Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The J/lusic J/iade
Established 1879
REVIEW
VOL 110-No. 10
THE
PIONEER
October, 1951
PUBLICATION
2,859th Issue
O F T H E MUSIC
I N D U S T R Y
Training the Blind to Tune and Repair
Pianos Found Best in Small Groups
T
RAINING the visually handi-
capped in the field of piano tuning
and servicing has become the life
job of Emil B. Fries, whose Piano Hos-
pital in Vancouver, Wash., has produced
many tuners, regulators and repair men
who are now actively occupied, having
secured permanent positions with some
of the most representative music mer-
chants in the country.
The Piano Workshop, or Piano Hos-
pital as it is known, is a well-equipped
piano repair shop solely designed to
meet the piano service needs of the com-
munity in which it is located, and also
operated for the purpose of instructing
the blind so that they may become self-
supporting. Soundproof booths enable
the students to learn tuning. An assort-
ment of action models make it possible
for blind students to master the theory,
operation and differences between the
spinet, upright and grand piano action.
While the students are taking a course
of training, they can also earn some
money. Every student has his favorite
work, and if the instructor is not careful,
most students, especially the total blind,
will stick to one or two pet jobs in which
they are proficient and neglect other and
more important service work. According
to Mr. Fries this is why blind students in
large classes under inexperienced teach-
ers are relegated to mere tuning and
never get half a chance at repairing the
regulating. Statistics and experience
show that unless blind tuners have a
thorough knowledge of tuning and the
different kinds of service work, they
have little chance for employment in the
business of modern piano tuning. Be-
cause of this, five students are a max-
imum for one instructor in the Piano
Hospital. This method permits every
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, OCTOBER, 1951
student to advance according to his own
aptitude and determination to master
the chords.
Obtaining Employment
Throughout the entire course, a great
deal of attention is given to the prob-
lem of how tuners may obtain employ-
ment. This is accomplished through
reading, lectures and discussions of the
various methods of salesmanship, adver-
tising and public relations. Included are
methods of bookkeeping to keep account
of customers and earnings and supple-
mentary to this training students are
urged to take college courses in public
speaking and salesmanship.
The course in this school is open to
men between the ages of 18 and 35, with
preference to those under 30. Except in
cases of marked aptitude, prospective
students should be high school gradu-
ates. They must have mechanical and
tonal abilities with extrovert qualities
and trustworthiness. Students without
training in piano work but desirous of
broader knowledge have priorities for
enrollment. Students not having previous
training should be enrolled for a trial
period of 30 days for determining their
interest and fitness for the course.
Beginner Course
The beginner course requires approx-
imately two 10-month terms, and on
completion of the course and passing a
detailed examination students receive
a certificate of graduation. Included in
the course of piano tuning, the first step
for beginners is the correct use of spe-
cific tools for specific jobs, such as the
correct use and position of the tuning
hammer and mutes, how to place ham-
mer by touch on the right tuning pin
and the purpose of specific repair tools
and correct use of them.
The steps in tuning include unison for
all beginners, tunes octave as soon as
unisons are mastered, first step in setting
temperament is to tune perfect fifths and
fourths; the second step is explanation
of tempered scale, and applying knowl-
edge of temperament first to four keys,
gradually increasing until student can
tune a temperament. Then comes the
practice for perfection of temperament
and the testing of the bass and treble.
The student is also taught the cleaning
of strings and restringing, including
splicing, the cleaning of pianos with a
vacuum, demothing, keybed work, re-
felting, levelling of keys and the im-
portance of dip and how to lay touch.
Other repair work includes repinning
and rebushing of flanges, how to install
metal flanges and their repair parts, re-
placement of action springs, replacement
of wooden action parts, replacement of
action felts, reshaping of hammers and
voicing, regulation of hammers, jacks,
capstains, back checks and dampers,
additional regulating of grand action,
repairing and regulating of pedals,
gluing and polishing of ivories, repair-
ing of sound board and bridges, repair-
ing pi pinblock and rest plank and re-
pairing of piano case and bench, and
special attention to squeaks, clicks and
buzzes.
In the accompanying illustration,
there are several of the Piano Hospital's
students who are now gainfully em-
ployed. These include Don Fletcher, who
is doing tuning and service work for the
Messingale Music Co. of Aberdeen,
Wash., for the past 10 years; Russell
Phillips at work in the Blessing & Thue
Music Center, Spokane, Wash.; Loren
Pelkey who tunes and services for the
Stark Music Co., Bellingham, Wash., and
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