Wanna be piano tuner

[Carl W. Meyer]

Melissa:  The PTG meeting this month will be at 2107 El Capitan Ave. Santa 
Clara Ca. 95050.  The subject for the tech session will be  "Tune-lab,
strings and things" by Doug Richards.  Meeting starts at 7:30.  Hope to see
you there.
Take San Tomas expressway north, cross El Camino, first right turn is
Cabrillo, first left turn is El Capitan. House is on right about equivalent
of 2 blocks.

Carl Meyer


> [Original Message]
> From: <Hotsteno@cs.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 9/30/00 2:47:33 PM
> Subject: Wanna be piano tuner
>
> Hello!
> 
> My name is Melissa Roen.  I'm new to this list this morning.  Ordinarily
I 
> read a list for a while before posting, but I'm just so excited about
this 
> that I wanted to post now.  I went through this lists' archives and
couldn't 
> find a specific answer to my exact question, although I bet someone has
asked 
> it and I just can't find it.  Anyway, I posted a message to this effect
on 
> rec.music.makers.piano this morning already, but I know I'll get more and 
> better responses here.  
> 
> I'm a 29-year-old court reporter living in San Jose, California.  I have 
> played the piano since I was four years old and have had a lot of musical 
> training through private lessons and as a music major in College and at
Aspen 
> Music School.  Today I play mostly for my own pleasure and to relieve the 
> organist at our church from time to time.  (Yes, I play the organ too,
but 
> that's not the point here!)
> 
> Anyway, I have arrived at a point where I have a little money and a
little 
> time to learn a skill I have desired since high school:  I want to learn
to 
> tune and repair pianos.
> 
> I took a correspondence course as a teenager, with disastrous results. 
Now I 
> understand I had a very poor tuning hammer provided and the information I 
> received was poorly delivered and, at worst, just plain wrong.  This time
I 
> want to do things "right."  What I'm trying to ascertain is what is the
best 
> way to go about this?  My specific goal is to eventually take and pass
the 
> RPT exam.
> 
> All I have done so far is purchased a book, "Piano Servicing, Tuning, and 
> Rebuilding," by Arthur A. Reblitz.  What I am thinking is rather than go
the 
> correspondence course way, I should read the book thoroughly; buy the
best 
> equipment I can afford -- what specifically, I'm not yet sure of, nor
where 
> to buy it; buy some of the other videotapes and books recommended at the
back 
> if the book and study them; and then hire someone who is already a RPT to 
> teach me one-on-one until I get the hang of it.  I also plan to join the 
> Piano Technician's
> Guild.
> 
> I would go to a school, but there are none in my area (San Jose,
California). 
>  
> 
> So to summarize:
> Is this the truly the best way to learn?
> What equipment do I need to buy?  Where should I get it from?
> Should I reconsider taking a correspondence course?
> Is there anything else I should know about?
> 
> Thanks for letting me pick your collective brains!
> 
> Best wishes,
> Melissa
> hotsteno@cs.com
> 
> 
> Melissa Roen
> CSR No. 12284
> Pulone & Stromberg 
> Certified Shorthand Reporters
> 



--- Carl W. Meyer, Santa Clara, Ca.
--- cmpiano@earthlink.net