Burnout

[Paul]

Conrad
You and Ray have said much. I hated tuning when I started, but found the
people-the piano owners worth the misery. As my skills improved, both tuning
and people skills, I have taken an entirely different perspective. I feel
good about the income, but most of all about the people.

Paul Chick
----- Original Message -----
From: Conrad Hoffsommer <hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: Burnout


> Ray Bentley,
>
> At 09:30 12/05/2000 -0600, you wrote:
> >on 12/5/00 8:14 AM, JIMRPT@AOL.COM at JIMRPT@AOL.COM wrote:
> >
> >Brian,
> >I think we are fortunate that piano owners for the most part are very
> >pleasant and kind people.
>
> <mega snip>
>
> Thank you for your post, Ray.  It is a reminder of some of the things for
> which we should be thankful this season.  Even though I generally think of
> those for whom I tune as friends, rather than customers, every once in a
> while I am gently reminded _why_ I think that way.
>
> Your post is one of those reminders, but two others occurred Saturday.
The
> first family I tuned for that day has been on my list for about 15 years
> and have a Yamaha G3 which we all would love/hate.  When I tune it every
> year or two (it had been two this time) all it ever needs is a touchup!
> (hard to make a living on pianos/environments that stable)  I think I
moved
> less than a dozen strings one of which was a comparatively new string.
The
> rest of the 1 1/2 hours I was there, the owners and I were drinking tea
and
> talking about the trips we'd each taken since I last came by. We
apparently
> missed each other in Florence by a day...
>
> The second time was when checking my mail.  I got a nice Christmas card
> from a family I'd just started with in the past year or so (was complete
> stranger/store referral).  I do remember chatting with them and also
taking
> some time to answer some of the little kid's questions [wazzats & whys],
> but not to distraction.  Their house has that "lived in" look, and the
> piano is a 20's vintage ex-player, but it really is those people and their
> enjoyment of and committment to music and their piano which make this
> "work" all worthwhile.  You bet I'm happy to work on that old piano!
>
> I know a bunch of businesses which send Christmas cards to their
> customers.  How many types of businesses get cards _from_ their customers?
>
>
>
> Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician -mailto:hoffsoco@luther.edu
> Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
> Voice-(319)-387-1204  //  Fax (319)-387-1076(Dept.office)
>
> Education is the best defense against the media.
>