December 2013

PTA Training DaysNewark ReunionNew Edition of PTA History

Two superb PTA Training Days – Joe Carroll and Manabu Arimori of Kawai (top), andMalcolm McKeand lecturing at Jaques Samuel Pianos for the Fazioli day (bottom).

Read all about them inside.

December 2013 3

The next deadline for PTA News isFriday 17th January 2014.

PTA News is the Newsletter for the PianoforteTuners’ Association. All views expressed are those ofthe contributors and do not necessarily reflect theviews of the PTA or the editorial team.

Please address letters intended for publication to‘The Editor’, preferably sent via email, computer diskor typed. If by email or disc please send photos

separately to the text. Items can only be returned ifaccompanied by an SAE. Please obtain the necessarypermission before submitting copyrighted items.

PTA NewsCobblestonesChurch LaneGreat HollandFRINTON-ON-SEAEssex CO13 0JSptanews@pianotuner.org.uk

For your advertising in PTA News, at very reasonable rates, please contact:Tania Staite, Flat 8, Deepdene, 15 Streatham Common Northside, London, SW16 3HQ.

Copy may then be emailed to the Editor at:ptanews@pianotuner.org.uk

Editorial — 4President Writes — 5Membership News — 6New PTA News Editor Required — 7PTA Fazioli Training Day — 8

Public Liability Insurance — 11Students’ Pages (Newark Reunion) — 12PTA History Book (Latest Edition) — 15Tuning Prices — 16Sketches of Piano Tuners — 17PTA/Kawai Training Day — 18Scottish Autumn Dinner — 21Clive Benson — 22Spinet — 24Council Report — 25Christmas ‘Codeword’ Puzzle — 26PTA Diary — 27

Who’s been sketched? See page 17

4

It has been known for me toextol the values of PTA trainingthrough these little doodles and Imake no excuses for it. It is trulyexcellent and worth the PTA subsalone.

We have recently had two superb newPTA Training Days, one in Scotlandsponsored by Kawai on Grandpreparation and a Fazioli Day at JaquesSamuel Pianos in London. Both were alsogreat social occasions but I won’t labourthe point of how brilliant they werebecause you can read about them both inthis issue.

What I can say about the one Iattended was that it brought home to methe totally different career of a concerttechnician to the everyday jobbing jack ofall trades like me.

The concert technician works on thevery finest instruments in the world. Theyget to know all the makes of the pianosthey work on in fine detail and also theindividual pianos themselves. Often theyare under extreme pressure with adeadline or performance imminent. Theartists they have to work with can oftenbe difficult and think themselves skilledin our profession as well as their own.

The domestic tuner however hasproblems of his own. A massive varietyof all kinds of weird and wonderfulinstruments some of which were aroundat the time of the ark. Whilst the concerttechnician considers a dusty piano to beone with a very thin layer of fine dust tobe dealt with by using a soundboardsweeper, the domestic tuner often comesaway from working on a customers’ pianowith their hands a thick shade of blackand coughing through the clouds of debris.

Neither side of our trade should beconsidered better or worth more than the .other. For every revered concert pianist

there is someone sitting athome lost in the sheer joy of conqueringtheir grade 4 piece. For every finely tonedFazioli there is a piano that was virtuallyunplayable earlier in the day that is nowgiving great pleasure and satisfaction.

Difficult customers, deadlines,problem solving on the hoof…there’splenty that apply to both sides of the trade.Maybe we’re not that different after all.One thing I am sure of though, theconcert technician and the domestic tunerare both as important as each other.

That’s why we need more good pianotuners and more training; at college,through apprenticeships (there are noschemes for the repair or servicing of anymusical instruments at all) and afterwardsat PTA training days. It’s certainly greatto see the money that has been invested atNewark. You can read the report byGavin Crooks in this issue.

In between the mince pies and thesherry, don’t forget to have a go at the

‘Codeword’ puzzle on page 26, sent in byone of my old college lecturers, BobMorgan. There seemed to be nothing Bobdidn’t know about pianos, his knowledgeon every technical aspect of their designis legendary. Anyway, it seems he enjoysmaking ‘codewords’ these days, which Iam most grateful for.

Finally, the April 2014 PTA Newswill be my last as Editor. If you fancytaking on the role please have a look atpage 7. You’ll see it’s a paid position.

Have a fabulous Christmas with nottoo much……….

HappyTuning.....

Editorial Matthew Gough

December 2013 5

The President WritesBrian FrostAs some of

you know I haverecently moved to North Norfolkfrom Surrey which has resulted inmy starting up a new piano tuningbusiness from scratch – the lasttime I did this was 1978!

Things are very different this timeround as I have over 35 years experiencebehind me. Reading recent posts on thepianolist from a newly qualified PTAStudent reminded me about the struggles Ihad when first starting out. The supportnew entrants to the trade get from the PTAdiscussion forum is extraordinary andthank you to everyone who contributes.By supporting and mentoring techniciansat the start of their career, we can make itmuch easier for them when they wish tomake the transition to becoming aMember.

I am very fortunate in my new ventureas I am still able to work in Surrey whilemy new tuning business establishes itself.New technology means I have been ableto retain my old ‘Surrey’ telephonenumber. For just £5 per month, plus aset-up fee, the calls are diverted over the

‘Voip’ network. The advantage of this isthat I can manage call diversion on-lineand ‘force’ incoming calls to wherever Iam by logging-on to the British TelecomVoip system. I have also been able toensure that my old telephone appears on

caller display systemswhen making outgoingcalls.

