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<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Dave </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Right on as well. My Dad always taught his
students to tune VERY well & to not ignore the regulation and voicing
issues and to make a seperate appointment to care for the other
technical work. It's a great way to really tweak a piano & a client &=
;
increase your income and satisfaction quotient So many clients includin=
g
professionals don't have a clue what can come out of their pianos with the r=
ight
custom detailed finessing when REAL conscientious & skilled technician g=
ets
hold of the piano.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> I live in an area which has several tuners. Some =
very
nice folks & many my friends but who for whatever reason have
chosen to be tuners & not much technical skills. I realize ,acknowl=
edge
& respect that every tech is on a evolutionary learning curve but some h=
ave
decided not to climb it any further for there own reasons The level at=
which we choose to function is a choice we all have the right to make =
but
it leaves folks looking for high level service techs in short supply. in man=
y
places. I feel that it also consigns the perception of piano tuner to the
general Public as a part time hobbyist or some one who couldn't get a =
REAL
job in life. </FONT><FONT size=3> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Any way in my area whenever there is =
a
technical aspect to an in home service or rebuilding need I'm the only guy i=
n a
35 miles radious that gets the call. Frankly It's frustrating!!!!!!! I'm not=
counting Bob Davis who lives North of me 40 miles.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> It's silly though, Imagine owning a fine automobi=
le
& the guy at the gas station is responsible for putting gas in the tank.=
Lets assumme he's also the service guy who works on the car & he
<U><STRONG>only</STRONG></U> wants to change oil, cuz it's a quick buc=
k,
in out, no worry's.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> I'm guessing that beautiful Mer=
cedes,
Toyota, Porsche wont' be performing at a very high level for long. All =
the
folks who spent the money for an expensive car will either come except poor
performance or wonder why they spent the money in the first place . Ridiculo=
us
isn't it?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> To me our profession can be no
different. Imagine how much more our industry would benefit from those=
clients who are allowed to discover a quality of music coming out of their
pianos( by our efforts) they never thought possible. For me & them =
it's
been a thrilling journey. In the end lots of folks ha=
ve
more experiences with real piano fortes in stead of the clangers &=
bangers we call pianos. What a joke</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> It is about education at our level. All my best c=
lients
I cultivated over the years, trained them, showed them, demonstrated to them=
& they told others. I've built my business around it & it does pay o=
ff.
It's satisfying in huge ways & I didn't have to tune 5 pianos a day for
bragging rights either. I also didnt' leave a swath of unserviced pianos in =
my
path either.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> If your the guy who can fix the difficult problem=
s you
will get the calls others don't & it's generally the high end.</FONT></D=
IV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> David Andersen-- Dave Stahl. No rant just the
truth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> It's time for the K. A. Pr. guy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Dale Erwin</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><=
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style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Verdana color=#000000 siz=
e=3>
<DIV>David,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Well thought out post. FWIW, didn't seem like a rant to me.&nbs=
p;
You just brought up some important points regarding our profession, and as=
ked
for professionalism therein. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Most of the people on this list are looking to gain more knowledge an=
d
skill, or to share what they know with those less-informed--or else we
wouldn't be here. What I really resent is "technician-tooners" who h=
ave
no interest in learning anything or sharing their piano wisdom with the wo=
rld
at large. As David says, they tune it, take the check, hit the
road. Sort of like gardners doing the mow-blow-go routine.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Has the PTG as an organization been good to me? Yes, I'd have t=
o
say so. My experience has been with individuals who care about what =
they
do, not with the politics surrounding the organization. I've learned=
a
helluva lot in my 3 years of membership.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't know what happened between John Hartman and the PTG, but what=
ever
it was, we all lost in the deal. I guess it's up to all of us to mak=
e it
a better organization: one that doesn't just accept the status quo, =
but
instead, looks for ways to improve both on the technical AND business end =
of
it.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A kickass PR guy...interesting idea. People need someone to tel=
l
them that they need their pianos serviced besides the people who are
going to make money off of it. A TV ad during the Super
Bowl....:-}</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Respectfully,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
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