 |
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums
Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments.
Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
|
|
47 members (APianistHasNoName, Bruce Sato, BillS728, bcalvanese, anotherscott, AlkansBookcase, Carey, CharlesXX, 9 invisible),
1,871
guests, and
307
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 141
Full Member
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 141 |
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/DIYPianotuning/?yguid=74281353Please come and join our group where we help each other with tuning our own pianos. Just click on the link above. I'm happy to say that today I successfully tuned my own Mason Hamlin BB. Read more at the site. My approach to tuning my own piano is pretty unconventional, but I am getting really good results. I invite anyone in the Seattle area to come by and I'll play it for you- I'm serious. Just PM me here. Neil
Last edited by Neil Sundberg; 04/14/10 06:46 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,905
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,905 |
Neil, I would love to join, but tonight is my DIY Neurosurgery group meeting, and I don't want to be late. Tonight's topic is
"Should self-anesthesia necessarily impair surgical technique?"
Amateur Pianist and raconteur.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 49
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 49 |
For the record, I've performed brain surgery. I think it's easier than tuning a piano...
"Practice, practice, practice... then make a left."
-Demitri Martin
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,447
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,447 |
There are always a bunch of smart mouths here (easy to ignore) which is a good reason to start your own forum. I like it and I just joined.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,651
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,651 |
There's a lot of information in the tech forum about tuning. No real need to go elsewhere.
I'll have to defer to SJ about brain surgery being harder than tuning, however reading through the purposed medicare cuts, potentially financially more rewarding.
Do or do not. There is no try.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,412
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,412 |
There's a lot of information in the tech forum about tuning. No real need to go elsewhere.
I'll have to defer to SJ about brain surgery being harder than tuning, however reading through the purposed medicare cuts, potentially financially more rewarding. While there IS a lot of great information on the Tech forum, I have found that they take a reather dim view of do it yourselfers and there is quite an attitude when that topic comes up. Is as though, when reading some of their posts, you can literally see their eyes rolling. There isn't another forum that I'm aware of for DIY tuners (of which I am one). I have found that if you ask a question on the tech forum you get lots of attitude and very little real help.
Knabe 5'2" Louis XV Walnut circa 1927
Very part time piano broker.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 49
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 49 |
I think I was just called a smart mouth... I'm actually quite stoked about the prospect of tuning my own piano. I'd also be interested in learning more about voicing and so forth as well. I replaced a bridle strap (sp?) on my own piano and fixed the sustain pedal on the piano at the medical school (back in the day) and found both to be exceptionally rewarding.
But still... brain surgery is easier. Just sayin...
"Practice, practice, practice... then make a left."
-Demitri Martin
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002 |
There's a lot of information in the tech forum about tuning. No real need to go elsewhere.
I'll have to defer to SJ about brain surgery being harder than tuning, however reading through the purposed medicare cuts, potentially financially more rewarding. While there IS a lot of great information on the Tech forum, I have found that they take a reather dim view of do it yourselfers and there is quite an attitude when that topic comes up. Is as though, when reading some of their posts, you can literally see their eyes rolling. There isn't another forum that I'm aware of for DIY tuners (of which I am one). I have found that if you ask a question on the tech forum you get lots of attitude and very little real help. Please keep in mind when posting threads such as this on a technicians forum, or a piano forum (of which many technicians read and participate), you are asking a professional to tell you all the specifics of how you can do his/her job. In other words, why he/she should give up a portion of his/her livelihood (income) not to mention share techniques and expertise he/she has worked years to perfect, hours & money he/she continues to spend to attend continuing education classes and conferences to hone his/her skills and keep up with advancing technology, all so he/she can share this for free. Please excuse the sarcasm, but this should not be a difficult concept to understand. Oh! Got to run, Furtwangler has started a study group for the DIY Neurosurgery Group & I don't want to miss this week's assignment.