Establishing a reputationand getting known takes a long time.There is not the network of music shopsthat was around in the 1970’s, which didgenerate a lot of work for me back them.When I started out in 1978 it only tookaround 2 years before I was working fulltime – although a lot of that was sub-contract work. I seem to remember ittook about another 8 years before I reallyfelt that I was completely self sufficientwork wise. This time is very different andbuilding my customer base in Norfolk isgoing to take longer than I first expected.

If you are just starting out don’t gettoo discouraged in the early days.Gradually your customer base willincrease and with it the quality of thepianos you work on. Musical instrumentteachers are always a good source of work,but they have usually already found agood piano tuner so it takes a while tohave a number of teachers on your books.When you do start picking uprecommendations from professionalmusicians other new work should quicklyfollow. Also don’t forget the pianolist ifyou encounter a problem – fellow PTAtechnicians are always eager to help out.

PTA SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW DUE!!!By now you should have received your invoice asking for your PTASubscription. Please pay this now to take advantage of the lower rates.

It is possible to pay by internet banking as well as cheque. Very late payers are not entered in the Year Book. We are compilinga new database and it is important that you check your details and note

any alterations on the form.If you have not received or have misplaced your form please contact the

Secretary using the details on page 27.

6

Membership NewsAnnette SummersA warm welcome to four new PTA students:

S353 Mr Stephen Haynes, 20a Winchilsea AvenueNEWARK, Notts NG24 4ADTel: 01636 918738 Mobile: 07866 953039Email: stphn_haynes@yahoo.co.uk

S354 Miss Andriani Maimaridou, 36b Sleaford Road,NEWARK, Notts NG24 1NNTel: 01636 700065 Mob: 07856 022598Email: amaimaridou@yahoo.com

S355 Ms Ashley Carrie, 26 Westfield Crescent,STOCKTON ON-TEES, Cleveland TS19 0PYTel: 01642 891779 Mob: 07769 703192Email: carrieashley69@hotmail.com

S356 Mr Geoffrey Michael Tinniswood, 46 King Street, Hodthorpe,WORKSOP, Notts S80 4UYTel: 01909 724861 Mob: 07768 448712Email: geoffreytinniswood@hotmail.com

The following have applied to become PTA Associates

Mr Shaun Anthony Wickenden, 1 The Brae, Glen Road, Grayshot,HINDHEAD, Surrey GU26 6NF

Mr Edward Nigel Doyle, Lumbutts House, Lumbutts Road, Lumbutts,TODMORDEN, Yorkshire OL14 6JE

Please note the following changes :

H1004 Mr NJ Tostevin has new address and phone details:23 Lisbon PlaceWestlandsNEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYMEStaffs ST5 2TXTel: 01782 618257

Please note the following new email address:

886 Malcolm Hodsdon mallin1@btinternet.com

Please send changes to the PTA Secretary using the contact details on Page 27

December 2013 7

NEW PTA NEWS EDITOR REQUIRED£415 approx. per issue

Legitimate expenses such as postage, printer ink,envelopes and paper all paid

Requirements:� Production and distribution of 6 issues of PTA News a year starting with

the June 2014 issue (The Convention Issue)� A fair amount of voluntary time� Voluntary attendance at 5 PTA Council Meetings a year in London (travel

expenses paid) and one at the Convention would be an advantage� An ability to work on your own, write articles when needed, to be tactful,

be a good problem solver and to get the job done every other month� The ability to be able to use a computer to put the magazine together

How To ApplyEmail the current Editor at: ptanews@pianotuner.org.uk stating why

you wish to become Editor and what you could bring to the roleDeadline: Saturday 18th January 2014

8

FAZIOLI PTA TRAINING DAYSponsored by Jaques Samuel Pianos

Report By Matthew Gough

This was the first of the new‘PTA Training Days’ which are tobe held around the UK. Theseoffer additional training to thesuperb classes given at our once ayear PTA Conventions and thisopener certainly didn’t disappoint!

Terry Lewis and his team hosted theevent at Jaques Samuel Pianos inEdgware Road, London and theyorganised a wonderful day and eveningfor us, even throwing in dinner and aconcert at the Wigmore Hall no less!

Housing the first ‘Fazioli Centre’ inthe world, there could be no betterlocation for us to learn about thesewonderful instruments and from 2 of thevery best piano technicians on the planet,Claudio Valent, the lead technician fromthe Fazioli factory itself and MalcolmMcKeand, one of the foremost concerttechnicians in the UK.

Because the day was so well attendedwith near on 30 participants we needed tosplit into two nicely sized groups whichwould swap lecturers half way through

Claudio Valent has been with Faziolifrom the very beginning in 1980 and hasplayed his part in the development ofthese fine instruments. He was very well

qualified therefore to demonstrate variousaspects of toning and voicing.

Using slides he would explain theoryand technique and then go on to put thisinto action using the Fazioli in the room.

He told usabout theadjustablecapo bar andthe duplexscale andhow to adjustit using anylon drift,

before reseating andlevelling the strings.

