Les, this is an Introduction to Talking With Pianists (and Why)! Thanks so much. I hadn't thought about it from the perspective of the non-player technician, but after reading the kinds of questions you ask, I suspect you notice things I wouldn't, because you've had some great teachers (not to mention your own talent, skill, and expertise <g>). As an example: Doug Neal recently told me about Mischa Dichter's requirement that dampers work at NINE different levels of engagement (and forgive me if I'm paraphrasing that badly). Doug undoubtedly knows a whole universe about dampers that I can't even imagine, even though he doesn't play. Unless I happened to talk to just the right player (or technician), I would never know that such thing was possible. So, thanks, Les (and Doug), for educating me! Sometimes, I find that my playing experience gets in the way of helping customers because I can't duplicate the ways their hands (brain/arms/feet) work. So, many of the pianos I work on just tend to perform better for me than for their owners. That's where John's info card would be particularly useful for me. Annie Grieshop > -----Original Message----- > From: Leslie Bartlett [mailto:l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net] > Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 4:10 PM > To: annie at allthingspiano.com; 'Pianotech List' > Subject: RE: techicians or tooners > > > I am certainly limited in my keyboard skills. I have a couple "pay me" > things I play when I'm finished. But I talk a great deal with people who > play, ask them to describe how their action feels to them, tell > them I need > to learn to speak a foreign language (as in "the bass is wonkie"). But > after a few thousand tunings on pianos of every ilk, there does come some > understanding of what is going on, and my final judge is the customer. I > will often ask if such-and-such concerns the owner. If it does, we explore > the issues involved, and what can be done. If it does not, then I say, "if > it doesn't bother you there's nothing to mess with. If it does become of > interest or concern, then we can talk some more about it." I use the > expertise of excellent pianists in their craft by spending a lot of time > questioning how they define different aspects of touch, > responsiveness, how > they feel about their ability to draw music out of the piano. I > am quick to > say they have expertise I don't and I am using them to become > more sensitive > to their needs. I have done action work for a few major players, and have > always gotten highly favorable responses. I attribute that to never > assuming anything until I have asked a question several different > ways, then > mirroring back what I think I have heard, then making very conservative > changes on a few keys, and asking the pianist to play and respond as to > whether changes positively reflect my interpretation of their > descriptions. > Thus I can use their knowledge to help me help them. > les bartlett > > -----Original Message----- > From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org > [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf > Of Annie Grieshop > Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 12:50 PM > To: Pianotech > Subject: techicians or tooners > > When I received Michael Spreeman's email, I was just about to sit down and > write an addendum to my previous posting because I never meant to > imply that > non-playing technicians are inferior (and I was pretty sure somebody was > going to take it that way). Obviously, I should've been more clear the > first time around. <g> > > My question referred to the recognition of non-tuning issues by those who > don't play the piano. I know wonderful technicians who have a > very limited > repertoire on the piano, so I certainly know it's possible. Observant, > careful, and conscientious craftspeople can diagnose and correct problems > without being pianists (sort of like male gynecologists <g>). > > And what I meant was that the difference between a piano technician and a > piano tooner is exactly that ability to reach beyond personal > experience and > do extra-ordinatry work. > > I do wonder what it's like to work on an instrument you don't play. I > wonder how that changes the relationship. Guess I should try > repairing some > band instruments, as the whole blow-air-to-play-tunes thing > (without reeds) > just bamboozles me. > > Annie Grieshop > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.6/828 - Release Date: 06/01/2007 > 11:22 AM > > >
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