A piano tuner is someone who tunes pianos. A piano technician tunes, regulates, voices, repairs, and sometimes rebuilds piano. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diane Hofstetter" <dianepianotuner@hotmail.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 2:36 PM Subject: What is and what is not a piano tuner . > 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 > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com >
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