Sheldon Smith type thoughts

[James Grebe]

Hi All,
    With this prolonged discussion on the worth and the exclusivity of one
fine technician I would offer these thoughts, especially to the fine tuners
who are at the beginning of their career.
The statement was made that HE was booked up three months in advance.
Listen to that.  Does that sound like someone you would want to emulate?
Would it not make you very nervous to have that much work booked in advance?
Can you imagine the pressure on your shoulders everyday knowing that there
is no slack time to look forward to to take a few hours off and go browsing
at the bookstore or the hardware store or the woodstore.  Imagine, if you
ran into a friend at lunch and  you could not take the time off to talk and
enjoy the find of a friend to talk to.  Everyday you would get up knowing
exactly what was going to happen that day and the next and the day after
that also.  You would become a human machine with no freedom to take choices
as they arise in your day.  I have run across people with that kind of clout
and I would not trade my service business with them even though they are
held in high esteem by their "elite" pianists and upper crust tuning
clients.
    It was said that he would do some rebuilding in the morning before he
would start his tuning day with 4 or 5 tunings and then come back and
rebuild some more.  Give me a break.  No wonder he died.  Did he have a wife
and kids pressuring him to be with them.  I had been called a workaholic by
my Ex but nothing like that for me, though I do spend long hours in my wood
work shop after tuning and in between .  There are those of us in this
profession that cater to the top performers, monyied clients, most
influential clients, Steinways only type.  How boring.  The real place is
with the average piano and the average people where you can run into almost
anything.  There is no excitement in always working on the elite.  What
surprises I may have in the Story & Clark console that really isn't so bad
or the Vose grand that tunes pretty well.  What I am trying to say is that
you do not have to try to capture the very top of the top to make a good
living and be happy and content with your business.
    I have been at this for 37+ years now and so far each year I have earned
more than the year before starting from 1962.  There is money everywhere
tuning all types of pianos and there is a lot more of the average pianos
than the upper crust.  You do not have to worry and fret over trying to
capture the elite only.  You will get your share of the type of client you
are comfortable with.  I like to talk a lot to my clients and I feel I can
take the time to do that without the pressure of having to be somewhere else
at a precise time.    I have went through the periods in my life where I did
a fair amount of rebuilding and that was nice for that period in my life.
If you like that, it is fine, but it is also nice to phase rebuilding out of
your system and move on to more tuning or creating stuff like I do or
developing a sideline of selling pianos like some of our members do.  There
is room for diversity and still make a good living without the pressure of
all that responsibility and work on your shoulders.
Young tuner, take heart, there is room for the top just as there is room in
the middle.  In fact, there may be more money in the average client than the
elite without the responsibility .
I am sure some of you others have thoughts on this also.  What are they?

                          James (Maybe I stuck my foot in my mouth) Grebe
R.P.T. of the P.T.G and M.P.T.
pianoman@inlink.com
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups and Practical Piano Peripherals in
St. Louis, MO
(314) 845-8282
1526 Raspberry Lane
Arnold, MO 63010