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PRACTICAL PIANO TUNING
By ALEXANDER HART
Formerly with Steinway & Sons Tuning Department, Instructor in
Piano Tuning, Teachers College, Columbia University. N. Y.
Registered Member of the
National Association of Piano Tuners
Notes of Interest on Tuning
looks like a big deal? But, don't
I ger T let than
it get you; it's likely to be "big-
both of us."
To fall into a trap for no reason other
than to give yourself untold extra work
can be gracefully avoided by not under-
taking a problem that is not in all prob-
ability going to come off with an hon-
orable mention.
What's it all about? Well, it is not
new by any means, but before you say
''yes' please be quite sure you know
all the answers.
Mr. Jones, let us say, has a fine in-
strument in every sense of the word.
\\ hat's the trouble? "The action is too
heavy for my little girl to practice on.
Could it be made lighter for her?"
Similarly, the same thing happens.
"Can I have the action made heavier?"
or "It's too light for Junior—when he
goes to his teacher his piano is much
heavier when he plays it. Can I have
it fixed or—" What's the answer?
They have been made to answer some-
what. only to a degree of hopeless dis-
satisfaction.
First of all, it's satisfaction to inform
Mrs. Jones that it is not worth spending
money on a job that may not turn out
right. (Of course, this is the way I look
at it, and it's one man's opinion.)
Technicians hungry for jobs have re-
sorted to making actions heavier and
lighter, only to upset the action's bal-
ance through injudiciously bending
springs, removing leads from the keys,
resetting the frame, deepening the touch
to an extraordinary degree and so on.
The writer is confronted quite often
with problems of this sort. There is a
solution, but I have not found it, nor
am I going out of my way to do so.
We sometimes hear remarks passed
about the old klunkers. It may be that
to technicians but not so to the owners
— often they are precious indeed.
It is always in the line of diplomatic
usage to speak well about klunkers.
When we tune and repair them, the
thought is different. "What a fine piano,
it certainly doesn't show its age!" This
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1954
is not a surprising statement, but it will
bear some substantiating to a large de-
gree and that is that an old klunker gets
into the hands of a poor family, starts
the child with music lessons, and from
this humble beginning a new sale is
born, for every mother wants her child
to play on a piano no matter how old,
until the day arrives when a new instru-
ment is bought, perhaps as a surprise
birthday present for daughter.
All tuner technicians have their own
individual clienteles built up through
years of conscientious servicing.
A time comes, however, when such a
serviceman is unable to keep his ap-
pointment and another serviceman is
called upon to let us say tune the piano.
In such a case, a good word for the
last man would naturally be in order.
It doesn't always work out that way.
Instead of bringing the last tuner for-
ward, he puts him in the background
with a pat on his own back.
Should you come across a technician
who speaks a good word for the last
man, take him to dinner.
The Dryburgh Piano Supply Division
at Wauwatosa, Wis. has put out a num-
ber of unique and practical tools, and
other forms of liquids decidedly help-
ful for the tuner technicians. One in
particular is a small screwdriver, plastic
handle, with a light to penetrate the ex-
act location of a flange screw, and side
screws inside spinet cases. There are
several other gadgets which will be
mentioned later on.
Speaking of things in general, and
'off the cuff', June seems to be the month
for graduating from public schools, and
also piano trade schools.
The best of luck for those trade school
boys who will embark for themselves
as freelancers, but don't forget dealers
who buy pianos for you to tune, and the
one who manufactures them. Speak well
of all makes of instruments, whether
good or otherwise. The secret word
should be "Keep your mouth shut", es-
pecially when it comes to arguments
about how pianos are made, the acous-
tic merits of one piano as opposed to
another, etc. Avoid if you can tearing
down other dealers who are trying just
as hard to sell pianos as you are to tune
them, and do your work to the very
best you know how. Always be the gen-
tleman, come what may, and always re-
member you are tuning and adjusting
instruments, not getting into arguments
with customers.
Sohmer Building Ath Special
Piano for Irving Berlin
Sohmer & Co., New York, are build-
ing Irving Berlin his fourth special
gear-shift transposing piano which he
uses for composing. Mr. Berlin's three
other Sohmer pianos have been com-
muting between New York and Holly-
wood for years. As there are no com-
mutation books for pianos, Mr. Berlin
figures he will be ahead by adding to
his piano collection.
Piano Plate Companies
Sponsor Reception for League
The O. S. Kelly Co. and the Wick-
ham Piano Plate Co. sponsored a re-
ception for about 300 "Conventioneers"
of the American Symphony Orchestra
League at the Springfield Ohio Coun-
try Club the evening of June 17, 1954.
Springfield was chosen last year as
the site of the League's Annual Con-
vention and Workshop Study for 1954.
EDISON VILIM
Edison Vilim, 47. eldest son of Vin-
cent Vilim piano hammer manufacturer
in Elmsford, N. Y., passed away in the
White Plains hospital on Monday, Au-
gust 9th. He had always been associated
with his father in the hammer business.
He is survived by a widow, three
children, a sister and a brother as well
as his mother and father.
Masonic funeral services were held
at the McElroy Funeral Parlor, Elms-
ford on August 11th.
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