<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <title></title> </head> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff"> I don't worry about electronic keyboards. They have their purposes which include replacing spinets as the entry level piano. They don't last nearly as long as spinets, though, and someone getting serious about playing the piano is going to upgrade to a real one sooner or later; if they play on a nice piano (maybe their teacher's) and have developed their ear some, they will hear the difference. Given that electronic keyboards are more affordable, don't take up much room and are easy to move, more people are apt to buy them and get exposed to playing music on a keyboard instrument.<br> <br> Where we might have a worry is if electronic keyboards become developed to the point where most people can't tell whether it's a piano or Memorex. <br> <br> Tom Cole<br> <br> Alan Forsyth wrote:<br> <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid000001c4ead7$6e738830$9bf7193e@Aspire"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; "> <meta content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name="GENERATOR"> <style></style> <div><strong><font size="3">There is good news and there is bad news from this end. I am Down from last year on appointments by 25% but only down by 7.5% financially, which means that profitability is actually UP.</font></strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong><font size="3">The one challenge we are going to have to address is the onslaught of the digital piano. Traditional piano dealers are selling more of these now than the real thing. I always try and put my customers off buying them by saying that they lose their value very quickly, just like computers because they become outdated (obsolete) within a few years. I also tell them that they will soon become tired of the sound of a digital piano (at least I do) "listener fatigue" and all that. I can only play a digital piano for about half an hour and have to switch it off. </font></strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong><font size="3">Have any of you ever analysed the tuning on a digital piano: it's terrible. The temperament is not very smooth at all and even the unisons aren't all that great. However I do suspect that if they were tuned the way we tuners would like them to be tuned, they probably wouldn't sound like pianos at all!</font></strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong><font size="3">Any other ammunition with which to bombard the onslaught is welcome.</font></strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong><font size="3">Looking forward to another year.</font></strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong><font size="3">Burp!</font></strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <blockquote dir="ltr" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;"> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none;">----- Original Message ----- </div> <div style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none;"><b>From:</b> <a title="ANRPiano@aol.com" href="mailto:ANRPiano@aol.com">ANRPiano@aol.com</a> </div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none;"><b>To:</b> <a title="pianotech@ptg.org" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a> </div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none;"><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, December 25, 2004 6:10 PM</div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none;"><b>Subject:</b> Re: Year End</div> <div><br> </div> <font id="role_document" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"> <div> <div>In a message dated 12/25/2004 11:39:29 A.M. Central Standard Time, <a href="mailto:hubertliverman@bellsouth.net">hubertliverman@bellsouth.net</a> writes:</div> <blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid blue; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px;"><font style="background-color: transparent;" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"> <div>I have had a disastrous year. Your insightful post eased my panic,reminded me of the realities of my situation, gave me hope for the coming year,and overcome a very bleak Christmas.</div> <div> </div> <div>Thank You,</div> <div> </div> <div>Hubert Liverman</div> </font></blockquote> </div> <div><strong></strong></div> </font></blockquote> </blockquote> </body> </html>