<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff">In a message dated 3/16/01 11:21:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, drose@dlcwest.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/piano.html </BLOCKQUOTE> The bad news is that this is soon to be the future of the piano tuning industry.  With ETD's becoming more and more accurate, the common piano player will be able to tune a piano to the same accuracy of a good piano tuner.  The only saving grace to the piano tuner of the future is that one, people won't have the interest to tuning their piano and two, they won't be able to afford to purchase a tuning device.  Repair will be the area in which the piano technician will still be able to make consistent money.  As ETD's develop even more and more it will also be the piano tuner who advances to this stage that will be able to keep the profession going.  The days of the aural tuner is and will slowly diminish.  How many remember the days when the private citizen wasn't able to pump his own gas.  Now, gone is the day when the attendant comes out and pumps your gas on a regular fill-up.  This will soon be the way of the piano tuning profession.  We will be called by those clients that don't care to tune or those who tune their own piano but need a repair or something that is beyond their ability to fix.  With the Reblitz book on the market and many home correspondence courses this number or people who will need us to administer a repair to their piano will also be greatly reduced to those who screw it up so bad that they need to call a tuner-technician.  I my opinion the rebuilding and restoration area will also be the area that the piano tuner-technician will be able to still make adequate money.  My suggestions to the future tuners are as follows.  Still learn to tune aurally but only concentrate on unisons and octaves, become very skilled in the use of an accurate ETD and work toward eye had coordination more than ear hand.  I would say 40% ear hand and 60% eye hand.   Tune as good and professionally as possible and judge yourself not by the letters you have after your name but the number of satisfied customers that you retain.  Work on your bench skills for they will be your bread and butter for extra income and learn, learn, learn from every piano you work on because as the futures progresses the playing field has just been leveled for all tuners.  It has to be said and accepted that soon will be the day if not here today that anyone can tune a piano and in some cases just as good as the experienced professional. Sincerely, Leo Silverman</HTML>