registered piano technician

[Karl kaputt]

I would like to know how to learn the profession of piano technician. I am 
interessted in the way this procedure differs in different countries. As far 
as I understood, in the USA you attend courses and pay for that. Then you do 
some ptg exams and may call yourself rpt. I see there is a Norwegian 
collegue in this list and in the archives i saw postings of a Dutch 
collegue. Are there technicians from other countries in this list?  Please, 
could you explain how to become a tech in your country?

I don´t know if this is the "general European" way, but this is the way in 
German speaking countries (Switzerland, Austria and Germany):

You ask a company to train you in a apprenticeship. This may be a producer 
like Bechstein, Schimmel and so on or a local piano shop with a workshop 
which rebuilds pianos. The training is 3.5 years and ends with an exam. This 
exam is a kind of "governmental" which means that it´s under state 
supervision. You work for the company, so it´s training on the job 
(fulltime). Twice a year you go to school for 6 weeks each where you learn 
all that theory. There is only one school for that in Germany. Because you 
work for the company they will pay you for work. Usually you get between 20 
and 30 % of the normal tech wage. If you pass the exam you are entitled to 
call yourself pianomaker. So, it´s a protected name, but piano technician or 
tuner is not. 3 to 5 years after exam you are entitled to attend the master 
school for one year. This is a scholar fulltime education where you learn 
more technical stuff, but also mercantile and pedagogic stuff for training 
apprentices. After that you are pianomaker master degree. Only then you are 
entitled to train apprentices.

There was a legal change last year. Now everybody may repair and rebuild 
pianos. Befor that you needed the master degree! Even a certificate of 
apprenticeship was not enough! This perhaps makes clear why I call the exam 
"governmental", which has nothing to with a "private" guild. It used to be 
just forbidden by law (!) to repair pianos without master degree.

That´s the German way, which we call "dual sytem" because you learn at a 
company AND attend school. This is the way for all handcrafts. The legal 
change last year affects only a few professions (like pianomaker). Still 
today it´s forbidden for example to repair cars  or to bake bread without 
master. That´s a relict of the medieval guilds. In America you do your job 
good or bad, but you may do it. If you do it bad you won´t have customers 
sooner or later. At last we got free market economy too, at least with some 
few professions like pianomaker.

Is it the way in other european countries too? Are there Asian or 
Southamerican technicians on this list who please could tell me the 
procedure in their countries?

Gregor




>From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>
>Reply-To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
>To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
>Subject: Re: registered piano technician
>Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2006 06:19:35 -0500
>
>Hello Jim,
>
>You would need to join the Piano Technician Guild - www.ptg.org - and 
>prepare for and take a series of exams to attain RPT status.
>
>I am an established piano technician & rebuilder in the Tampa area.
>
>www.farrellpiano.com
>terry at farrellpiano.com
>(813) 684-3505
>
>Feel free to call or email me directly. I am located in Brandon, FL, which, 
>as you likely know, is a SE suburb of Tampa.
>
>Terry Farrell
>Farrell Piano
>
>----- Original Message -----
>>I live in the Tampa Fl area.  Before I moved here in 1999, I was living in 
>>Va and was a piano technician for about 30 years.  After I came here, I 
>>did not do much with pianos.  How do I become a Registered Piano 
>>Technician??
>>Jim Johnson
>>
>
>

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