Last edited by M.O.P.; 04/15/10 10:13 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,458
3000 Post Club Member
|
|
3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,458 |
I got started as a tech by being a DIY tuner. Like learning anything else (including rocket surgery! :-), there are people who are conscientious and have a sense of craftsmanship and professionalism, and those who don't. Unfortunately, it's tough in an online forum to distinguish between the two. As a result, I often find that my concern for inadvertently causing a poster to damage their piano outweighs my desire to help (even pulling an action is fraught with danger, and how often do you get to say "fraught"?). It's a lot easier to work with people in person. There should be no reason to call a tech in order to remove a grand fallboard to take a pencil out, but it's easy to chip the finish when you reinstall it, and I've nearly taken out chandeliers a couple of times. I don't recommend that the average person try to replace a string on their new Fazioli. We need more piano techs. Electronic Tuning Devices (ETDs) are making self-study of tuning easier, but they're still a lot more complicated to use correctly than guitar tuners due to pianos' complexity. Pin manipulation is as hard to learn online as a tennis serve. The PTG is here to help you learn. There are many books, mailing lists, and other resources to explore. Learning the correct terms will improve your interactions with other techs, just as it helped me when I was learning to sail. See "Piano Parts and their Functions" compiled by Merle Mason, or twenty years of the PTG Journal on easily-searchable CD-ROM. http://ptg.org/resources-books.phpLocal chapters meet monthly in dozens of cities around the US, and the next big national conference is in Las Vegas at the end of June ( http://ptg.org/conv/2010/). Here's the info on how to become a technician: http://ptg.org/becomingATech.phpGood luck, and remember to always wiggle a grand lid side-to-side before you open it! If the hinge pins aren't there, you're in for a big surprise... --Cy-- P.S. Tumors are that dark pink stuff, and healthy brain tissue is that whitish stuff, right? How much extra healthy tissue should you cut out, just to be safe? I have some cellphone pix if it helps...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,263
4000 Post Club Member
|
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,263 |
Please keep in mind when posting threads such as this on a technicians forum, or a piano forum (of which many technicians read and participate), you are asking a professional to tell you all the specifics of how you can do his/her job. In other words, why he/she should give up a portion of his/her livelihood (income) not to mention share techniques and expertise he/she has worked years to perfect, hours & money he/she continues to spend to attend continuing education classes and conferences to hone his/her skills and keep up with advancing technology, all so he/she can share this for free. Please excuse the sarcasm, but this should not be a difficult concept to understand.
Exactly. After all when using the term DIY this means that you would like to do it yourself. Well then, go to the library, get some books about piano tuning and get going. Or go to the PTG web site and grab the PACE lessons. Or purchase the Randy Potter course. These are all self study concepts........ After all you want to do it yourself so why come to the tech forum and ask for help then? This is not do it yourself.....that would be do it yourself with some experienced technicians help for free..... Doing it yourself is exactly what it means....researching and developing your own skills... Uh-oh...here is that attitude someone was musing about.........
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 49
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 49 |
Cy, NOOOO!!!!! For the love of God DON'T TAKE OUT THE DARK PINK STUFF!!!!! I hope it's not too late...
"Practice, practice, practice... then make a left."
