PTG Wichita Chapter

The Voicing Tool

Wichita Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild. Newsletter.
Monthly Chapter meetings the second Thursday at 7 pm.

THE VOICING TOOL

2012

January February March April May June July August September October November December

2011

January February March April May June July August September October November December

2010

January February March April May June July August September October November December

2009

April May June July August September October November December

HUMIDITY

In the Northeast, the techs measure and report to the people, because it is often 15% or lower in the winter due to the heating, and 80 to 90% in the summer, due to the open windows. Pianos die a miserable death when pinblocks fail.
In the Southeast, some techs install partial systems, as the humidity never goes lower than 45%, even in homes with air conditioners. Pianos die a miserable death as rust and corrosion and moving parts no longer move.
In the Northwest, the techs have to teach people about the effect of word burning stoves and evaporative coolers. Pianos die a miserable death as all the glue joints fail and entire sections of bass strings rust away.
In the Southwest, the techs are concerned mostly with doors, windows, heating ducts, and swamp coolers, as a constant low humidity is good for pianos. Pianos die a miserable death when brought to the desert from humid places.
Here on the central plains, it is different. Here the homes are all equipped with humidity systems attached to the heating and air conditioning, and every piano is always in tune and all the people are always happy because the techs always install the entire system, and maintain it during the semiannual tunings. And everyone lived happily ever after in spite of 110 in the shade, sleet, hail, blizzards, and tornados.

Desirable moisture depends on the purpose. Forty-five percent relative humidity maintains health and stability of piano tuning. But customers have other purposes and other conditions, therefore no piano is in a safe environment. ALL pianos need a humidity control system. Here is a calculator to determine the relative humidity, and a list of activities and the preferred humidity. Banana ripening 90-95%; sugar storage 30%; chocolate sales 50-65%.

Wichita PTG chapter meeting highlights

June 14 Agenda

The meeting will be at 7pm, Ann Fell's house in Winfield (ann.fell88@gmail.com). Please come in the front door.
Ann Fell, RPT, 14354 US 77, Winfield, KS 67156-8607
Location is 1/4 mile south of the corner of US 77 and 132nd Road in Cowley County. From the north, this is 7 miles south of the US 77 and K15 intersection. The driveway is now easily marked by a huge new metal haybarn to the south. It is the neighbor's, not ours. Our driveway runs along the fence parallel to the barn. Ours is the house furthest in on the driveway.


Agenda is the business meeting, technical by Joe Wisner (Wire Benders), home made ice cream.

Wichita PTG Chapter meeting
May 10, 2012
The Technical Session, "What's In Your Tool Case?", presented by Joe Wisner, was a round-table discussion of what to take with you to appointments.  We examinef the tool cases of several Chapter members as well as smaller cases of specialized tools/supplies designed to be brought into the customer's house only when needed for such things as broken hammer shank replacement, flange re-pinning and/or re-bushing, finish repair, etc.
Chapter officers for 2012-2013 were elected by those members present:
President J. D. Hershberger
Vice President Joe Wisner
Secretary David Norman
Treasurer Marty Hess
Newsletter Editor Roy Howard.

There will be no Chapter meeting in July. Visit http://convention.ptg.org/ for details on the July 11-15 PTG Convention and Technical Institute in Seattle: "The Harmonius Technician".

PTG Exam Study Session

Current project: rebuilding a Steinway upright that was donated to the chapter for this class.

Thursdays 7:30 pm at the Piano Man Shop:
Larry Ray
1018 N Buffum
Wichita, KS 67203

316-644-9241

Curriculum: http://www.ptg.org/members/certificationExams.php

RSVP

The Future of the Piano

We have work if people buy, play, and maintain pianos.

Find Contacts - Make Appointments - Serve

• Roy Howard • I have found that business cards, lists in the phone book, web pages, ads in the newspaper, notices mailed or e-mail, etc. serve to establish credibility - they know that you are a tuner.
However, the only way to win contracts and make money is direct, personal contact... someone has to talk to the contact and schedule an appointment. New appointments with contacts who will become customers is much more likely when existing clients will recommend me to friends. In my case the program works best when a scheduler makes the call and reminders, but only when people trust me as a professional service technician.
Scheduling new customers is more likely when current clients recommend me, or my assistant is very adept at convincing. The more you pay the scheduler, the greater will be your income. Every hour I spend in self-promotion is a time that was not working and earning.I have been successful in giving teachers a discount or a cash reward for each appointment they did for me, but the cost to have a paid agent that keeps you busy all day every day is still worthwhile.
There is no professional career field called scheduler. It is a duty on the job description of an office worker. This is a sales position. Many piano technicians who are well established with a stable customer base and well organized sales can make their own appointments. I like to hire a sales worker to do all the paperwork and leg work and contacts for me to stay busy. Otherwise, I'm home with the computer and phone, happy to be busy.

• Arnold Klingler • Of course, the recommendation of your customers is simply the best method of getting a new contact. For this I give a discount of $15.00 for each new appointment to any of my clients. It produces 10-15 new customers. I have also sandwich plates on my car, which produce at least 6 calls a week which is 1 or 2 appointments.
Posters work well too, by placing these where I always stop for coffee, dinner or whatever. My wife used to make the phone calls and do the scheduling.. We're divorced for many years, so I have calls forwarded to the cell phone. Now everybody talks to me directly and immediately which works very well.
Sending reminders (direct mail or email) to existing customers, phone call reminders to those who request it, and contracted institutions often provide tunings scheduled daily appointments and to provide a method of sending additional messages, such as the discount of$15. My website (https://sites.google.com/site/keyboardtuningrepair/) produces very wel, especially because another type of advertising is linked to it.
I have a blog (http://keyboardtuningrepair.blogspot.com/), which results in not too many appointments, but it helps. Also, ads on Craigslist produce 1 or 2 new new appointments a week. I belong to MerchantCircle and I have a presence there, which produces a bit and add another "credential". Yes, all this takes time, but once established, it is easy, 4-5 hours a week. This compares to my spending over $10,000 in the Yellow Pages of years ago.

• Roy Howard •
We must find owners of pianos and make contact with them.
We must make appointments and sell services and products.
We must regularly serve clients every year.
How can you promote your business?
What has worked best for you?

"Desafinitis"

Science has discovered that those who play the piano suffer from "Desafinitis"

This terrible disease, which curiously does not attack other musicians and performers of musical instruments, has taken its toll on virtually all those who play the piano.

Desafinitis symptoms are varied and may include:
• Believing that a very out of tune piano sounds "good."
• Believing that even though years have passed since the last tuning, it does not now need tuning.
• Scowling when someone mentions A = 440 Hertz.
• Believing that teaching music with a piano out of tune is "normal."
• Defending the idea that a piano down in pitch can be used to "teach" music.

People with severe Desafinitis have been heard to express ideas such as:
• "My piano has not been tuned for years and it still sounds great."
• "What's A = 440?"
• "My piano tone is down but it is not noticeable

The origin of this serious disease goes back about 150 years, before which keyboard players tuned their own instruments like all the other musicians. On a date not exactly known all pianist quit tuning and learned to depend on the "professional piano tuner." From that time until now, Desafinitis settled in the hearts of piano players who would rather remain untuned than pay a professional.

But there is a cure: LEARNING. Learn to call your tuner OR learn to tune the piano on Thursday nights with the Wichita Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild.
(text of this article thanks to: Prof. Hugo Landolfi, Director, Escuela de tecnología pianística de Buenos Aires http://www.tecnopiano.com/a/desafinitis