<html> At 07:18 PM 07/24/2000 -0700, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite cite>Help, I may be totally crazy, but my 21 year old son has expressed a desire to work in my store/shop and become a piano technician.  (And I am seriously considering it!) My thought is to have him spend 3 months tuning nothing but unisons before advancing on to the simpler intervals.  At the same time, begin studying repair and reconditioning of the pianos I have here.  (I have a good project piano in mind already.) I would only take him on this endeavor if he were willing to really do the work and I would expect him to be able to handle some of the outside tunings in 6 months.  My goal is to get him to become an RPT within 1 year.  Am I crazy? (Yes I probably am but to what level.) Larry Messerly, RPT WRVP Prescott/Phoenix </blockquote> Larry, Three months of unisons will certainly make you_son_crazy. Let him work around the shop performing elementary tasks. While he is occupied with this he will be watching and listening. Watching other tasks being performed and listening to pianos being tuned. Watching other's work habits and listening to unisons, intervals and octaves being pulled in to tune. This way he will have a sense of order. I started by setting chipped pianos with rough temperaments and octaves and unisons of course. As my perception developed, my tuning grew as a whole rather than compartmentalized. Given a new car, I'm sure he'd rather turn the key and take off rather than sit in the driveway for three weeks to get a feel for the gas pedal. Within six months he might be ready for floor tunings, but I would think it would take over a year for outside tunings (at least it did with me but then I didn't practice tuning everyday). My 15 yr old son started working part-time with me a few weeks ago. Mostly out of not liking other jobs available to him. So far he's doing well enjoying the extremely flexible hours and coming to realize that: no work, no pay, means just that. He's showing up on time more often. If he's going to be self employed he has to learn sooner or later that. "You snooze, you loose". I'm not pushing him, I'd like him to get into the business but hey, it's summer on Cape Cod; there are things to do but they also require money. At least he doesn't_have_to work, there'll be plenty of time for that. . .cars, girls . . . I'll let him enjoy his freedom while he still has it :-) It can be a rewarding experience for you both, good luck, <div>Jon Page,   piano technician</div> <div>Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.</div> <div><a href="mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net" EUDORA=AUTOURL>mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net</a></div> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ </html>