Letter from the Editor
Scott Thile, RPT, Murray State University
I am writing this letter from my new office and shop in our newly renovated "old fine arts" building. It's great to be in here after two years of delays caused by a fire that started from a workman's torch, shortly after the renovation project broke ground. I am told we made the national news for a day or two. I am still working out of boxes, but looking forward to having it all set up exactly as I want. Well, at least close to what I wanted. There were a few changes made, but I still have large windows, a separate machine room, and a separate storage area. It's nice to have a chance to set up shop from scratch.
One feature of my new shop I am learning to contend with is its proximity to the piano majors' practice rooms. I thought it would be really convenient. That was before I had to walk by all those out of tune pianos on my way to the recital halls. Pianos sure go out of tune fast under practice room conditions!
This is a long way around to trying to explain why the newsletter is so late. Sorry.
This issue of the newsletter focuses on the manufacturers' piano loan programs. We have a Yamaha loan program here at MSU which has served us very well. It gives us a chance to use some "high tech" pianos that we might not otherwise have. These programs also have drawbacks, as pointed out by technicians who wrote in to the pianotech listserv.
Have you ever thought about writing an article for the Journal? Try getting your feet wet the CAUT Newsletter first! I need articles on the following subjects which will become the focus of future issues of the Newsletter: "The Use of Unequal Temperaments in the CAUT Setting"; "Designing, Setting up, and Equipping the CAUT Workshop"; "Building Strong Communication With Faculty and Administrators", "Teaching Basic Piano Technology to Non-Technicians". I would be interested in any articles relating specifically to our work in institutions. I am also interested in specialty tool and product reviews that relate to our work as CAUTs.
The best for last. The CAUT Newsletter is now on the web! "The CAUT Page" is located at: http://www.mursuky.edu/caut/homepage.html. We will also be linked to "The Piano Page". We are still developing the CAUT pages and hope to eventually include a listing of CAUTs along with their situations, email addresses, URLs, and contact information. Let me know if you have any ideas that would make "The CAUT Page" helpful to you.
Now, I better get back to those screaming practice room pianos.... Hmmm, where did I put those earplugs.....
Yours in pianos,
Scott Thile scott.thile@murraystate.edu
