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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mitch_ruth@hotmail.com =
href="mailto:mitch_ruth@hotmail.com">Mitch
Ruth</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> October 26, 2000 5:47 =
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Was Sohmer now =
Piano
Industry</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><BR><BR></P>Tony, Lynn and list... </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<P>Some good points about the place of pianos in the family =
entertainment
world. Lynn wrote something like "Who wants to spend $7,000 on a 12 =
year old
who doesn't know how to play?" Since I spend my evenings teaching =
piano and
recruiting for a private music studio, I can tell you...not very many =
folks
are willing to do that. Tony wrote that the industry needs to change =
all the
way down to the teachers. This is what I tell a prospective customer =
when they
ask me if they have to buy a piano to take lessons from us. "Well =
Mrs..
Smith...if you can get a working piano, that is great. But an =
electronic
keyboard from Wal-Mart will suit a beginner student nicely." Flame if =
you
wish...but the reality of the thing is that most people won't =
encourage their
child into piano due to the cost and the size of a piano. In our =
studio, we
use digital pianos (with unweighted and weighted keys) for our =
lessons. We
have a couple of studio consoles for the very advanced students and we =
lease a
parlo! r grand for recitals and group demonstrations. </P>
<P>
<HR>
</P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P dir=ltr><FONT size=2>I agree. I'd much rather see them =
doing that --
well, perhaps they could look someplace other than Wal-Mart -- than =
purchasing a
poorly designed and poorly built spinet of any manufacture, or some =
imported
piece of junk destined to fall apart within just a few years. Or =
some
imported piece of junk that isn't going to play or sound any better than =
those
old Aeolian pieces of junk no matter how carefully and conscientiously =
it is
serviced. Or some clapped out 100 year old upright with three notes that =
don't
work -- "but you fix those when you tune it, don't you?" -- that isn't =
going to
sound or play decently short of a $6K to $12K rebuild that it isn't =
going to
get. </FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr><FONT size=2>The time will come for a piano if the =
teaching is done
creatively, the parenting is done consistently and the practicing is =
done as
kids do it with good teachers and parents. And then, perhaps, the =
purchase
can be a good one.</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr><FONT size=2>Regards,</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr><FONT size=2>Del</FONT></P></BODY></HTML>