<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Message</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2769" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Goeff,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I can tell you how it worked for = me.  First off, I've never had anyone call from the yellow pages who was really = interested in anything but a price for tuning.  It's word of mouth that = spreads the news that's there someone out there who knows and does more than just tuning.  I started off by mentioning problems that I saw and = getting permission to take care of them.  I also learned the best way to = get folks to understand about more than tuning was saying, "You know those = old upright pianos that sound like tin and whose keys are uneven and some = don't even work?  Well, that can happen to your piano, too.  That's what = happens when pianos have only been tuned and other maintenance has been = ignored. etc, etc."   It was the best thing I ever thought of to get = the conversation and understanding going about what regulation and voicing are.  We're the ones who have to educate our clients.  = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara Richmond, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>near Peoria, Illinois</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=thetuner@ivories52.com = href="mailto:thetuner@ivories52.com">Geoff Sykes</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> Sunday, November 13, 2005 = 1:49 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: JIV-jumping into voicing</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial = color=#0000ff size=2>Forgive me for adding to the rant, but it might be = interesting to find out just how many (legit) tuners, here in LA, have more than "1 or 2 = percent" of their customers who want, and are willing to pay for, more than a "tune-&-run" visit from a piano tech. I am a relative newbie to = this profession and so far even the customers I service with decent piano's = aren't willing to have them serviced more than once every couple of years. = And anything beyond a basic tuning is just more money than they want to = spend. I seriously look forward to the day when I have finally earned and = developed a client base that actually wants this kind of service and is willing to = pay for it. Not just for the money, but because I seriously want to learn and cultivate those skills. If 98% of what I have to look forward to from = day to day are tune & run bookings, because that's what the client = wants, then I'm gonna be mighty bored.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial = color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial = color=#0000ff size=2>-- Geoff Sykes</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial = color=#0000ff size=2>-- Assoc. Los Angeles</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial = color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial = color=#0000ff size=2>...with lots still to learn to escape the = average.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr = align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On = Behalf Of </B>David Andersen<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, November 13, 2005 9:39 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: JIV-jumping into voicing<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> That said the goal is for an = improved tone even if , in your own ears, it's not perfect. People/clients who = really have ears to hear will except any improvement as a pleasure in the = right direction. Truth be told there are sooo many lousy sounding pianos = in the field because no one is asking the questions you are or at least = not bothering to stab a few needles etc to risk for something possibly = great!<BR> How I wish the bad habit of tune & run to the = next tuning could be remedied.<BR> It's not real customer service IMHO.<BR>  I think I just changed the topic. Oh My!<BR>  Dale = Erwin<BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: = 12px"><BR>Great words.  In 25 years of working on pianos in LA, with the last = 10 or so years mostly dedicated to good and expensive grand pianos, the = number of pianos that had been maintained in any realm beyond tuning before I = came on them was, and is, miniscule....1 or 2 percent, literally.  What = a joke.<BR>And a tragedy, really, for our profession.  All this = talk, endless talk, about pianos, and service, and how to do this and that = with pianos, and then the harsh reality:  almost nobody’s actually = doing it in good grand pianos in LA. Why?  Because “tune & run” =  is the easy money. A no-brainer.  The average guy here charges = $100-120.  Do six tune-and-runs a day, and you’re living large. =  Do it five days a week, and it’s <B>3 grand</B> a week, and baby’s got a = new pair o’ shoes. <BR><BR>On the other hand, just shoot me now if that’s what = I have to look forward to: average clients, piano after piano in bad = mechanical and tonal shape, and propagating the paradigm of “I don’t give a = rat’s ass, so why should my clients?  Why should I educate them about tone = and touch when it’ll just slow me down, make me work and acquire new skills, = work new muscles, and (the final nail in the coffin:)<BR>‘anyway, none of = my clients care or can hear or feel the difference.’”<BR><BR>What a crock = of s**t.  Everybody can hear and feel the difference, including, first = and foremost, YOU.<BR><BR>Don’t be a sellout.  Learn how t work = on pianos past the tuning, and quit telling your self destuctive things, like = nobody can hear or feel the difference....quit being so dang = negative.<BR><BR>End of rant.  Thank you.<BR><BR>David Andersen</SPAN></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>