In some depthClaudio explained anddemonstrated thevarious stages ofshaping and toningnew hammers. This isa highly detailedoperation involving ‘Pre Voicing’, ‘FirstVoicing’, ‘Ironing’, ‘ Facing to the Strings’with various grades of abrasive paper,

‘Regulation’ and ‘Final Toning’ and muchmore besides! Having completed all thesestages Claudio explained one would thenrepeat the whole process again.

It was interesting to hear about thedifferent needling depths for all thesestages and also to see the way that asystem of pencil lines and marks wereused on the hammers to assist with eachstage of the toning.

As an aside I must try to source someof Claudio’s excellent tools, one of whichwas a very classy looking toning toolwhich was the Ferrari of the toning tool

Claudio Valent

Adjusting the Duplex

Using a spirit level tocheck even height

December 2013 9

world, even having needles which wouldall wind up or down from the devicetogether, achieving exactly the right depthwith the turn of a finger. Fabulous!

Claudio also demonstrated the use ofan extremely long toning needle that canbe put between the strings without takingthe action out for very fine toning. Thebenefits for an emergency or when rushedfor time were pretty obvious.

Great thanks then to Claudio whopatiently explained his system and wasvery happy to answer many questions.What a privilege to see the Fazioli leadTechnician at work.

The next class was with MalcolmMcKeand, a long time PTA Member andsupporter who many of you willremember from his superb past lecturesand classes at PTA Conventions. Since Iwas lucky enough to have had Malcolm asmy tuning and workshop tutor at college Iwas well aware of his excellent teachingmethods and how he makes hisexplanations so interesting and easy tounderstand for a thicko like me.

On the printed program this sectionwas described as a lecture on thedifferences between Steinway and Faziolibut on the day we were lucky enough tohave Bösendorfer added to the mix as

well, so we were able to compare 3 of thevery top concert grands around today, aSteinway B, a Bösendorfer model 200 andthe Fazioli of course.

Firstly, Malcolm explained the variousideals and benefits of the structuralcomposition of each make. Thedifferences in the wooden bracings forexample which he illustrated by use of amirror placed underneath the instruments.

The Bösendorfer constructs the rimvery differently to the other two makes,both techniques having their ownadvantages of either solidity and stiffnessor the musicality of the whole instrument,including the casework. The quality of thepolyester finish of each make was alsoexplored.

Continued Overleaf

Malcolm McKeand

10

One interesting fact is that the lid (ortop) on a Fazioli lifts just a little higherthan the norm so that it can project thesound just a little more. It also has a ‘stop’so that the unskilled can not put the propstick in the wrong position, avoidingpotential disasters!

We then moved on to the Capo Barsand the differences there. One is fullydetachable, one partly and one cast intothe frame. Again one might say there areadvantages in each. One is light, one veryheavy, another uses ‘beryllium’, a veryhard wearing metal that makes wear lesslikely.

Then we got on to stringing andscaling. Bösendorfer uses individual eyesaround each of the hitch pins where as theother 2 makes have strings ‘looping’around the hitch pins. Individual eyes aregood for stability but some think there areacoustic advantages to ‘looping’ becausethe vibrations go down the string to thehitch pins and up the other side. Steinwayand Fazioli both have differing ‘Duplex’systems.

When we got onto soundboards andbridges Malcolm demonstrated howpointless it is when engineers in recordingstudios ‘close mic’ the strings. Putting atuning fork into action and just holding itup in the air he showed how difficult itwas for us all to hear any sound. Being somuch thicker than a string what is thepoint of trying to record strings close up?It is of course the soundboard whichtransmits the sound and it would be moreuseful for engineers to concentrate on thatwhen placing their microphones!

The Bösendorfer soundboard is madein the traditional way where as Steinwayuse their ‘Diaphramatic’ soundboard andFazioli their own version of the same.

It was then time to tackle the actionand keyboards of each type. The various

ideals and designs of each were explainedwith the pros and cons of each.

I found the damper system differencesparticularly interesting. One of them hadwonderful individual adjustmentsthroughout making regulation of dampersvirtually ‘idiot’ proof. Also, the dampertray was supported throughout its lengthmaking warping and splitting less likely.One maker had the tray only supported ateach end with a simple procedure forregulation which in fact was a lot moredifficult to work with. Another was acompromise of the two.

The wrest plank was then brought intothe fray. All three makers now use a

‘closed’ plank, that means the iron frameextends over the wrest plank, surroundingthe pin holes. The Fazioli has no wrest pinbushings.

Finally touch and tone were discussed.Each of the three makes had qualities invarious ranges of the piano.

You will understand that for much ofthis report I have deliberately omitted todivulge which maker uses which methodor which Malcolm thought was preferable.The reason is that it would be tactless anddiscourteous of me to do so. What I cansay is that each piano was fantastic andMalcolm was absolutely fair and honest in

PTA Fazioli Training Day Continued

December 2013 11

Public and Product Liability Insurance

his appraisals and had good things to sayabout each make.

If you want to find out exactly whatwas said, then I gather that this classmight be repeated at a Convention atsome time in the future. If it is, may I urgeyou to take every opportunity to attend.You are unlikely to be able to make suchcomparisons too readily.

Thank you so much to Malcolm for histime and experience and superbexplanations.

