Conrad: I agree with what you have said. I too work in a college environment and an hour is generally the most time you can get in many rooms. I also kind of resent the "I'm slow and through, and anyone faster than me is a hack" sentiment I see here. dave *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** On 1/25/2003 at 9:34 AM Conrad Hoffsommer wrote: >Folks, > >I tried to respond to this last night from home, but there must be a >slight >difference in settings and pianotech wouldn't recognise me as a >subscriber. >I'm trying from school now. > >>You are not allowed to post to this mailing list, and your message has >>been automatically rejected. > >(made me feel a bit like Rodney Dangerfield) > >Please excuse the slow response to the thread which I stirred up. I've >tried to include some of the postings with comments interspersed. > > >>I'm a fairly new tuner but I just can't understand how anyone can go over >a >>piano twice in just an hour. That seems extremely fast. >>You people are speed demons! >> >>Corte Swearingen > > >I remember when it felt good to do a tuning in under six hours - my first >was about 8. That was also almost 30 years ago. >It was as true then as it is now - you can't make a living only doing one >tuning a day. Since I am NOT independently wealthy, I recognised very >quickly, that, if I wanted to continue eating, I would have to get faster. > >How can I do that 20 minute pitch raise, you ask? Easy! I don't obsess >about it. It's a rough, get-it-in-the-ballpark-quickly pitch/tension >adjustment. When I'm using the RCT for pitch raises I don't go for a blush >on every note. If it is slowly rotating, SO WHAT! I'll be going over it >again very soon. Bang them in close and move on. Bring in the unisons >close, NOT dead-cold, >holds-up-to-Dichter/Ax/Ashkenazy-doing-Scriabin/Rachmaninov/Liszt stable. >Just _close_. > >Second pass I get A-R. If the string will allow, I get it to blush on >every >note and stable with the unisons. I don't have to move them very far. When >you don't have to move them very far it doesn't take very long to get >there. Double check aurally before prounouncing it done. > >As I said, I'm a college tech. If I can't get in and out in an hour, I've >got students and faculty tripping over me coming and going. > >Work on your technique. > >Are quality and speed mutually exclusive? I don't think so. > >Re: speed: >>Practice, practice, practice. >David Love > > >My observation: >In the early years I found that I would get faster, then I would hear >things better, then get faster, then better. When I was getting better, >it >seemed as though I was slowing down to deal with that. Back and forth, >back and forth, eventually getting both faster _and_ better. > > >Robin said it well... > >I have many repeat customers >and teacher referrals as well as some pretty particular artists.If I >was doing a half assed tuning in less than an hour I think I would >hear about it. Robin Olson RPT > >Keith queried: >... I've tuned over 25,000 pianois in my life ... David Andersen >Got to ask, David. >Is that 25,000 pianos, or or do you mean you done over 25,000 tunings on a >few thousand pianos? >Keith McGavern > > >I'm not Dave, but my response would be: > >OK, OK. I'm a college tech and I HAVE tuned all of these pianos MANY >times. There are times which due to the cyclical school year, I'm wonder >if I have 22 years experience as a college tech, or one year's experience >22 times, but I have an active moonlighting business to "keep me honest", >and I avail myself of PTG resources - this list is just one of them. > > >I do go along with Ron and like his terminology for the extra charge: > >It's that 3rd and 4th pass that makes the difference! That's the only time >I'll charge extra, and then I'll note on the bill: additional time needed >to stabilize tuning >That way it's not a punishment, just additional cost for additional time >spent on their instrument. >Otherwise, as you say, just the normal two-pass and done. (1 hour) >Ron Koval > > >Why charge extra for it at all? Since you're already doing two passes >John Musselwhite, RPT >I don't. > > >I disagree with Joe, however, who said: >Hmm? What I have been reading, regarding this thread really disturbs me. >Some techs. seem to be content to work Fast/Cheap. Now, I know that each >area of this great country has different economic bases, but doing work for >cheap doesn't make it, IMO. Basically, we are paid for the TIME we spend. >If >we have honed our skills to the degree of what many boast about, tuning in >less than 1 1/2 hours, (actually most of the boasters say less than an >hour!), then that seems to be the excuse that they will only charge for the >time they are actually tuning the piano. <snip> >Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon) > > >The first part (re:fast/cheap) has been covered above, but I must also >disagree with: > >>Basically, we are paid for the TIME we spend. > > >Harumph!! This is only true if you initially talk hourly rate (vs: >per/tuning rate) to the customer, and then actually document and bill for >hours worked. To me, hourly charges would include stuff like shop work or >extensive in-home repairs/regulation. > >I could be wrong, but I think that most tuners are doing what is called >"piece work". We get paid per unit of work (i.e. per/tuning). > >Capitalism at work here, folks. If I can produce 4 units of quality work >per day, I will have the potential to make more money than someone who can >(or will) only produce 2. > >My 6¢, >Conrad > > >Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician >Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045 >Vox-(563)-387-1204 // Fax (563)-387-1076(Dept.office) > >- People never grow up, they just learn how to act in public. -Bryan White > > >_______________________________________________ >pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives _____________________________ David M. Porritt dporritt@mail.smu.edu Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 _____________________________
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