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coming tramps. There are still tramp
tuners today. But, what did the dealer
do about it. The manufacturers cer-
tainly did. Some tuners also did whe-
ther you know it or not and it was not
the dealer that has put the tuner in
the position he is now in, nothing but
his own initiative and hustle. He has
to straighten out the wrong impression
the dealer has handed out to the cus-
tomer on piano service.
"The line of bunk the salesman and
dealer hands out to the customer about
the care of the piano is certainly ri-
diculous such as, 'if you buy this in-
strument it will need servicing only
about every four or five years or this
piano has locked tuning pins and will
not require tuning,' Did you ever hear
anyone selling a piano tell the customer
the instrument would require servicing
every three months? I never did.
"Did the tuners holler their head off.
Not the better ones. They went to
work to educate the public on the pro-
per care of the piano and that is what
has put the tuning business where it
is today, not the advent of the Spinet
Piano. The shoe is now on the other
foot and the dealer is now hollering to
high heaven that the tuner is killing
his business.
"The same thing applies to the
teacher. What has the dealer done
to stimulate an interest in music in his
community. Very few have ever done
anything and nine times out of ten
when a teacher does help out on a sale
he will cheat her out of her commis-
sion. Are they cooperating with the
teacher in building up music in the
home? The problem is theirs and if
they don't solve it the piano business
will suffer.
"There were some 'Assinine' tuners
that took the bull by the horns when
the depression was on and worked out
their own salvation. Here is one in-
stance; In my town of 80,000 the teach-
ers were in no worse shape than the
dealer and tuner—1930-31. We organ-
ized the teachers into a group which in"
eluded every person that was making
a livelihood out of music. We took in
what dealers we could interest which
was very few. We started out by put-
ting on music recitals and lectures on
the benefits of a musical education.
MAN POWER
Manager Wanted
Manager for Music Store to be opened in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Give full
details in first letter as to experience, ref-
erences and age. Box No. 75. c/o The Music
Trade Review, 1270 Avenue of the Americas,
New York 20. N. Y.
30
These were put on in the public schools,
churches etc., and the public wa in-
vited free. Everything that we could
think of to stimulate an interest was
done. The result was surprising. With-
in a short time the teachers had all
the pupils they could take care of. Of
course there were more pianos sold and
the tuner just pulled himself up by the
boot straps. There were no tramp
tuners around here. After 15 years
this same group is still functioning
strong.
New Blood Needed
What the industry needs right now
is new blood in the tuning business
and we tuners are trying to fill the
gap as best we can. The idea of train-
ing veterans is wonderful but you will
never get them to learn this business
unless the dealer and manufacturer
will give them more than $25 or $30
per week while they are learning. It is
not the tuner that is killing the goose
that is laying the golden eggs it is the
deal erthat has already killed it for
the employed tuner.
If they want to sell the tuner and
teacher the same line they are handing
out to the cutomer about the wonder-
ful tone of the Spinet they will need
to cooperate a little more and talk
music instead of the many things they
are now talking.
Just read the article "Mad About
Music" in the November issue of
Reader's Digest.
sxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxs
Leonard Liebling
Leonard Liebling, editor, music-critic
and librettist, who has been editor in
chief of The Musical Courier since
1911, died Oct. 28th of a heart attack
in his suite in the Hotel Buckingham,
Fifty-seventh Street and the Avenue
of the Americas, New York.
Born in this city on Feb. 7, 1874, a
son of Max Liebling and the former
Mathilde de Perkiewicz, Mr. Liebling
came of a musical family. His father,
and his uncles, Emil and Georg Lieb-
ling, all natives of Germany, were well
known as pianists, teachers and com-
posers. On his graduation from City
College in 1897 Mr. Liebling went to
Berlin, where he studied piano under
Godowsky, Gullak, Barth and Urban.
After teaching and appearing as a
pianist in Europe and in this country
in Utica, N. Y., and this, city, Mr.
Liebling, in 1902, joined the sbaff of
The Musical Courier. He remained
with the publication thereafter.
He leaves a widow, who was Eda.
Baxter of Brooklyn and a sister, Mrs.
Arthur Mosler, known professionally
as a vocal teacher under her maiden
name, Estelle Liebling.
Gulbransen Pianos Played in Window
Crowds listened to these pianists in the Yager Furniture Co.'s window.
The Yager Furniture Co., of Berne,
Ind., staged an impromptu concert in
its store on Saturday Evening, Nov-
ember 3rd, where Rebecca Stucky and
Evangeline Emblee played on two Gul-
bransen Clayton models for the benefit
of the passing public through a public
address system. So successful was this
event that the following Saturday night
these musicians played again but this
time in the store window. This conr
cert was announced in newspaper ad-
vertising and a large crowd listened.
The two Clayton models were also
used in a concert at the Community
Lyceum on November 22.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, NOVEMBER, 1945