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[Erwinspiano@aol.com]

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Dave 
   Right on as well. My Dad always taught his  students to tune VERY well & 
to not ignore the regulation and voicing  issues and to make a seperate 
appointment to care for the other  technical work. It's a great way to really tweak a 
piano & a client &  increase your income and satisfaction quotient So many 
clients including  professionals don't have a clue what can come out of their 
pianos with the right  custom detailed finessing when REAL conscientious & 
skilled technician gets  hold of the piano.
  I live in an area which has several tuners. Some very  nice folks & many my 
friends but who for whatever reason have  chosen to be tuners & not much 
technical skills. I realize ,acknowledge  & respect that every tech is on a 
evolutionary learning curve but some have  decided not to climb it any further for 
there own reasons  The level at  which we choose to function is a  choice we 
all have the right to make but  it leaves folks looking for high level service 
techs in short supply. in many  places. I feel that it also consigns the 
perception of piano tuner to the  general Public as a part time hobbyist  or some 
one who couldn't get a REAL  job in life.    
   Any way in my area  whenever there is a  technical aspect to an in home 
service or rebuilding need I'm the only guy in a  35 miles radious that gets the 
call. Frankly It's frustrating!!!!!!! I'm not  counting Bob Davis who lives 
North of me 40 miles.
  It's silly though, Imagine owning a fine automobile  & the guy at the gas 
station is responsible for putting gas in the tank.  Lets assumme he's also the 
service guy who works on the car & he  only wants to change oil, cuz it's a 
quick buck,  in out, no worry's.
    I'm guessing that  beautiful Mercedes,  Toyota, Porsche wont' be 
performing at a very high level for long. All the  folks who spent the money for an 
expensive car will either come except poor  performance or wonder why they spent 
the money in the first place . Ridiculous  isn't it?
    To me our profession can be no  different. Imagine how much more our 
industry would benefit from those  clients who are allowed to discover a quality 
of music coming out of their  pianos( by our efforts) they never thought 
possible. For me & them it's  been a thrilling journey.  In the end   lots of folks 
have  more experiences with real piano fortes in stead of  the clangers &  
bangers we call pianos. What a joke
  It is about education at our level. All my best clients  I cultivated over 
the years, trained them, showed them, demonstrated to them  & they told 
others. I've built my business around it & it does pay off.  It's satisfying in huge 
ways & I didn't have to tune 5 pianos a day for  bragging rights either. I 
also didnt' leave a swath of unserviced pianos in my  path either.
  If your the guy who can fix the difficult problems you  will get the calls 
others don't & it's generally the high end.
  David Andersen-- Dave Stahl. No rant just the  truth.
  It's time for the K. A. Pr. guy
   Dale Erwin

David,
 
Well thought out post.  FWIW, didn't seem like a rant to me.   You just 
brought up some important points regarding our profession, and asked  for 
professionalism therein.  
 
Most of the people on this list are looking to gain more knowledge and  
skill, or to share what they know with those less-informed--or else we  wouldn't be 
here.  What I really resent is "technician-tooners" who have  no interest in 
learning anything or sharing their piano wisdom with the world  at large.  As 
David says, they tune it, take the check, hit the  road.  Sort of like 
gardners doing the mow-blow-go routine.
 
Has the PTG as an organization been good to me?  Yes, I'd have to  say so.  
My experience has been with individuals who care about what they  do, not with 
the politics surrounding the organization.  I've learned a  helluva lot in my 
3 years of membership.
 
I don't know what happened between John Hartman and the PTG, but whatever  it 
was, we all lost in the deal.  I guess it's up to all of us to make it  a 
better organization:  one that doesn't just accept the status quo, but  instead, 
looks for ways to improve both on the technical AND business end of  it.
 
A kickass PR guy...interesting idea.  People need someone to tell  them that 
they need their pianos serviced besides the people who are  going to make 
money off of it.  A TV ad during the Super  Bowl....:-}
 
Respectfully,
 
Dave Stahl



 

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