<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html>   Wimblees@AOL.COM wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>In a message dated 3/18/01 6:45:54 PM Central Standard Time, crbrpt@bellatlantic.net writes:     <blockquote TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">My most loyal customers are those who have tried to tune their own pianos.</blockquote> This is about how I feel. This whole discussion about pianist learning to tune their own piano should be looked on by professional piano tuners as a means to increase business, not take it away. I encourage people who call and ask for tuning hammers, tuning forks, advice on tuning the piano, etc. I get rewarded handsomely by the people with whom I spend a few minutes talking about how to tune a piano, or from whom I make a few dollars selling tuning instruments. Sooner or later they all realize there is much more to tuning a piano than turning the pin. And for the few who actually do learn to do it themselves, they become piano tuners, and join the ranks, and the PTG.  </blockquote> I would have to aggree with this Wim. I have no problem with customers tuning / attempting to tune and for all the same reasons listed by the many who have shared their views. You said it perhaps better then most of the rest of us maybe.... short, sweet, and right to the point.  I think most of you know where my concerns lie regarding the use of ETD's so I wont restate them here. However when this kind of thing goes beyond working on a piano the person owns, to calling themselves a professional and taking professional embursment for services rendered... then I believe we are into a completey different problem area.  One that I personally believe represents a greater problem and a greater wrong then those few amoung our ranks that abuse whatever titles are presently available could possibly present. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  So why discourage these people? If Mr. Widener can make a few bucks selling his ETD, and if the professor feels good about writing his dissertation on the web, more power to them. Bring it on. We can use the extra work.</blockquote> I misread Dons first intent when he started this whole thing as well. He was actually more concerned about the use of the name Accu Tune... which was / is very very close to the SATs name. Grin... I wonder how many of us havent picked up yet that we are not talking about the SAT at all. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  Willem</blockquote> -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. Bergen, Norway <A HREF="mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no">mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no</A>  </html>