<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML style="FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: AGaramond Bold"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3>Hi Joe,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3>In all honesty, I sort of put Randy's = course aside and use it as a reference.  I went to Chicago and learned with an = RPt every Monday for a couple of hours for nine weeks, that was the tuning phase. = Next we're doing strig replacement, action repair etc.  As for going to Washington state, that's impossible since I'm place bound, family 5 = month old son, yep place bound. :)  How do I obtain some of these neat mutes = you mentioned?  Do you know by any chance how fast a vision impaired = person should be able to finish a tuning?  I don't want to set too high expectations.  Thanks again.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3>Marshall</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr 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=joegarrett@earthlink.net href="mailto:joegarrett@earthlink.net">Joseph Garrett</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, January 02, 2006 = 10:16 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Tuning = Hammers</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <P> <DIV>Marshall said: " <DIV><FONT size=+0>HI Joe,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Thank you for the idea and insight. Are you the = Joe that Randy Potter =</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>mentions in his course? Randy's course is pretty = good although not =</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>great for those of us who are vision impaired. =20</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>What's your take on rubber mutes in the trebble, = getting them to stay in =</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>etc?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Marshall,</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV>Yes, unfortunately, Randy does bandy my name about. A bit less, = now, than in the earlier versions of his course, (thank god!)<G></DIV> <DIV>John Rhodes came up with a rubber mute that is attached to a = magnet/cord. He was an instructor at the Piano Hospital, for a while and made it = for the students, (visually impaired). I have regular contact with a visually = impaired technician who uses one and loves it.</DIV> <DIV>Since you are "into" the RP Course, it's kinda closing the barn = door after the horse is out, BUT, you could recieve a more in-depth piano technician curriculum from The Piano Hospital, Vancouver, WA. That = institution is specifically geared to/for the Visually Impaired. Of course, you = can still do it, but you may have to unlearn a few things.<G></DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)</DIV> <DIV>Captain, Tool Police</DIV> <DIV>Squares R I</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>