Do you play piano?

[Elwood Doss]

I do not claim to play the piano.  I have some scales and a couple of
little ditties I play but I really am not a pianist by any stretch of
one's imagination.

I wanted to learn to tune pianos when I was in college.  When I
graduated I began teaching school and contacted the Aubrey Willis School
of Piano Tuning, and to get a head-start, purchased William Braid
White's book, "Piano Tuning and Allied Arts."  This was in '70.  I was
advised by Willis that I could not enroll in the course until I found a
piano technician who would tutor me.  The only one in the area lived
well over an hour away and was in his mid-70s so he said he didn't have
time.  I gave up piano tuning and worked on my Masters Degree.  After I
earned my Masters, I ended up going into Church Music and forgot about
ever being able to learn.  I changed churches after 10 years to a
college town and the Music Department taught a piano tuning course.  I
took the course after being in town around 7 years and began tuning
part-time.  After 12 years I decided to begin tuning full-time and do
part-time church music.  In all those years it never occurred to me that
I needed to be "proficient" in playing the piano.  I played scales and
vocalizes and that got me by, although my choirs generally cringed when
I approached the piano.  My Piano Technology teacher, who was an
excellent technician and Music Department Chair, did not play so I
thought nothing of it.

I have developed my pianistic skills a little bit in my piano tuning but
I find that I can find a problem with the action provided the customer
tells me about it.  I usually ask them to play and find out if they feel
comfortable with what I have done.  I've found that action problems that
I detect may not be a problem for the customer and if it doesn't bother
them I generally let it go.  If it's a problem that could potentially
help mechanics of the piano I'll share it with them and find out if they
want me to try it.  It's all in pleasing the customer.  Us non-pianists
can sense mechanical problems better than most piano playing technicians
realize...and if the pianist complains about a problem we can find it
and correct it.  Is not being able to play well a handicap?  I don't
think it is for me.  As far as I know, I've had no dissatisfied
customers.

Joy!
Elwood

Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT
Piano Technician/Technical Director
Department of Music
145 Fine Arts Building
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, TN  38238
731/881-1852
FAX: 731/881-7415
HOME: 731/587-5700

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Strube [mailto:cstrube at telus.net] 
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 10:05 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Do you play piano?

Guten Tag, Gregor,

I am a new technician, 57 years old, proceeding with the Randy Potter 
correspondence course.  I don't play the piano.  I took up piano work in
my 
retirement from Air Traffic Control.  In the past, however, I've played 
cello with the Hamilton Symphony, and I've played guitar professionally
for 
9 years.  Being good with tools, and having an affinity for music, led
me to 
my retirement avocation.  I'm having a great time, but business is slow
to 
build.

Chris Strube, Associate
Pure Note Piano Tuning & Repair