Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad

[Farrell]

OUCH! That first tuning must have been a rude awakening! I'm glad you did not quit right there and then.

Fortunately, after a day of spinets, yesterday I had three Yamahas - quite the pleasure!

It still amazes me how poor some pianos can sound - its like each note is from a different piano.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <cswearingen@daigger.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad
> 
> When I first started learning to tune pianos, I was fortunate enough to
> practice on a brand new Yamaha U1.  The first tuning I did for money was a
> Winter spinet and I was shocked.  I kept checking my tuning over and over
> and couldn't figure out why the piano sounded so awful.  It was my first
> lesson in how a piano can be in pitch and in poor tone at the same time.
> 
> It's somewhat ironic that most of the pianos a brand new tuner will see are
> small spinets are aren't that well taken care of.  I find these spinets
> difficult to tune by ear (I use a Verituner) since, in a lot of cases, the
> beats are difficult to hear and the false beats in the high treble just add
> to the confusion (and forget about the low bass).  A nice piano that is
> well taken care of is such a pleasure to tune.
> 
> I think I spend way too much time trying to get these little spinets to
> sound good but I'm never satisfied.  I always leave wishing I could have
> done better. I never feel this way after tuning larger well-mantained
> instruments.
> 
> Corte Swearingen
> Chicago
> 
> 
>                                                                                                            
>                       "Farrell"                                                                            
>                       <mfarrel2@tampaba        To:       "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>                   
>                       y.rr.com>                cc:                                                         
>                       Sent by:                 Subject:  Re: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad             
>                       pianotech-bounces                                                                    
>                       @ptg.org                                                                             
>                                                                                                            
>                                                                                                            
>                       09/05/2003 04:50                                                                     
>                       AM                                                                                   
>                       Please respond to                                                                    
>                       Pianotech                                                                            
>                                                                                                            
>                                                                                                            
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No, I have not run across a good Winter spinet - but if I owned a Humvee or
> a semi tractor, I would keep my eye open for one! I imagine the sound might
> rival that of one landing in a Wally-World parking lot after being launched
> from a trebuchet!
> 
> The "bad" is a noun here, and the "Winter" is the adjective.
> 
> I've seemingly had some luck as of late with a method of communicating that
> their little old spinet may make for a poorly performing piano. I use this
> when there are children taking lessons and practicing on the spinet. I tell
> mom/dad that when the child gets to a second or third year level that the
> teacher is usually instructing them on how to control the piano action for
> soft and loud play. Most spinets (and consoles) will put limitations on
> their progress. At some point the child will come home from a lesson and
> say that "I can play it on the teacher's piano, but I can't do it on our
> piano." That seems to sometimes get the point across.
> 
> Terry Farrell
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alan" <tune4u@earthlink.net>
> To: "'Pianotech'" <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2003 9:42 PM
> Subject: RE: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad
> 
> 
> > Terry said: "a bad Winter spinet"
> >
> > I say: There's a good Winter spinet?
> >
> > Terry said: "...three of these were in gated VERY affluent communities.
> > BIG $$ homes  ..."
> >
> > I say: I'd like to have the courage to flat-out tell people like that
> > that their piano is Crap on Casters.
> >
> > Wonder why we are so timid about such a thing. Now if they've already
> > said it's an heirloom or it's obviously all they can afford, then fine,
> > okay, that's one thing, But it sure seems like SOMEONE should clue in
> > these other folks before little Suzie gives up OR, worse, they start
> > playing Dialing-for-Tuners with the assumption that my work is bad--and
> > tell their friends that my work is bad, or at least don't give me
> > referrals!
> >
> > Rant, rant, pant, pant ...
> >
> > Alan R. Barnard
> > Salem, MO
> >
> >
> > ---
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> >
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