However, the day was not yet over!As if all this wasn’t enough, some of uswere then joined by our wives andpartners for dinner at The Wigmore Hallfollowed by a special piano recital there.Faiachra Garvey the 2012 winner of theJaques Samuel Pianos International PianoCompetition gave us a most interestingand enjoyable program. His dexterity andskill leading to a standing ovation no less.

To cap off a brilliant day we wereinvited to an exclusive drinks receptionwith the artist.

Many many thanks to Terry Lewis andhis team for organising such a wonderfulday. If this is the future for PTA Trainingwe have a lot to look forward to!

Concert Pianist Fiachra Garvey (left) withTerry Lewis (right), the Managing Director of

Jaques Samuel Pianos

Photos by Anne Burton and Paul Shearman

PTA Members are currently covered for £5,000,000public liability and £5,000,000 product liability insurance.

Details are on the PTA Website.Members are reminded that there is a £500 excess on the

insurance. This means that the insurance will not pay thefirst £500 of any claim.

This is still a very useful benefit of PTA Membership.Schools and institutions do ask for proof of the insuranceon occasions and this can be provided by requesting aMembership card with your PTA subs. The card states theinsurance.

It’s an uncertain world and some security like this offerssome peace of mind in the case of the unexpected.

12

STUDENTS’ PAGESIf you’re a student, graduate, or are just starting out, then

this section is for you

NEWARK REUNION 2013REPORT BY GAVIN CROOKS

Arriving at the old Mount Annexe for thelast time, I couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic.Walking past the graveyard once again and seeingthe inebriated locals staggering around thegravestones and the gentle aroma of the nearbysugar factory wafting in on the breeze brought atear to my eye. It was good to be back in Newarkagain.

The dilapidated Mount looked prettymuch identical to the day I had left. But I guess

this is not saying much. I was from the class of 2008, so it hasn’t been at all that longsince I left myself. I must admit, I had an unnerving sensation at the back of my mindthat I would be the only one to show up for the reunion, so was pleasantly surprised toenter the familiar old workshop to be greeted with a room jam-packed with attendees.I did a rough head-count and there were at least 70 people milling about. Probablymore, but due to the nature of the reunion it was hard to get an accurate number.A sheet of paper was passed round for us all tosign to show how many people had turned up, butI noticed one or two people passing it on withoutsigning it.

John Lord gave a short welcome to theproceedings and told us all about what was

currently happening onthe course. It was goodto hear that things aregoing from strength tostrength, especially inrecent years, which hasall been topped off withthe recent announcementthat the course is tomove across the road to

its new home in the ex-police station.By the time this goes to print, the new

building will be completely up and running, andthe sound of dodgy unisons and frustrated firstyears will be echoing round the pristine corridorsand tuning booths – many of which will actuallybe the old prison cells! As John explained, the

December 2013 13

benefits of these cells acting as tuning booths arenumerous. For a start, the walls are super thick,meaning great sound proofing, and unlike theplywood walls of the old booths, they can’t bepunched through in anger when a scale refuses togo incorrectly!There werediscussionsabout leaving

the lockable iron doors on these cells too for“certain students”, but the college officials thoughtthat this may be frowned upon by certainauthorities.

In seriousness though, the new buildingis absolutely superb, and Lincoln College reallyhas gone all out to ensure the best possiblelearning environment for future technicians. Aswe were shown round the building, we sawseveral sizeable workshops, a dedicated spraying

room, a common room, locker room,kitchen, court-room (hmm!),classrooms for written work, and notto mention all the individual tuningbooths of course! The builders werestill working around us as we took thetour, but it was at a state of completionwhere you could really get a feel forhow it was all going to operate. Theworkshops were all fitted with brandnew workbenches and vices, 5 new

state of the art PC’s were getting installed into the commonroom. An electronic interactivewhiteboard was on order for theclassroom, and the gleam of freshpaint dazzled us on every wall as wewere led around. I think it is fair tosay we were all very envious of thepresent year groups, and severalpeople expressed an urge to go backinto full time education!

A buffet was also organisedback at the old Mount premises,which went down very well indeed!At the end of the day, there were only

John Lord leads attendees to ‘Court One’

The old workshop and the new

Continued Overleaf

Old cell - new tuning cubicle

14

one or two stray packets of crisps and a tray ofdelicacies covered in breadcrumbs left! Fletcherand Newman also had their piano supplies stallset up in the same room, and interestingly, on thesame table as the buffet. Luckily nobody seemedto mistakenly eat any of Steve Cook’s stock, forwhich I am sure he is grateful. Down in thelower workshop,lots of peoplewere given thechance for ameet-and-greetwith the PTA.This seemed to berather successful,as I counted quitea few applicationforms filled out

for new PTA Students, Members and Associates. Itwas also a reminder for myself personally as well. I’ve been eligible to take the PTAtest since the summer, and as yet have not taken the time to sit down and get it sorted.Hopefully by the time this is published, I will have done the deed, and will haveearned my stripes!

Sadly, one unfortunate turn of events was that Cavendish Pianos could notmake it to the reunion. I hope that they will be able to give their planned talk at alater date, perhaps at one of the upcoming PTA conventions, as it was genuinelysomething which I know many people were looking forward to, myself included.