-Demitri Martin
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 223
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 223 |
Hee hee. Funny one Nancy.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,651
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,651 |
I got started as a tech by being a DIY tuner. Like learning anything else (including rocket surgery! :-), there are people who are conscientious and have a sense of craftsmanship and professionalism, and those who don't. Unfortunately, it's tough in an online forum to distinguish between the two. As a result, I often find that my concern for inadvertently causing a poster to damage their piano outweighs my desire to help (even pulling an action is fraught with danger, and how often do you get to say "fraught"?). It's a lot easier to work with people in person. There should be no reason to call a tech in order to remove a grand fallboard to take a pencil out, but it's easy to chip the finish when you reinstall it, and I've nearly taken out chandeliers a couple of times. I don't recommend that the average person try to replace a string on their new Fazioli. We need more piano techs. Electronic Tuning Devices (ETDs) are making self-study of tuning easier, but they're still a lot more complicated to use correctly than guitar tuners due to pianos' complexity. Pin manipulation is as hard to learn online as a tennis serve. The PTG is here to help you learn. There are many books, mailing lists, and other resources to explore. Learning the correct terms will improve your interactions with other techs, just as it helped me when I was learning to sail. See "Piano Parts and their Functions" compiled by Merle Mason, or twenty years of the PTG Journal on easily-searchable CD-ROM. http://ptg.org/resources-books.phpLocal chapters meet monthly in dozens of cities around the US, and the next big national conference is in Las Vegas at the end of June ( http://ptg.org/conv/2010/). Here's the info on how to become a technician: http://ptg.org/becomingATech.phpGood luck, and remember to always wiggle a grand lid side-to-side before you open it! If the hinge pins aren't there, you're in for a big surprise... --Cy-- P.S. Tumors are that dark pink stuff, and healthy brain tissue is that whitish stuff, right? How much extra healthy tissue should you cut out, just to be safe? I have some cellphone pix if it helps... See, I told you guys there's no need to go elsewhere. There's also a "search" function that comes in pretty handy. Plenty of info in the archives. No need to get the pro techs riled up by asking a question like...."so, how do you tune a piano?". The last thing a DIYer needs is another DIYer on a DIYer forum telling him how to tune. Warning, remove too much of the white tissue and you'll end up with a desire to tune your own piano.
Do or do not. There is no try.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 223
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 223 |
Oh! Got to run, Furtwangler has started a study group for the DIY Neurosurgery Group & I don't want to miss this week's assignment. Oh.....Don't try out any of your homework assignments on Bruce please. I need him to tune my piano 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002 |
Dang! I was going to use him as my practice patient. Sigh.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,905
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,905 |
You won't want to miss tonite's assignment:
"The Cerebral Cortex - a necessary evil?"
and coming up next week:
"Surgery on family, friends and other freeloaders - how to say "No" gently but firmly".
Amateur Pianist and raconteur.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 16,105
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 16,105 |
I agree that the term “do-it-yourself†or DIY tuners stirs up a lot of controversy here on the piano forums. I’ve actually been through the hazing line on the piano technician’s forum more than once. But, I learned something each time. I learned that you have to approach the professionals there in a certain way, with humility and respect. Quite often they provide information that might be hard to find otherwise, or without cost. So, I agree with Ralph, the pro’s here certainly have something of value to offer other members here on the forums. I think most of them are highly skilled and intelligent professionals and they are ready and willing to help those who are genuinely interested in learning piano technology, and not just someone who wants something for nothing or free technical advice. I think most of them do give advice and information to PW members responsibly and in a professional manor. Besides, you ought to hear the way they argue amongst themselves at times! Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled program. Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,828
6000 Post Club Member
|
|
6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,828 |
and coming up next week:
"Surgery on family, friends and other freeloaders - how to say "No" gently but firmly". We get to sit on needles and pins for this one......... Placed strategically on chairs for certain people. The DYI'er that started this topic gets the first seat.
Jerry Groot RPT Piano Technicians Guild Grand Rapids, Michigan www.grootpiano.comWe love to play BF2.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002 |
You won't want to miss tonite's assignment:
"The Cerebral Cortex - a necessary evil?"
and coming up next week:
"Surgery on family, friends and other freeloaders - how to say "No" gently but firmly".
Yes! Thanks for the advance notice. I'll sharpen up the instruments for my regularly scheduled practice session.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,002 |
Jerry, that would be one of the newly designed chairs equipped with the latest in needling tool heads?
|
|
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,384
Posts3,349,159
Members111,630
| |
Most Online15,252
Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/ABF_Medals/1medal.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii260/Medicmark737/moyd080909.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii260/Medicmark737/M2-vi.jpg)
