COMING EVENTS:
MAY – The May meeting will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2005 at 8:30 AM at the shop of Bob Scheer. Bob’s shop is located at 4305 Sycamore Lane in Edmond, Oklahoma. Bob will be presenting a technical on “Vertical Hammer Filing and Voicing”. Bob has graciously consented to give up a little of his technical time to allow Greg Lynch to bring a guest speaker. Steve Fujan is an engineer by trade. He observed a piano technician tuning a piano and has decided there is an easier way to do the job. The result is a newly designed tuning lever. OKC chapter members will have an opportunity to try out the new tuning wrenches and give Steve feedback prior to their debut at the national PTG convention in Kansas City next month. Greg has worked with these tuning levers and enjoyed them very much.
JUNE – There will be no chapter meeting during June due to the convention in Kansas City.
JULY – The July meeting will be held on Thursday, July 21, 2005 at 8:30 AM. Location and technical will be announced later.
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I’ve learned…
That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
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A note from Don Bonds…
I sure wanted to attend the meeting at Norman’s but more pressing issues have been on my table the past three months. It started with finding tumors in my bladder, and then my wife and grandchildren were hit from behind, totaling the van and sending Kathy to physical therapy for the past 60 days. I hope all will forgive my missing so many meetings as of late. I had an appointment with the urologist on the day of the last meeting. All cancer tests came back negative. After a June visit, I should be able to go a year before they need to scope me for more tumors. I had no symptoms so it was by the grace of God they found the tumors before they became malignant. I count my blessings each day. If the good Lord is willing, I plan to see you in May.
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I had the opportunity to tune for a five (5) piano program at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, and to repair a Baldwin Grand that had tipped over on its topside during a move. For anyone interested, pictures and program notes on these two events can be found at:
http://www.kamcam.com/kam/pianostuff/uoafs/index.html
Keith McGavern, RPT
Shawnee, OK
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Election of officers will be held at the May meeting. The nominations for office are as follows: President – Bob Scheer, Vice President – David Bonham, Secretary – Nathan Sobel, Treasurer – Gary Bruce, Newsletter Editor – Barbara Bonham. The nominating committee is David Bonham, Nathan Sobel and Dave Scroggins. If you have any additions, suggestions, or if you are interested in being an officer, please contact a member of the nominating committee.
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TECH TIP:
Do you ever get annoyed by the “creaking” sound of a high polished polyester finished piano bench? Try This: Loosen the bench legs and insert a strip of electrical tape between the bench rail and the leg. The tape is the perfect width and it will eliminate the creaking sound. See you at the next meeting.
Bob Scheer, RPT
Edmond, OK
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It has been requested that cell phones be either silenced or turned off during the monthly meetings. Phones can be disruptive during the meetings. Thank you for being considerate of others.
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I’ve learned…
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
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“Why do you want to tune pianos?” asked the old man. “Because I have good hands and I like music”, the apprentice answered. His teacher laughed, “Is that it?” “What more”? Replied the boy. “More?” And the man raised a glass and smiled. “Don’t you know” he asked, “that in every piano there lies a song, hidden?” The boy shook his head. Just the mumblings of an old man perhaps. “But you see, the movement of a pianist’s fingers are purely mechanical, an ordinary collection of muscles and tendons that know only a few simple rules of rate and rhythm. We must tune pianos”, he said, “so that something as mundane as muscles and tendons and keys and wire and wood can become song.”
Excerpt from The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
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A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
June 15 and the Kansas City PTG Convention are right around the corner. If you plan to go, and haven’t sent your registration yet, you haven’t much time. The “early bird” member price is $349, auxiliary $99, but it ends May 16. After May 17, the price goes up to $415 for members and $150 auxiliary. This will be a close convention and a great opportunity to see the home office and the work being done. I hope that as many Oklahoma Chapter members as possible can attend.
Bob Scheer, RPT
Edmond, OK
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Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, CA, some folks, new to boating were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their brand new 22-foot boat, going. It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver; no matter how much power they applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted into a nearby marina, thinking someone there may be able to tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out-drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!!!
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I’ve learned…
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
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HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY
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Some of the artists of the 1960s are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers.
The Bee Gees – How Can You Mend a Broken Hip?
Bobby Darin – Splish, Splash, I Was Havin’ a Flash
Ringo Starr – I Get By With a Little Help From Depends
Herman’s Hermits – Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Walker
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President – Bob Scheer
Vice President – Ben Davis
Secretary – Keith McGavern
Treasurer – Gary Bruce
Newsletter Editor – Barbara Bonham
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“All expression of opinion and all statements of supposed fact are published on the authority of the author as listed and are not to be regarded as expressing the view of this chapter or the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc. unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the chapter or the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc.”
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