With the end of official proceedings, most people headed off home, with afew die-hards heading off into Newark for a final couple of pints in the Fox andCrown, or a meal out in a restaurant. All in all, it was a fantastic reunion, and I amsure I speak for everyone in wishing John and all the staff at Newark the best of luckfor the future, and may the course long continue!

Newark Reunion Continued

Old Kitchen New KitchenYes please Santa!! This fabulous pieceof kit is a workbench which sucks dust

away whilst you work.

Ready for action! John Lord (left) in the new classroom

Photos byGavin Crooks and

Nigel Donovan

December 2013 15

On the 25thOctober, itwas the 100th birthday of the PTA.

There had been a few meetings priorto this day in 1913, but this was themoment when the Association wasformally declared to be an organisationfor the piano tuning fraternity. To markthe historic event I published the 100year history of the Association on 25thOctober as a Kindle book on the Amazonweb site. This can be found by going tothe Kindle book store on theAmazon.co.uk web site, and putting ‘LesSherlock’ into the search box (but if youlive outside of the UK you need to go tothe Amazon site appropriate to yourcountry, otherwise you may be told it isnot available to you). When I firstuploaded the book, it was necessary toscroll past a few books on SherlockHolmes before reaching ‘The PianoforteTuners’ Association 1913-2013’; however,as a few people have since bought a copy,at the time of writing it was at the top ofthe list! You could also ask for ‘ThePianoforte Tuners’ Association’ in thesearch box, but it is easier to use myname!

For those who do not possess a Kindleor E-book reader, a free Kindle readerdownload is available on the Amazonweb site for every major smartphone,tablet, and computer, or from your usualapp store. Of course, all those who werePTA Members in 2006 received apaperback copy of my original book onthe history, taking us up to the end of2005. This new 219,311 word editionincludes everything in the first issue alongwith the five years from the end of theoriginal book up to 25th October, 2013.All the lists at the back of the book havealso been updated. (Doing this was themost difficult part of writing the book and

I am aware it is very likely there may bemistakes and omissions in them: thereforeif you find any, do please let me knowabout them so I can correct them: allpurchasers of the Kindle book shouldreceive automatic updates when I uploada revised version.)

However, the Kindle edition is reallythree books in one, because it alsoincludes two further large sections. Thefirst is Gill Green’s fascinatingdissertation on the rise of professionalpiano tuning in the 18th and 19thcenturies. The second is the completeday-by-day, 1872 diary of Joseph BirdBurgess, the Australian piano tuner.While some of this was serialised in PTANews, the last few months were notincluded, and there are also maps, photosand more details about his immediatefamily: there is even a reference to thenotorious Ned Kelly and his gang! Fornewcomers to the PTA who will not haveseen any of this, the diary not only showssome of the problems faced by 19thcentury piano tuners, but also the kind oflife experienced by settlers ‘down under’at that time. I was keen to include thesetwo sections because, between them, theygive a good picture of the life of pianotuners, from not too long afterBartolomeo Cristofori had his ‘Eureka’moment, and leading up to the time thePTA was founded.

I do have the possibility of producinga paper-back edition of the Kindle book;however the earliest this could take placewould be the middle of next year, as Ineed to give the Kindle readers time tocheck their details in the lists and enableme to rectify any mistakes, before tryingto produce printed versions, whichobviously could not be updated. The

Updated History Book of the PTALes Sherlock

Continued overleaf

16

PTA History by Les Sherlock continuedKindle version does have severaladvantages, though: it can be downloadedand read immediately; it is very easy toflip to and from the contents page to thedifferent sections and from the many note

references in one Appendix to the notesand back again; and it will almostcertainly work out at around half the priceof the paperback version.

‘Pianoforte Tuners’ Association 1913-2013’ by Les Sherlock isavailable now from amazon.co.uk

PTA Recommended Minimum Tuningand Repair Charges 2014

With an inflation rate (RPI) for October 2013 of 2.2%, the PTArecommended minimum price recommendations for 2014 are asfollows:

Local, regular tuning price, where the cost of living: 2014 (2013)

Is lowest: £43.18 (£42.25) Is highest: £57.60 (£56.36)Is highest and travel restricts the amount of work: £71.97 (£70.42)

The PTA recommended minimum local tuning price excludes VAT, applies topianos tuned at least twice per year, the location being within a radius of one mile fromthe tuner's base, assumes the tuner to be self-employed and working from home, anddoes not include additional repairs, pitch-raising, etc. It is based on the tuner working231 days per year, 34 of which will be lost to administration work, undertaking fivetunings per day. This very narrow definition is designed to enable a tuner to adapt it tohis or her own particular circumstances, and is intended to be a guide to what isconsidered the lowest possible amount compatible with a successful business.

Recommended Minimum Repair Charge Calculation:In areas where the cost of living:

2014 (2013) Is lowest: £24.21 (£23.69) Is highest: £30.26 (£29.61)

The PTA recommended minimum hourly labour charge for repair work excludesVAT, assumes the technician is self-employed and working from home 230 days ayear.

The base figure for the recommended minimum tuning price calculations wereagreed at the 1989 AGM and are multiplied by the October annual inflation rate eachyear to arrive at the current years figures.

