back from K.C., too

[JOHN ROSS]

I hope you filled out your evaluation forms. That is how improvements to the 
classes are made.
If people don't tell the truth, because they want to be a nice guy, then 
obviously changes won't be made.
Did you make any suggestions for Anaheim, as there were blank forms, 
available?
The feedback determines if a class will be repeated, and if it lived up to 
it's name.

John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
jrpiano at win.eastlink.ca
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Spalding" <mike.spalding1 at verizon.net>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: back from K.C., too


> Tom,
>
> Sorry to hear your experience was not up to expectations.  Yes, it can be 
> a crap shoot.  When you find yourself in an inappropriate class, I guess 
> you've got to decide whether to a) get up and leave and look for something 
> better, or b)stay and learn how the other half lives, even if you don't 
> ever expect to live that way yourself.  There are things you can do to 
> improve your odds.  Ask about the instructors, find out their background 
> and what kind of business they have.  Knowing that David Snyder is a 2nd 
> generation rebuilder / shop rat would tell you his veneer repair class 
> might not be about in-home finish touch-up.  After the first day or so, 
> find someone who has taken the class you're considering and find out what 
> they thought of it.  Or search out the instructor yourself and ask what 
> the emphasis is going to be.  There are some instructors whose classes I 
> will always attend, regardless of topic, because they are such good 
> instructors.    One last thought:  Did you attend David Andersen's class? 
> If it had focused narrowly on the published topic "whole tone open string 
> tuning" it would have been a disappointment.  Mr. Andersen is all about 
> gratitude for life, love of friends and family, and a quest for 
> excellence, and his class was truly inspiring (even for machine tuners). 
> Thank you David, and thank you to ALL the instructors who give so much of 
> themselves to this enterprise.
>
> just my 2c
>
> Mike
>
> Tom Sivak wrote:
>> List
>>  Everyone seemed to have a great time at the convention but me!  I know 
>> that choosing your classes can be a crapshoot, but it was more crap than 
>> shoot for me. Seems like many of the classes I attended were 
>> inappropriately titled or labeled in degree of difficulty. (All the 
>> classes are labeled either E for Everyone, B for Basic, I for 
>> Intermediate, A for Advanced, etc.)
>>  For instance, a class called "MOVE IT" detailed piano moving techniques. 
>> OK.  I'd like to learn more about moving a piano.   Course decription as 
>> follows:
>>     "Discover basic tools and skills that will allow you to move pianos 
>> easily in your shop or from place to place."
>>   Great!  I'd love to be able to move a piano more easily in my shop, OR 
>> from place to place!  And, the course is labled (B) for basic, so that's 
>> me!  SIgn me up!
>>  Well, maybe the class should have been entitled, "WATCH US MOVE IT", 
>> because it was about this guy's moving company, his 2 and a half ton 
>> pickup, his trailer and equipment, and his henchmen who actually do the 
>> moving.  I've seen professionals move pianos.  I have paid them many 
>> times to do so.  Now, I got to sit for 45 minutes and watch slides of 
>> them doing it.
>> To be fair, there was one tip on lifting a vertical piano with a car jack 
>> that is evidently very hard to find, since some of my classmates had 
>> already tried locating one.
>>  Then there was tthe class entitled, "BRIDGE AND SOUNDBOARD REPAIR WITH 
>> EPOXY".  OK.  I've used epoxy to repair bridges, but not a soundboard. 
>> I'd like to learn about this!
>>  Well, after an hour of bridge repair discussion, someone asked, "Are we 
>> going to talk about soundboards, too?"  The reply, "Well, they renamed 
>> the class on me.  It's really about bridges."  Then he spent about 90 
>> seconds talking about epoxying soundboards, then back to bridges.
>>  Or "Veneer Repair" that was all about a vaccuum pump that the instructor 
>> made all by himself.  He showed us where we could order the parts for the 
>> vaccuum pump and how we could build a vaccuum pump ourselves, and how to 
>> use the vaccuum pump.  And for a professional cabinet refinsher, I could 
>> see that this vacuum pump would come in handy.   We watched his process 
>> on restoring a century old S&S 'D' with an art case.  (He used the 
>> vaccuum pump ALOT!)  But in terms of learning anything that I personally 
>> could use, in a client's home, for instance, very little was offered. I 
>> did have some good classes, too.  But, I shouldn't even say it that way. 
>> The above classes were undoubtedly "good classes", but just not for me. 
>> If I had never epoxied a bridge before, I would have learned from a 
>> master how he does it.  And I will change the way I do it, based on his 
>> discussion of the topic. And I picked up a couple of real bargains at the 
>> exhibit hall.  (A digital micrometer for $42!  No more squinting!)
>>
>> It just seemed like the majority of the classes I took were disappointing 
>> to me.  Again, I fully expected to sit through some classes that didn't 
>> give me what I wanted, but this is the first time that I wasted entire 
>> days sitting in classes that offered me nothing.
>>  Sorry for the brutal honesty, but discussion is what this list is all 
>> about.  Without an opposing viewpoint, what is there to discuss?
>>
>> Tom Sivak
>> Chicago
>>
>> */J Patrick Draine <jpdraine at gmail.com>/* wrote:
>>
>>     Hello list,
>>     Saturday before last (June 16) I left home (Billerica, MA) for the
>>     "Piano Technicans Guild Promoting Piano Service Excellence 50th
>>     Anniversary 1957 - 2007" (that's what it says on my champagne flute)
>>     aka the 2007 Annual PTG Council and Institute, and after skipping
>>     today's Sunday morning classes in order to catch a 7:55 AM flight, I
>>     am home again.
>>     It was a most excellent event!
>>     Aside from the political activities (appropriate for that other list,
>>     ptg-l), there were many opportunities to learn (and relearn) myriad
>>     aspects of our craft(s), renew and make new friendships and industry
>>     contacts, tempt onself with (and succumb to a few) tool purchases,
>>     expensive meals and drinks (and some moderately priced, and some
>>     comped at manufacturers' receptions), etc.
>>     Thanks to one & all -- to mention a few in random order, the tuning
>>     examiners supertuning and administering exams just below my room, the
>>     PTG Home Office staff, the Institute Team (Malinda Powell, Mel 
>> Brooks,
>>     Ward Guthrie, Jeff Hickey et al.), the moving team, and the many
>>     excellent instructors (hats off to Roger J., Jon P., Dave A., Mike 
>> K.,
>>     Debra Cyr, Wally Brooks, for starters but I got up too early, fading
>>     fast, so I'll leave it to others to express their own reflections!)
>>     And of course, great to see many of the pianotech gang (John F., John
>>     R., Cy S., Ron N., and the rest of ya).
>>     Many thanks to all,
>>     Patrick Draine
>>
>>
>