <o:p></o:p> He chuckled, tipped his hat back a bit and suggested, “You mean you good folks maybe ought call yourselves ‘de-twangers’.” <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> (I actually considered pitching this idea to Jack Wyatt and my friends down in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:State>).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> He continued, “Listen, I know you worked hard, and the pianna sounds real nice for your kind of music, but I sure miss that twang. Can you put it back? I’d be happy to pay more if your need it.” <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> By now I was grinning ear to ear, and the old cowboy too, who was beginning to look like John Wayne. And who can refuse John Wayne when he puts on the charm? I said, “No problem, this one’s on the house! Drinks all around!” And I knocked all the left string unisons slightly out. He played some old western tune, slapped his knee and kicked his boot heels on the wood floor and was happier than a pig in slop (or something like that).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The pianna NEVER sounded this good! He insisted I leave my card. He was going to tell his friends about the de-twanger he had had good occasion to visit with. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I never heard from him again. But I’m sure the pianna aged beautifully as the months and years went by.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Respectfully, <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Nick Gravagne, RPT<o:p></o:p> Piano Technicians Guild<o:p></o:p> Member Society Manufacturing Engineers<o:p></o:p> Voice Mail 928-476-4143<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 joel a. jones Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2008 6:34 AM To: <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Pianotech List</st1:PersonName> Subject: Re: Customer Complaint on Tuning<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, First year tuning I was sent out to tune a Sohmer console. BADLY out of tune with the usual 1/2 step flat. Well, this was too much of a challenge to pass up. I raised the pitch and achieved a solid tuning. Busting my buttons with pride. A week later my boss asked me to recheck the piano as the customer had called, and did not like the tuning. Puzzled I checked the piano to find that it was very much as I had left it. Busting more buttons. I started checking how my pins were set and raised the pitch to see how stable the unisons had remained. Suddenly the customer screamed "That's it ! That's my piano ! " So, I continued to raise one string from the unison two beats or so, much to her delight. I rationalize that she had become so accustomed to her piano being out of tune, that when I 'tuned' it the sound she anticipated was gone. Fortunately this scenario only happened once - so far. Tuning the customer . Smiles all around ! Joel On Aug 17, 2008, at 12:40 AM, Israel Stein wrote:<o:p></o:p> Many years ago in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:City> I was that "other qualified technician" that a lady with an old beater called. She was not happy with how the work of the previous tuner sounded - a fellow whom I knew to be a perfectly competent practitioner. I discussed the problem with her and from what she was telling me I got a hunch. So I slightly fuzzed up the unisons on a couple octaves and asked her if that was better. She was ecstatic - yes, yes!. So I did that to the rest of the piano, collected my fee and left a happy client behind. Never heard from her again, thank G-d. Maybe good clean unisons on a crummy piano bring all those acoustical anomalies into sharp focus. Fuzzing the unisons may mask them. Or maybe I am just making excuses. Who knows. But it worked once and I never lost any sleep over it... <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> Stein <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>