Bless me, brother, for I have sinned. I, too, am a Lookerson. Ask any telephone or appliance repairman, carpenter, electrician, roofer, chef, or any other skilled tradesperson. It fascinates me what people know and can do. So I watch, I talk, I ask questions. It's all just curiosity and a desire to learn (and maybe I don't have to call them the next time <g>). Welders and Roto-Rooter men are on their own, I DON'T watch THEM. Alan Barnard Salem, MO ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "Steve Brooks" <smbrooks at sprynet.com> To: pianotech at ptg.org Received: 2/11/2008 11:42:48 PM Subject: Confessions of a "Lookerson" >I've been following the "Lookerson" thread with great interest because >I'm ... one of them. >As a youngster, I never missed a minute of the tuner's visit. I never >said anything, but yes, I watched intently. My mother usually provided >cookies and lemonade. After I left home, playing weekend gigs helped pay >the way through college. My major was economics, not music, but I >infiltrated the music school's practice rooms to work on my book. Later >I switched focus to the guitar but as time went by I felt I needed a >keyboard to help learn music theory. Because I moved frequently as a >young man I needed something portable and contented myself with a Fender >Rhodes (I talked a tuner friend into tuning it once during its 10 year >history) and later with a Roland weighted midi-controller and a >succession of synths; all selected for their approximate fidelity to a >true piano sound. >When my career matured and I could afford it, I bought a 6' Kawai >Pramberger grand. I was never satisfied with it and went through a >succession of tuners trying to get the sound I wanted out of it. One of >those tuners is a distinguished contributor to this list. I would take >time out from my professional work to sit quietly and read near the >piano while it was being tuned. You see, I never caught on to the fact >that y'all were listening to beats. It seemed like magic to me. Johnny >Smith taught me to tune a guitar using harmonics but I never transferred >that insight to piano tuning. I would listen very intently to each tuner >trying to understand what made each one's tuning slightly different. In >deference to a working professional, I didn't want to interrupt his work >by asking questions. I wonder what they thought. Perhaps - "This guy >doesn't have any life at all if he can sit there wasting time listening >to me tune!" I've since significantly upgraded my piano because the >sound I wanted just wasn't in it. It was a brave and honest tuner who >broke the news to me. >My curiosity began to overwhelm me to the point that I got serious about >learning the craft well enough to tune my own instrument, (boy, that >took longer than I expected). The more I learn, the more the craft >intrigues me - I read these postings every day. The astounding >generosity of certain members of PTG has provided me with steadily >improving skill and a richly rewarding pastime. Of course, now the >"magic" is gone but my respect for talented tuners has increased even >more. I still haven't created a tuning that, as Ron Koval says "is right >in the pocket." But one of these days ... >Steve Lookerson >-- >"The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with >illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always >their victim." Gustave Le Bon from his 1896 book "The Crowd" >-- >Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.2/1224 - Release Date: 1/14/2008 5:39 >PM
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