17

Piano Tuners At WorkSketches by Ronald Stein

Artist Ronald Stein shares hissketches of Piano Tuners atwork. Meredith Hamilton at the Romanian Institute

Meredith explained ‘I had started to tune the Steinway for the monthly concerts at theRomanian Institute, Belgrave Square, when I overheard Mr Stein talking to someone else abouthow he had sketched Ulrich Gerhartz (of Steinway and Sons) tuning the week before. I thoughtperhaps I had misheard but, as I tuned, I had the feeling I was being sketched too! When I

finished and had given the nod to the performers so they could warm up, I had a short chat withhim and he showed me his work.’

18

KAWAI PTA TRAINING DAYSponsored by Kawai UKReport by Anne Burton

The ‘PTATrainingDay’sponsoredby KawaiPianos tookplace atThe Stirling

Highland Hotel on Saturday 9thNovember, 2013. After a short welcome from our PTAHonorary Treasurer, Andrew Jamieson,we were introduced to Joe Carroll, SalesManager (North) from Kawai UK Ltd.who introduced the 10 delegates toOperations Manager & Piano TechnicalManager and Master Piano Artisan,Manabu Arimori, now 9 months into his 5year term here in the UK, and to the grandpiano in the room, the new GX3. Joe began by describing the differenc-es between the previous RX series, now14 or 15 years old, and the upgraded speci-fications of the GX series. He went on toexplain that the many modifications wereintroduced for tonal, technical and practi-cal reasons: to give more stability intuning, better control and responsivenesswith 24% faster repetition and a broaderspectrum of dynamics, all with the aim ofenhancing the tone and providing thepianist with the sensation of playing aconcert grand instrument. The significance and importance of therole of Kawai’s Master Piano Artisanqualification was outlined by Joe. Hestressed that only a few of the most talent-ed technicians receive MPA trainingwhich includes having to work in everycontinent and the preparation of concertgrand instruments for international pianocompetitions. Following this, a video was

shown introducing the new ShigeruKawai pianos and explaining the MPArole in even greater detail.

At this point, Manabu took centrestage to demonstrate how to regulate theKawaigrand pi-ano. Themorningsessionwas a de-tailedshowcaseof thetype ofwork thatManabudoes atMiltonKeynes inpreparinggrand pi-anos priorto their delivery to dealership’s show-rooms. Each stage of this preparation wasexplained and demonstrated and everyitem that Manabu used (including all thetools, some piano parts and even the lubri-cants used) was minutely scrutinised. The

December 2013 19

skillandeasewithwhichManabumadethewholeregula-tionprocesslook

effortless, at the same time including use-ful hints and tips, showed just what anexcellent teacher he is. All questions wereanswered patiently throughout the day –although he may have preferred to havebeen at the castle sight-seeing! The afternoon session was dedicatedto the techniques that can be employed toimprove thesound of apiano. Thebass sectionof the pianowas tackledfirst as thegeneral opin-ion in theroom was thatthe tone was

noticeably weakerhere than in the ten-or area when a de-scending chromaticscale was played.The tone was lis-tened to prior toeach technique be-ing employed, andat times the toneimproved with real-ly dramatic effect.It was interesting tohave the opportunity to listen to the differ-ences in tone that resulted from an in-crease in blow distance by 1mm and thenagain from a closer set-off distance. It was not until this point that Manabubegan to use his voicing tools and he

carefully de-scribed themethods thathe has foundto work. Eve-ryone wasintrigued bythe voicingtools withtheir combi-nation of nee-dles whichhe has made

Continued Overleaf

20

Kawai Day Continuedfor this purpose. After the bass sectionhad been worked on, Joe played the pianoto demonstrate the vast improvement inthe sound in that area. Next, an ascending chromatic scalewas played from the start of the steelstrings and the same voicing procedurewas then applied to the top two octaves,curing the thin, slightly metallic quality inthe sound. Towards the end of the afternoon therewas some discussion about the directionin which castors should point and whetherthis could make a difference to the soundof a grand piano. The final topics thatManabu covered were the plates on thecheek blocks and the cures for falseness in

strings. Joe rounded off the afternoon sessionwith an account of the range of instru-ments produced by Kawai, detailing theirmodels, sizes, price range, finish, originsof construction and features that are partic-ular to the Kawai brand, making only avery brief mention of their hybriddigital/acoustic and fully digital instru-ments. At the end of a thoroughly enjoyableday, a vote of thanks was given by An-drew Jamieson and the delegates respond-

ed in the traditional manner with a veryenthusiastic round of applause. Manabuand Joe were presented with some localScottish fruit wine and it was good to findout afterwards that Manabu had enjoyedgiving the presentation as much as the del-egates had enjoyed attending. It was a fit-

ting endto thecente-naryyear cele-brations. Wewouldlike tothankKawai

UK Ltd.for theirvery gen-erous sup-port andtheir con-tinuingcontribu-tion tothe PTA.

Joe Carroll checks out Manabu’s work

December 2013 21

PTA Scottish Autumn DinnerDouglas McBay

Photos by Andrew Jamieson

Andy Jamieson did not "launch" a"lunch" at Stirling this year. Why?because it was felt that somethingmore special should be arranged toround off the marking of 100 yearsexistence of the PTA.

To mark the occasion fittingly, as reportedabove, Kawai Pianos under the auspices of Joe Carroll and Manabu Arimori presenteda class on the regulation and maintenance of grand pianos.

