President's Message

[Ric Brekne]

Kent Swafford writes:

 I won't alter a tuning to its detriment  
to please a customer; customers should be willing to play my tuning  
and give it a chance. Maybe they will like it after a full tryout.  
The point is if I immediately return to a piano as the result of a  
callback, when I get there we may still disagree about whether the  
tuning is good. An optimist would say I might turn the situation  
around by showing good faith and willingness to serve by returning. A  
cynic might say, the customer will end up trying somebody different  
anyway, so an immediate return is pointless.

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I gotta admit... this snip is even more disturbing then the first post. 

First let me say that a customer has a perfect write to their 
preferences. If one is dealing with someone who has some real sense of 
what they want... tuning wise or soundboard wise or whatever wise... 
then its our job to attempt to provide that for them.  If we as a tech 
do not wish to provide that service for any particular instance then 
fine... fair enough... leave it and go.  An instance of this is 
historical temperaments... but it just a well applies to a stretch 
preference, or even something as specific as a single note.  Our only 
task in such instance is to deem whether or not the customer is serious 
minded or not.

I have an older lady that for whatever reasons likes the highest section 
of the treble tuned very high.  Its quite strange really, starts at E7.  
All of a sudden her <<tuning curve>> steepens radically.. way off the 
chart.  But thats what she likes.... thats what gives her satisfaction.  
(ETD's are great for finding out this kind of thing).  Clear cut... 
<<detrimental>> (according to my tastes) or not... who the heck am I to 
impose upon this lady my definition of what sounds right ?

no no no no no....  People have a right to like what they like, be it 
historical temperments, low basses, high trebles, old flatened and 
thined out soundboards, this make or that.  We have no rights whatsoever 
in defining to the world about us what others should or should not 
appreciate.  If a customer is sincere in there desires.. then we should 
be sincere in our willingness to help provide those.

JMT
RicB