COMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER – The November meeting will be held Thursday, November 17 at 8:30 AM at the Piano Warehouse, located at 6214 NW Expressway. Shem Taggart will be talking about pitch raising using electronic devices. Several other technicians who use electronic devices will be joining in the presentation with Shem.
DECEMBER – We will be discussing plans for December at the November meeting. Please think about whether or not you would like to have a Christmas party this year.
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A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
An interesting thing happened to me on a recent two day tuning trek to the southeast part of the state. After tuning Dr. Paul’s piano, he asked me if I would do him a favor. He said that his mother’s piano needed tuning, but she was so tight with her money that she wouldn’t spend the required amount to have it tuned and she wouldn’t allow him to pay for it for her. He said, “Would you mind going to her home and tuning it, but only charging her $40.00? I’ll pay you the difference of your regular tuning fee.” I agreed and he wrote a check to cover the cost of his piano and his mother’s. While on the way to his mother’s house, I was so preoccupied with his kindness and generosity to his mother, that I overlooked an obvious clue. In the 20 years that I had tuned his piano, this was the first time I had heard his mother’s piano mentioned. So, I had no idea what I was getting into or what to expect.
Upon arriving at her home, she showed me her lovely “Made by American Craftsmen” spinet, circa 1970’s. The last time it was tuned was also circa 1970’s. So, after raising the pitch a half step, regulating the lost motion, spacing hammers, and regluing a few loose hammers, I was finally finished. “How much do I owe you?” she said. “Forty dollars” I said, with gritted teeth. “That’s certainly reasonable, do you have a card? In fact, do you have several cards? Our church piano also needs tuning, as well as the pastor’s wife’s, the church secretary’s, my bridge group…” “…great…” I said.
I think it’s been about 30 years or more since many of us were charging $40.00 for tuning, and I would gladly go back to that price if only everything else would roll back as well. We would probably be better off, because, although, most of us are charging twice the price of thirty years ago, just about everything else has tripled, and in my cases quadrupled in price. I’m not complaining, but I believe it’s worth thinking about.
Bob Scheer, RPT
Edmond, OK
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GIVE PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY EXPECT AND DO IT CHEERFULLY.
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TECH TIP – HOW TO KNOCK OFF OLD SHARPS:
I learned this one from someone on the Pianotech List. Didn’t believe it ‘til I tried it, but it works.
Use an anvil, or something similar, as a base. Turn the key upside down and rap the front part of the black sharp against the anvil. The majority pop right off, some take many strokes, and some refuse to cooperate. Start with a gentle rap until you develop a feel for what works and what doesn’t.
Keith McGavern, RPT
Shawnee, OK
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DON’T LET A LITTLE DISPUTE INJURE A GREAT FRIENDSHIP.
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Here’s a good one:
Recently, I went to tune a piano for a lady. She had a Whitney spinet. The salesman who sold it to her told her that it had to be tuned only once every ten years because it had freeze-dried strings. She had owned the piano for ten years and was just now getting her first tuning. You should have heard it! Actually, I don’t think I helped much when I told her that it also had a decaffeinated soundboard.
D. Keith Morgan
Oklahoma City, OK
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THANKSGIVING DAY IS A GREAT IDEA,
BUT IT SHOULDN’T BE JUST A DAY,
IT SHOULD BE AN ATTITUDE.
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OOPS!
It has been brought to my attention that I made a mistake in the graphics of my Southwestern Bell ad. The words Associate Member are smaller in correlation to the words Piano Technicians Guild. This will be changed next year if I still have this ad and was totally unintentional on my part. (You wouldn’t believe what I went through to try and make this right.) In the beginning, I thought the difference was between RPT and Member rather than Member and Associate member. When I called the main office she straightened me out on that and I changed my ad in the nick of time but still didn’t get it right. I greatly value the Guild and plan to make a meaningful contribution to it in the years ahead. Of course, I’ll be making a few blunders along the way, but it will be well worth it! I think this is the coolest occupation in the world aside from being an astronaut or the King of Luxemburg, but I think those positions are all taken, so I intend to treat this profession and this Guild with deserving respect. So, as Ronald Reagan would say “Thanks for listening.”
Blane Morris, Associate Member
Oklahoma City, OK
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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A ‘C’, an ‘E-flat’ and a ‘G’ go into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, but we don’t serve minors.” So, the ‘E-flat’ leaves, and the ‘C’ and the ‘G’ have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished; the ‘G’ is out flat. An ‘F’ comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. A ‘D’ comes into the bar and heads straight for the bathroom saying “Excuse me; I’ll just be a second.” An ‘A’ comes into the bar, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of ‘C’ is not a minor. Then the bartender notices a ‘B-flat’ hiding at the end of the bar and exclaims, “Get out now! You’re the seventh minor I’ve found in this bar tonight.”
The ‘E-flat’, not easily deflated, comes back to the bar the next night in a 3’piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender (who used to have a nice corporate job until his company downsized) says, “You’re looking sharp tonight, come on in! This could be a major development.” This proves to be the case, as the ‘E-flat’ takes off the suit and stands there au natural. Eventually, the ‘C’ sobers up and realizes in horror that he’s under a rest. The ‘C’ is brought to trial, is found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an upscale correctional facility. On appeal, however, the ‘C’ is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all accusations to the contrary are “bassless”.
The bartender decides, however, that since he’s only had tenor so patrons, the soprano out in the bathroom, and everything has become alto much treble, he needs a rest and closes the bar.
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President – Bob Scheer
Vice President – David Bonham
Secretary – Nathan Sobel
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.”