What is and what is not a piano tuner .

[Diane Hofstetter]

I think it's all a matter of perspective;

My partner talks on the phone to his son in Canada about once a week.  They 
talk a lot about businesses and how to run one.  Last week his son was on a 
soapbox about how his dad should not call himself a mere "piano tuner".  
Apparently he didn't think it sounded impressive enough.  I didn't hear 
whether he had a better idea or not though.......

Of course, since he tunes with an ETD, doing aural unisons and tests, maybe 
it should be something more professional sounding, like "Piano Acoustical 
Interface Engineer".
I dunno, I'm not so good with words like Professor Ron... maybe he has a 
better term that would satisfy everybody.

Diane






>From: kam544@flash.net
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: pianotech@ptg.org
>Subject: Re: What is and what is not a piano tuner (was Re: The Final 
>Result)
>Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 13:45:04 -0600
>
> >> ...Is it how many are done per day, week, month, year?
> >> Is it how much one receives in payment?
> >> Is it how satisfied the customer is?
> >> Is it ................ ?
> >
> >These are irrelevant to the question "what is a piano tuner"
>
>How are these considerations irrelevant?
>
> >>...Is there a line that exists somewhere between someone being able to 
>tune a
> >> piano, and being a piano tuner, that I am not aware of, other than to 
>be
> >> able to do it, and declare it so?
> >
> >The key phrase here is "declare it so". In order to do so you have to 
>have
> >certain
> >knowledge about tuning in general. If not then the statment is 
>meaningless.
>
>Would not that knowledge reveal itself, however accomplished or method of
>operation used, by leaving a piano in a tuned state.?
>
> >Keith... it would seem your definition of a piano tuner is simply whoever
> >decides
> >to call themselves one.
>
>No, that's not correct, Richard.  My definition, in its temporary briefest
>context, that I choose to accept at this point in time, and one I am
>reasonably comfortable with, until someone can come up with some more
>defining is:
>
>Someone who is actively tuning pianos and leaving them in a reasonable
>tuned state and choosing to use whatever method of operation to accomplish
>such an act.
>
> >You sight qualifications such as how many instruments a
> >person "services", "how much money  made"  Whether or not the piano is
> >indeed in
> >tune regardless of how it was tuned.  And of all things something as 
>vague as
> >whether the customer is satisfied or not.
> >I am indeed sorry, but as a serious attempt at finding any real criteria 
>for
> >assessment of knowledge and skills neccessary to qualify for the title
> >Piano Tuner,
> >these above fail miserably.
>
>I honestly don't see how these questions fail miserably and don't have some
>merit for consideration from your viewpoint.
>
> >I also must say that I find it no less then alarming
> >that you consistantly leave out any requirement for actual knowledge of
> >the trade
> >or trade skills from your "qualifications".  Are we really to be expected 
>to
> >confere the PTG stamp of approval on anyone who presents themselves with 
>a
> >machine,
> >a customer list, an income statement, a report of hours worked, and one 
>single
> >tuning skill ... namely that of being able to set tuning pins ???
> >
> >Give me a break with all this.
> >
> >If we are serious about all this then it should not be so difficult to at
> >least be
> >in aggreement that the prosepective tuner should be able to display that
> >he / she
> >actually knows something about the job. What about the following 
>skills...
> >
> >the ability to count beats per second.
> >the ability to hear and identify beat rates of different coincident
> >partials for
> >any given interval
> >the ability to determine varying degrees of stretch.
> >the ability to isolate tuning concerns from voicing or regulation 
>concerns.
> >the ability to indentify, isolate and minimize the effect of false beats
>
>All of the previous is addressing the application of testing standards
>within the Piano Technicians Guild domain.  For the record, Richard, I have
>no problem having testing standards for those who want to bear the title of
>Registered Piano Technician (RPT).
>
>What I am addressing, Richard, are the numerous individuals throughout the
>world who do succeed in accomplishing reasonable, stable piano tunings on a
>daily basis, that do receive compensation for such activity, that do
>satisfy their customers, that are not members of, or affiliated with, the
>Piano Technicians Guild (PTG), that do use various approaches to
>accomplishing these tunings, whether it be aural only, aural with
>electronic assistance, electronic with aural assistance, electronic only or
>or even some other means of which I am currenly unaware.
>
>All I'm asking is, what are these persons to call themselves, if not piano
>tuners?
>
>
>
>Keith McGavern
>Registered Piano Technician
>Oklahoma Chapter 731
>Piano Technicians Guild
>USA
>
>

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