<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: JIV-jumping into voicing</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>Dale, David,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'll add to the rant.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Man, if I could tell you all how many = times I've heard, "Why didn't the other piano tuner tell me about and/or do = that?"  And it just doesn't have to be big grand pianos, either.  After = explaining what needed to be done to a little 20 year old Yamaha M-450, the = customer bought the job repair & regulation job (I voiced too, but I voice with = every tuning).  His comments after I was done, "I can't believe the difference.  That was the best $$$ I've ever spent."  (And = this guy is no virtuoso.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Personally, I like pushing myself too = eek every bit of performance I can out of any piano--that's how I learn more.  I = taught a class many years ago about selling full service.  A participant = posed the question (he wasn't convinced of my idea, I think):  "So, what do = you do when you walk in and find a ___ brand of piano, the tuning is good, = the voicing is good and the regulation is good?"  The answer, "Raise = your standards."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well, I could go on...  = ;-)</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></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE 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=david@davidandersenpianos.com href="mailto:david@davidandersenpianos.com">David Andersen</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 = 11:38 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: JIV-jumping into voicing</DIV> <DIV><BR></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></BODY></HTML>