Dale and list,
I will say hello to Craig for you and thanks for the spelling correction.
We went to the Panda for lunch today. What a great place. Apparently Yamaha
has some kind of little tradition with this place in that they put everyone
lunch order on a big carousel in the middle of the table and they all get
passed around so everyone gets a chance to try everything.
Today's class was a bit more intensive than the one yesterday. It seems
that the major thrust for yesterdays class was to bring everyone up to speed
and to a common level of knowledge. Today was filled with a lot of detail
about specific models and hands on adjustments and tests. I like the way this
is put together. If all I had was the manual I'm sure I wouldn't understand
it. If all I had was the verbal instruction I'm sure that I would forget
something important. If all we did was hands on with the pianos I would mess
up some detail of the procedure the next time I tried it in the field.
Putting the three together seems a great way to teach this course because not
only have we heard it, seen it, and done it, but we have the manuals to
remind us of all the details along the way.
Once again the Yamaha treated us VERY well. Mark Wisner went to lunch
with us today. We all had a great time enjoying to food and fun conversation.
A few of the folks in our class are preparing to go to Japan for a month long
session at the facilities there. I like that the class size is small enough
(14 people total which includes 3 instructors) that we all get plenty of
hands on experience and lots of little pocket discussions and individual
attention. Very much a class act!
We even have Yamaha's newest employee and his new bride Diane in our class.
You guessed it, he's PTG's own president Dave Durben! He even played a little
rag today to test the playback of one of the Disklavier PRO's today. In case
you didn't know he's quite a good player. What a difference in the sound when
the key's release velocity is also measured and reproduced.
Tomorrow is our last day :>( but while I hate to see this end I think
that too much more would be information overload anyway. If you are
fortunate enough to come one day and they put you up in this nice hotel
(Buena Park Holiday Inn) rent a car. I took the shuttle in from the airport
and have been hoofing it around here the past few nights. There is nothing
here. If one were to go anywhere in a one mile radius all you would find are
restaurants and more hotels. There is a mall fairly close, (a little too far
to walk ... ask me how I know) but it's not worth the trip. Probably the
worst mall I've ever been in.
I do hope I am able to come back soon and take the Little Red School
House course as well. I wonder if they ever let you take the same class
again. I think a refresher with updated info (especially about the ever
changing Disklavier) would be great.
Well I had better get back to the rest of this mail and a little more
studying now. Hopefully I get a chance to write more tomorrow.
L8R
Greg Newell
dale r fox wrote:
> Hi Greg,
>
> say hi to Craig Fehrenbacher for Dale Fox if you would, please. Enjoy the
> class. Hopefully they will take you to Panda to eat.
>
> Dale F
>
> On Thu, 10 Feb 2000 01:37:28 -0500 Greg Newell <gnewell@EN.COM> writes:
> > Dear List,
> > Today was the first day of classes at the Yamaha facility in
> > Buena
> > Park. What a day it was. Our instructors exhibit only the best and
> > most
> > knowledgeable professionalism. We have had a day filled with a
> > great
> > deal of information. I have been impressed with the knowledge of our
> > instructors including Bill Brandom, Tom Kaplan and Craig
> > Fairenbacher
> > (sorry about the spelling Craig) and Terry Nimi from Japan. Yamaha
> > has
> > been so very generous to us providing the hotel rooms, breakfast and
> > lunch, a few new tools for us to keep along with a few manuals
> > outlining
> > is easy to understand steps how to service the Disklavier
> > instrument.
> > I have appreciated the fellowship of fellow techs from Florida,
> > Seattle, California, Missouri, New Mexico and Rhode Island. We are
> > able
> > to brainstorm with our instructors in such a way that it is
> > definitely
> > profitable for everyone involved. We even discovered a way to make
> > hammer sensor rails easier to adjust! The day seemed long only when
> > it
> > was over and I looked back and remembered just how much we covered.
> > I
> > must say that I encourage everyone who has even the remotest of
> > chances
> > to attend to sign up and find a way to go.
> > I now understand that the "Little Red School House" and the
> > "Disklavier Service Seminar" are two completely different seminars.
> > I
> > don't know why I never figured that out before but I sure hope I get
> > to
> > come back for the Little Red School house one day. I have always
> > shied
> > away from any kind of player work especially the pneumatic kind.
> > I've
> > now come full circle and find that I would actually look forward to
> > working on any Disklavier.
> > I'm also very impressed with the intelligent design that went in
> > to
> > the Disklavier. There are so many functions in the control of this
> > seemingly simple instrument. Did anyone get a chance to see that
> > Mark
> > III at the NAMM show this year? They've mentioned a few things about
> > them but I don't think they made it back to the facility yet. We may
> > not
> > get to see them :>( .
> > I'm gonna go get rested now so I will be alive for tomorrow's
> > onslaught of new information.
> >
> > Ciao
> > Greg Newell
> >
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