Many Members and associates were present ; "tripping" from north and south ofStirling to attend. The class took place in the Highland Hotel which used to be the oldStirling High School and judging by the layout, this venue was not in any way acontemporary building. An added interest was a conducted visit to the observatorywhere the views over Stirling at night were quite awesome.

Who was there at the class? Monochords in the shape of Anne Burton, Fiona Gilroy,Marjorie Vernal, Roy O'Neill, David O'Donnell, Shaun McLoughlin, Andy Jamieson,Tania Staite, Douglas McBay and Alistair Russell. Joe Carroll and Manabu Arimorifrom Kawai completed the ensemble.

Monochords at the dinner only were Allan Wright, G Bell, and G Morris. Thebichords were represented by Roberta & Barry Carradine, Helen & Bill Gray andG Muir and his guest, L Mathieson.

Andy's wife, Lynne and my wife, Bich Hong were also at the dinner throughout theday, they went shopping and may have had time to sight see and a coffee or two!

Continued overleaf

Christmas PuddingClive Benson

22

What then was "sterling" at"Stirling"? An excellent class, goodcompany, food and hospitality andfriendship among those of us who keep

the nation's pianos up to scratch andfurther our knowledge of this amazing artin the process.

Scottish Dinner Continued

I have been asked to writesomething glittery for Christmasbut it is the 14th of November andI have yet to get into the glitteryswing of things.

It’s true there are mince pies stackedhigh in the supermarkets, and have beenfor over a month, but I find it necessary topace myself. It is after all only a weeksince bonfire night and I didn’t makemuch of a fist of celebrating that as ithappens. Having thought about this Ihave concluded it is because I lookedupon Guy Fawkes as a failure. Perhaps ifhe had succeeded in blowing up the Houseof Commons it might have been different.It would have been easier to get in theparty mood.

Obviously one does one’s best to be agood person but life is uncertain and thatmakes it difficult. Often it is a question of

putting on a brave face.Nonetheless it is my intention tomake Christmas puddings again. Firstthough there is the business of paintingthe front room. (We have decided on

‘Welsh Flint’.)This morning I had the job in the

church. A lady had rung up and we’dmade an arrangement (I was a pianotuner). At ten o’clock I cycled off to myjob. It was cold and the road was outtowards the racecourse. In fact it was amodern church and looked oddlysuburban. Unlike most churches, the door,when I found it, was open. There was thepiano. There was nobody about but itmight have been rude of me to startsimply taking it apart (this was what Iwanted to do), and so I sat down for amoment’s quiet contemplation. For a fewseconds I was not a bad person. Possiblythis was what people meant by ‘prayer’.

December 2013 23

Thus it was possible I believed in God.The ceiling was made of slats of wood.Because of all the glass there was a lot ofdaylight in the church and this may wellhave been the intention, to let the light in,so to speak. But the light didn’t heightenmy sense of being in the presence of GodI’m sorry to say. ‘That must mean there’sno God,’ I thought. But then why hadpeople gone to all the trouble of buildinga church in a contemporary style?

The priest was a tall woman and I didmy best to be polite. As always I setabout tuning the piano in good faith,that’s to say, as if it was possible. Overthe years I had begun to take libertieswith the sixths in the scale and then wassurprised when I struggled to get goodoctaves going down into the tenor. Thebi-chord unisons kept twanging no matterwhat I did and I couldn’t help thinkingthis must be my fault. The priest came into ask if I wanted a cup of coffee. A tallwoman in a red top in a church full ofdaylight, a Thursday morning. If achurch was dark and gloomy it might putpeople off. That said, its being modern

didn’t mean you could lark about. Therewas still an altar and rows of chairs forthe congregation. There were octaves inthe treble that could no doubt have beenimproved upon but I’d been at it for anhour and anyway was a sinner.

I had said I would like to be paid onthe day and so the treasurer had got themoney ready in advance. It was in a pre-paid envelope. I folded this in half andput it straight in my pocket. I left thechurch and got back on my bike, turningright onto the road. There was a carbehind me, a small white car that soonovertook me. At the mini-roundaboutthere were other cars, but I took the leadand cycled off up the hill, taking theenvelope out of my pocket to try and seeif it was cash. The plan was to paint thefront room before attempting thepuddings (I needed to concentrate withthat much dried fruit), but long term myintention was to learn to pray more or lesscontinuously, to let more light in. Onlythen would Christmas go with a bang.

Books by Clive BensonIf you enjoy Clive’s stories you might like to know that he has written

two books.His new book is called ‘The Invention Of Pianos’ and is a memoir. It

is free but Clive has kindly asked for donations to the PTA GeneralFund instead. It’s possible to donate to the General Fund on your PTASubscription Form, due for return now. Write ‘Clives Book’ in the space.

His first book ‘The Relevance of Sofas’ is also available. Althoughthe subject of this book isn’t a laughing matter being about hisexperience of going through cancer, I thoroughly enjoyed it, the stylebeing unmistakably Clive!

Both books are available from Clive by writing to him at:6 Winstonian Road, Cheltenham, Gloucester GL52 2JE or email him at: crfbenson@yahoo.co.uk

24

In a Spin!Matthew Gough

I was delighted to be asked totune this lovely little Spinet!

