Tuning in where it is

[Richard Brekne]

Grin... Dont really know what you are replying to Bill.. In any case I find
nothing to argue about in any of what you write below, and am in fact 100 %
aggreement (outside of the EBVT stuff of which I am unqualified to comment on as
yet.). But you included my comment as the root of your reply so either you
misread the context or I simply dont understand what you are trying to say.

In anycase, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the greatest majority of
cases (pianos waaaaayyyy below pitch) are due to present ownerships neglect and
not because of these very reasonable exceptions which you refer. And in these
greatest majority of cases I have no more then reasonable sympathy. Not enough
for me to do them any favours I am not going to get reasonably paid for anyways.
And besides.. its a great opportunity to afford them some positive education as
to what their piano is.

For the record tho... every time I do a double tuning, I leave the piano very
playable on the first visit. And in the case where there is some kinda family
concert and it simply has to be right on the money right then and there, I charge
double, do 3 hours plus of hard work, call my next tuning and reschedule it
(which I do not really like having to do) and tell the customer that they should
have the piano checked again within 6 months.

I do all this politely, friendlylike, and I am generally loved by everyone around
me.. grin.. so there !!

hehe

Richard Brekne
I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway

Billbrpt@AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 1/10/00 6:16:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, richardb@c2i.net
> (Richard Brekne) writes:
>
> << If there is anything that is nonsensical.. its this oversympathetic
> attitude towards folks who let their pianos get in this condition in the
> first place.>>
>
> I have been following this thread but haven't had the time to respond.  There
> are a couple of things that don't make sense to me.  If I schedule an
> appointment or even more compelling, if the piano store for whom I do work as
> an independent contractor schedules an appointment for a new customer and I
> go in and scoff at their piano and say "I don't do uprights (categorically)
> or "I don't raise the pitch on old uprights and/or pianos with *rusty* (open
> to interpretation) strings", I have just blown off $120-150 that I could have
> earned in well under 2 hours.  What would I then do with that time?
>
> The other point is that sometimes, these people have only recently acquired
> the piano and have been waiting anxiously for someone to come to tune it.
> They are not the ones responsible for the neglect but they do want someone
> who is willing to do *something* about it.  I had few cases like that right
> before Christmas.
>
> One was a 1/2 step pitch raise on December 24th at 5 PM.  with one bass
> string broken and yes, I broke one treble string and spliced it back as I
> worked.  It was not an old upright but a 25 year old Baldwin Hamilton.  The
> pianist in the family was a college student home for the holidays.  They had
> just acquired the piano for him, he was pitch sensitive (I don't say "perfect
> pitch") and so he wanted and needed standard pitch.
>
> At 7:30, he had a piano at standard pitch with all strings intact and an
> action that rattled like you wouldn't believe all tightened up.  But most
> importantly, I had $200 more in my pocket than I would have had if I had
> displayed the attitude that a previous person they had called or some or the
> attitude that some on the list have displayed.  And they were delighted to
> pay the fee.  Incidentally, I tuned it in my usual Equal Beating Victorian
> Temperament (EBVT).  His first and delighted comment as he played the complex
> harmony jazz chords was "Real chords, Mom, REAL CHORDS!"  (Jazz does not
> *require* ET, never has, never will).
>
> Another was an old upright with "rusty" strings earlier in the same day.  The
> previous tuner "wouldn't touch it", the customer said.  I did the pitch
> raise, putting a little protek on the bearing points and broke no strings and
> earned a cool $130 ($10 for the use of protek alone).
>
>  Another customer just last week who had a fire in the house where his
> Steinway was wanted his very old Bluthner with "rusty" strings raised to
> standard pitch while he had the Steinway restored.  I did it very carefully
> in small increments so as not to break any strings and to not break any
> strings and to have something which would actually hold.  He is a very good
> customer and so his piano did not deserve a "PSO" rating from me and I earned
> $150 in about 1 1/2 hours.
>
> If I balked at nearly every piano I am asked to tune, I couldn't really make
> a living and could not attend the Convention, pay my dues or my other bills,
> so I just use good, hard learned techniques and good business practices and
> get the job done that is expected of me.  I think Brian Holden's method for a
> pitch raise would make interesting reading for the List.  If you don't want
> to read it, just delete it.
>
> Bill Bremmer RPT
> Madison, Wisconsin