To Step in It

[James Grebe]

----------
> From: Carol Beigel <carolb@earthlink.net>
> To: pianotech@byu.edu
> Subject: To Step in It
> Date: Sunday, March 30, 1997 8:02 PM
>
Dear Carol,
You have the patience of Job.  When things seem to go wrong they just keep
going,  Take heart you got your bad luck over for this year.  There
couldn't possibly anymore left this year for you

James Grebe from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
> List:  Last week I had one of those service calls that I did everything
> wrong!  Even after 19 years tuning pianos, I still amaze myself sometimes
> that I make such mistakes when I know better.  I am sharing this
> embarrassing story with you because I learned something very valuable,
and I
> have a question.
>
> A store I do work for recommended me to a music school.  I quoted my best
> price over the phone because the director came from an immigrant culture
> that feels insulted  if they are not made to feel like they are getting a
> discount. Mistake #1 - no discounts!  I also assumed that because they
> seemed like a classy music school, the pianos had been reasonably
serviced
> in the past.  Mistake #2 - never assume anything but the worst conditions
in
> a music school.
>
> I arrived to find one very busy, over-worked (7 days a week, 12 hours a
day)
> director giving a music lesson.  There were 4 pianos, and I was to "tune"
> two of them.  The first piano was a studio Belarus.  Mistake #3 - never
> assume a music school has nice pianos!  It was 38 cents flat, had loose
> hammer heads, noisy pedals, and bass strings that were not matched pairs.
> Since the teacher was busy with her student, I decided not to interupt,
and
> just go ahead and service the piano.  Stupid mistake #4 - the piano
required
> a lot more than "tuning", and all the extra free work I was about to do
> would have no value to her because I had not pointed out the extra
problems.
> The piano took twice as long to service as I had originally  estimated,
but
> I was pleased because it played and sounded so much better.  All she
heard
> when I was finished was the inharmonicity of the mispaired bass strings,
and
> that the repetition was not even across the keyboard!
>
> The next piano was a 4'10" baby grand manufactured by a Korean company.
> After listening to the previous lesson, I knew this piano was badly in
need
> of tuning. Again, the piano was at least 38 cents flat, and the last 5
> damper heads in the treble were sticking. The piano was also covered with
so
> much dust when I raised the lid that I choked; not to mention the 8
pencils
> I pulled from the action!
> Again, I did not interupt the teacher to point out that this piano needed
> much more than "tuning".  Mistake #5 - I was thinking what a lucrative
deal
> this could be tuning for all these students. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I
> cleaned the piano, pitch raised it, and tuned it twice.  Again, my effort
> took twice the time I had planned on, but I figured I gave this lady more
> than her money's worth, and that I had done a really good job -
especially
> considering the circumstances!  Wrong!
>
> That evening, the teacher called to tell me that her baby grand sounded
> terrible, far worse than it ever had before; that it was "ringing" and
> totally unuseable for teaching piano lessons!  I was surprised (stupid!),
> but rather than make excuses or try to explain anything away over the
> telephone, I offered to go back the next morning.  What I found was a
piano
> slightly out of tune, still at reasonable pitch, and to my ears, still a
> whole lot better sounding than when I first met the thing.  So I asked
her
> what the problem was, and she started playing single keys very hard and
> complaining about the "ringing".
>
> I assumed she meant the harmonics she was now able to hear, and that is
my
> question.  Apparently, she had not had the piano tuned since she had
> purchased it new 4 years before.  Since it is a very high tension,
> inharmonic, bright sounding piano at spec, could the amount of flatness
> (-38cents+) have masked the inharmonicity and brightness?  I must admit,
the
> piano did overall sound better, except for the tuning, before I touched
it!
> I then sugar-coated the hammers so no more high harmonics could be heard,
> and retuned the piano.  It sounded very mellow.  I left without charging
her
> more money.
>
> Again, that evening, she called, very angry, to say that now she could
not
> get any "forte" out of her piano; no loudness.  And that she had expected
> more professional service and that her piano should have sounded better
> after I "tuned" it, not worse!  She did say the Belarus piano was fine.
> Again, I figured that she was not trying to get a lot of free work out of
me
> - she truly was not happy with her piano!  And why should it be any
> different?  After all, I had not pointed out that anything was wrong
except
> to say that these pianos needed servicing more often if she wanted them
to
> sound better.  So I offered to go back the next day, make the piano
louder,
> but she had to communicate more with me when I was there - another free
> call!  It has also occured to me that anyone who listened to pianos
playing
> 12 hours a day, seven days a week for 4 years, could be having problems
with
> their hearing!
>
> So I went back for a third time.  I tried to explain about voicing being
> different from tuning, and she kept saying that she needed her piano at
> concert pitch!  After all, she, with her European Doctorate degree and
her
> brilliant students with perfect pitch deserved better!  She also thought
I
> should return her money because she did not get the professional service.
> She was really very angry, and made a big display in front of her
students.
>
> For some unexplainable reason, I took this situation quite calmly - maybe
> because I am getting older!  Even if she did think I was dog meat, not
only
> was I not going to return her money, I was determined to get this piano
> sounding acceptable to her.  First, I took one octave and lowered the
pitch
> about 30 cents, and asked her if these keys sounded better. Yes, they
didn't
> "ring" but they weren't loud enough!  So much for her perfect pitch!  I
> figured another piano tuner would come behind me, so there was NO WAY I
was
> going to leave the piano 30 cents flat!  Even with perfect 20-20
hindsight,
> I could never have just tuned the piano at the pitch I found it!  I used
a
> drop of supertone on each hammer, and that enraged her because it now
> sounded like a dulcimer!  So, I started over, doing what i should have
done
> to begin with.  I checked the plate screws, seated the strings, and filed
> the hammers. STill too bright, but after another hour of needling the
piano
> now sounded more melodic.  A bit on the bright side, but within spec.  I
> determined that after 6 hours working this for free, that I had finally
done
> enough!
>
> So I packed up my tools, and on my way out, I smiled at her.  I simply
said
> that I was sorry the whole experience had been so trying for her, that I
had
> done my best.  If the piano was still not acceptable, I would send her a
> letter explaining (all the things I should have explained at the
beginning!)
> the situation, but for now, I was finished and leaving.  I gave her the
> thumbs up signal! I still can't believe that through all of this I was so
> calm and upbeat, but in the end, that is what saved me!
>
> On my way home, I stopped off at the store that had referred me, and
> apologised for all the mess.  Apparently, the teacher had called the
store
> earlier that day, knowing that I was coming in the afternoon, to complain
> about me.  The store owner, also an immigrant, was irrate that the
teacher
> had not had those pianos serviced in the four years since she sold them
to
> her, and furthermore, what a crook she was for taking money from her
> students for piano lessons, and never having the pianos tuned!  Now, I
> really felt badly that a fight had ensued on my behalf.  Finally, I get
> home, and there is a message on my answering machine from the music
school:
> "Mrs. Beigel, thank you for coming back!  The piano sounds much better,
> now!"   Go figure!
>
> So, this long post should show how not to set yourself up for
> misunderstanding.  Always confront and point out problems before you
start
> work, and don't be distracted by the goings-on around you. AFter all, how
> many times have you taken your car in for a tune-up and the mechanic
calls
> you to tell you that you need more work than you thought? And if you do
step
> in it, try to keep a professional demeanor, do your best, and smile when
you
> call it quits!
>
> And don't forget my question.  Could the piano have sounded much sweeter
at
> 38cents flat without all those high harmonic overtones?
>
> Carol Beigel
>
>
>
>