All your comments are interesting, folks. Scott, I think your remarks re. the situation in Australia as to how people get training, are probably how things are going to work out in the UK for the forseable future. Mind you, in Australia, you do have Wayne Stuart actually manufacturing new pianos. In the UK now there is no-one. I think it quite possible that the Newark-On-Trent course may close. If numbers are borderline this year and no better next year, college management will have no compunction about terminating the course. And realistically, are there going to be many applicants? The only employment option will be self-employment, and is that all that attractive to a young person? To a few, maybe. The PTG is wonderful. And I do think the PTA in Britain need a bit of a change of mindset. But to be fair, the PTA can never be like the PTG because the conditions in which they operate are rather different. Judging from comments on the list, people are willing to spend more on their pianos in the USA than in the UK, and there are more pianos. I attended a training event last Friday at Steinway in London, presented by Eric Shandall, and it was WONDERFUL. I enjoyed it so very much. Mr Shandall is a superb educator. There were about 20 present. Only 2 from Scotland; me and Andrew Jamieson, who chairs the PTA's Education Committee. Why weren't more tuner/technicians willing to attend this super event for their Continuing Professional Development? Regarding Kemble pianos, I was not bemoaning their passing, as an instrument (and I knew of course they they were Yamahas of sorts). What I was remarking on was just the demise of the very last of the industry in Britain. And, considering the quality of the instruments at the end, out with a whimper, not a bang. I agree about pianos of 100 years ago compared to what UK pianos had become. One of my customers, who lives just past the end of my street, grew up playing a modern small upright, then inherited a large 100 year old upright from his granny. We brought it back to A400 and did bits and bobs of other work, and he just loves it, big sound, lots of power, responsive. The little modern piano sits unused on the adjacent wall.
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