Once you've written on all the keys, backchecks and hammer mouldings, I suppose you will have to start on a sheet of paper. So why not start there. For a new tuner coming to the piano, it is unimnportant when the last tuning was, aside from diagnosing tuning stability. What matters is the amount of work needed to get the piano in tune. Let's suppose you have half the keyboard scribbled on. The people move and decide to have a party 10 years down the line. Someone attending will want to play the piano, so they call a tuner. Now this guy is going to do whatever he needs to, to get the piano at pitch - in tune. It is completely irrelevant if the piano was tuned every six months for ten years way back when they lived in wherever. The problem at hand is: what condition is it in now. Now when he sees this vandalism inside, he'll comment as I do. . . . I understand we all want to make our mark in the business, but I think it is only ego which needs to leave this calling card. A craftsman will sign his work with a discreet initial or signature, not mar someone's property with trivia. Remember, this is not your property; treat it with respect. Jon Page Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At 03:53 PM 3/25/97 -0600, you wrote: >> From: Jon Page <jpage@capecod.net> >> To: pianotech@byu.edu >> Subject: Re: Marks inside pianos >> Date: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 7:23 AM >> Dear Jon, > I totally disagree with you on this. True, the owner doesn't usually look >at this record but the tuner certainly does. As long as I am servicing the >piano it backs up my records back in the shop. I f another tuner takes >over he has an independent record ,(not from the owner) of when the last >tuning was done and the pitch level before and after the tuning. I t >certainly is NOT graffiti. I t is very important and these records are >very important and not irrelevant and history is still important. History >determines the future and can be a guide as to what to expect from the >piano owner. As far as putting something in the bench, my feelings are that >I do not look in peoples benches, just as I do not open their drawers. The >most obvious place for pertinent information is under the lid on the >pinblock. >Regards, >James Grebe from St. Louis >pianoman@inlink.com >> These day to day servicings are irrelevent in the overall scheme of >things. >> Tuning archival history is useless. Regular maintenance is important. >> Scribing dates on the keys is no reminder, how many owners take the >> piano apart to see when the last tuning was. A card in the bench is >adequite. >> It is not so important as to when it was tuned, but will it stay in tune. >> >> Writing mundane servicing only trashes the action. A descrete notation >> on a hammer moulding can reference a replacement date. >> >> Record keeping should be kept on a seperate piece of paper and left >> under the lid of an upright or in your files. >> >> To close, you have no right to place graffitti in someone's piano. >> Jon Page >> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net) >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> note: please place replies at the top of the post, scrolling wastes time. >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> At 07:40 PM 3/24/97 -0600, you wrote: >> >Hi all, >> > >> >I used to be very careful not to make any permenant marks inside a >> >piano--until I found that the first thing most dealers in my area do is >> >remove service record stickers. >> > >> >I feel that the tuning and repair history which is sometimes several >> >lifetimes is valueable to me as a tuner and of interest to future >owners. So >> >I now careful use a pen on the keys to record the history. >> > >> >>They peer into the piano, examine the scrawled notation, and say "Wow! >> >>Look at that! Isn't that interesting!" They see it as a bit of >history >> >>that adds color to the instrument. >> >> >> >>Oh well. It's not my piano. >> >> >> >> >> >>BTW, I think your oil change analogy is perfect, provided that the >> >>inscription is under the hood. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>Myler, Tom >> >> Jon Page >> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net) >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> > >
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