The *Poll*..

[Phil Bondi]

..i feel a little out of place since i rank near the bottom on the
experience chart, but here goes:..

..got my first taste of Piano Technology in 1978, my last year at
Berklee..attended a class taught by Tom Sheehan..he was a grad of
N.Bennet..

..it wasn't until the summer of 1996 that I literally woke up one
morning and decided I had to do something different with my life than
just play music..but I wanted to stay close to music/pianos..up to
this point i had tuned for relatives and friends with real POS's..i
offended no one except the piano itself..!!..

..i made some calls locally to find out if i could learn from someone
close..the calls that got returned all turned out negative..and the
calls that didn't get returned just sparked my interest even more!!..

..i actually got on the 'net and found the PTG page..Larry
Goldsmith(?) was a GREAT source of information..he sent me a list of
people/schools that were *approved* for teaching in this field..and of
course there were none in the State of Fla...N.Bennett was my first
choice, but after I received their brochure, I had to shelve that
idea..being married at the time, i did not want to leave my family for
2 years..so.......

..the closest person that appeared on that list was Larry Crabb in
Atlanta..i called him..we decided I should come up there and see what
he has to offer..so I flew up and we met..what I found was a congenial
Southern Gentleman(right Jim?!) willing to teach this Yankee anything
he ever wanted to know about the field..i must admit I was impressed
with 2 things..1st: - his shop..it's like a piano factory..he
re-builds everything from Spinets to Squares..and 2nd: - the fact that
he was willing to work at my speed because of the miles between us
(500+)..he knew i still had to make a living and learn a new field, so
this was a BIG plus for me..

..so I started with Larry in Nov. of 1996, driving up twice a
month..drive on a tuesday...attend class on Wednsday and then drive
back..it's a murderous trip, but one that must be made, in my case, if
I'm going to learn in this field..

..in March of '97, Larry said:..*Phil, you're ready.* I thought it was
a little soon myself, but I approached dealerships down here..i found
one who had just let go their tech go..i tuned a piano as an audition,
aurally..they were impressed..it's a Baldwin Dealer and they're the
largest volume dealership South of Sarasota on the West Coast..

..it's a nice arrangement..i do all the Waranty work for them and they
refer all incoming calls to me..as an independant, NOT as an
employee..

..Since I've been working for them, I've tuned for Baldwin Artists
that come to town..the first one being tuning 2 SD-10's back to
back!!..I've tuned for Andre Watts..I've aquired some nice commercial
accounts as well as some nice residential accounts..

..my trips to Atlanta have become much less frequent because I am now
earning/eeking out a living in this field..so i am behind in my book
work, but very far ahead of other students in experience so far..

..it's still my goal to become RPT by the end of the year..the tuning
and the written exams should not be a problem for me..the practical is
where i'll run into a snag..but everyday i work in this field is
another day closer to becoming RPT..

The Rookie!