Having never been asked to tuneone before I asked our PTA Pianolist for any adviceand I received some very useful responses, giving

me enough confidence to tackle the job in hand.On arrival I was amazed at the pristine condition of the instrument and the

beautiful sound. The first thing that struck me was the size since it was very small.It was made from scratch by a relation of my

customer, a Mr L.G. Edwards of Harlow(Lawrence George Edwards), whose nameappears on the instrument along with the date,1985.

Lawrence was obviously a very skilledcraftsman and used the book ‘Making A Spinetby Traditional Methods’ by John Barnes as hisguide.

It appears from the book that the designis based on a 1715 (approx.) model byStephen Keen.

There were no pedals and only one stringper note and not being an expert on Spinets Iam unsure whether that is always the case.

Tuning it was certainly a joy, with noproblems at all.

One interesting point is that the bottomC# and D# were split into two with a

separate string for each of the four parts!They appeared to be tuned so that thebottom part of the C# was tuned to A andthe bottom part of the D# was tuned to B. II found this most odd but decided to tunethem that way. Why I wondered? Perhapsyou can help? A quarter tone seemed more logical to me but as I say, I’m no expert.

December 2013 25

The meeting of the ExecutiveCouncil was held on 29thNovember at Morleys, Lewisham.

Present were Brian Frost (President),Matthew Gough (Vice President),Andrew Jamieson (Treasurer), AnnetteSummers (Secretary), Anne Burton,Roberta Caradine, Lewis Flisher, JohnLambert, Nigel Polmear, Tania Staite andStephen Venn. A full house!

Barry Caradine attended as anobserver for general parts of the meeting.

The two new PTA Training Days werea complete success. Plenty of peopleattended and both events turned in a profitfor the PTA. We were very grateful toTerry Lewis at Jaques Samuel Pianos forhis donation of £1070 and to Kawai fortheir sponsorship. More training days arein the planning for March and October.

Plans for the May Convention areprogressing well.

Following correspondence from aMember, a letter is being sent to the SkillsMinister suggesting an apprenticeship beset up for musical instrument building,repair or servicing. As of yet thereappears to be no accredited apprenticeshipcovering any musical instrument at all.

Members are to be reminded thatthere is £500 excess on the public andproduct liability insurance benefit forMembers.

£900 has been donated to the MusicTrade Benevolent Fund as a result of ourauction at the Centenary Dinner this year.

There have been two applications forPTA Associates.

A new PTA News Editor will berequired from June next year.

The Year Book is going through aradical redesign and a sample draft waspresented with approval all round. It isbeing compiled using a new databaseproduced by a specialist. This will makethe future compilation of the Year Bookmuch simpler than it has been for decades.Once it is completed the hope is that itcan be incorporated into the new PTAwebsite, talking of which…

A company has been commissionedto build the new website and a ceilingprice was agreed. It is hoped to have it upand running in the next few months.

Brian has attended the latest meetingof Europiano and there will be a report inthe February PTA News. It was decidedby Council that, apart from those whohave already opted out, there will be nomore opt outs from Europiano Magazine.

The updated ‘Code of Conduct’ hasbeen passed on to a solicitor for legalchecking before being put to the AGM.

The date of the next meeting is onSaturday 25th January at 12pm at Morleys,Lewisham.

A full copy of the minutes is availablefrom the PTA Secretary but it may needto be edited for reasons of legality andconfidentiality.

PTA Council MeetingSummary by Matthew Gough

All in all, this was a very joyful experience. I always lovegetting jobs that are slightly different from the norm and thiswas a beautiful instrument that was obviously a labour of lovefor a skilled craftsman. His relative, my customer, is now theproud owner and the Spinet holds a very dear place in herheart.

Any information about the model it was based on (StephenKeene) or the tuning of the 2 bottom split notes would be verywelcome. Do write in to PTA News.

26

Christmas Codeword PuzzleBob Morgan

Names Of PianosEach piano name discovered will reveal at least one. Start with the 6 letter name at thetop which begins with a Z, followed by the next word in the top row with only 1 ‘new’letter, and then proceed to the row below it , and so on. By the time 3 rows are reached

the puzzle should have completed itself, provided that every time a new letter isdiscovered it is entered in the Solution and the Puzzle, wherever the corresponding

number appears. The solution will appear in the next issue. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

December 2013 27

Please note these dates:

PTA Subscriptions Due Now!! Please send your form back with payment

Saturday 18th January, 2014Deadline for Applications for PTA News Editor

A paid position. See page 7 for details of how to apply

PTA Convention 2014 Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th May 2014 Mercure Last Drop Village Hotel, Bolton

Book the dates in your diary now!

For enquiries, PTA goods, changes of address or contact details:Mrs Annette SummersPTA SecretaryPO Box 230HAILSHAMBN27 9EATel: 0845 602 8796E-Mail: secretary@pianotuner.org.uk

DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES: FRIDAY 17th JanuaryArticles, letters and photos to: ptanews@pianotuner.org.uk or to the address on page 3.Please email photos separately to articles.

PTA DIARY

Wishing all contributors to PTA News, allreaders and all who have offered theirsupport to me through the year a veryHAPPY, JOYFUL, PEACEFUL and

RELAXING CHRISTMAS. May yourChristmas holidays help you to rechargeyour batteries and leave you ready andpoised for a superb and successful 2014.

HAPPY TUNING INDEED!!!From Matthew