Vermont Chapter - Piano Technicians Guild

PTG Meeting and Barbecue Potluck Tuesday August 16th 1pm at Hilberts in Bristol

2011-08-09T23:33:00.006-04:00

Again, 1pm, Tuesday August 16th at Hilbert Pianos in Bristol

Please reply to coordinate food dishes!

Also wishing a warm welcome from the chapter to our newer members Justin Rose, Patrick Bransteader, and Helen Weston

Guild Meeting Reminder:

2010-12-31T11:55:00.004-05:00

Allan Day has offered to lead the technical for our January meeting, scheduled for Wednesday January 12th at 3:30pm at the corner of rt. 2A & Lincoln Rd in Williston:

HOW TO MANAGE TEMPERAMENTAL CLIENTS (AND PIANOS)

This will be an interactive presentation,

The business meeting will focus on preparation for the 2012 NEECSO Seminar.

From the Secretary of the VT PTG

2010-11-05T11:41:00.003-04:00

Straight from the shop--

Here is an additional heads up--

Our Next Meeting,

Location: Hilbert Pianos in Bristol

Time: 3:30pm, Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Topic: Planning for a LARGE piano event coming to Burlington, VT in 2012 (New England Eastern Canada Seminar)

We Need Everybody to Weigh In. If you can't come to the meeting, but still want to join with us to make this event successful, please contact Chris Rawson by phone 802-318-0255 or E-mail RawsonPiano@gmail.com to coordinate efforts.

At this time, we are forming committees to organize and plan for things like exhibitors, classes, entertainment, registration, Etc.

Correction

2010-10-19T21:14:00.002-04:00

Hello VT PTG

There is a correction in the last E-Mail

It says:

2012 Convention

It should read:

2012 New England Eastern Canada Seminar.

Thank you.

Chris Rawson

VTPTG Secretary

From the VT PTG Secretary:

2010-10-18T22:32:00.005-04:00

VT PTG Meeting Updates:

Next Meeting, Tuesday, November 9, 2010

at 3:30 pm at Hilbert Pianos in Bristol.

Business Meeting Very Important:

2012 Convention in Vermont, Need All Brains, All Hands, All Expertise we can get to make it a good one! If you can't make it for the 11/9 meeting, please notify when you could. RawsonPiano@gmail.com A special meeting time can be arranged so that all can participate. Again- Very Rare Opportunity

At our last meeting, Allan Day led a thought provoking discussion about how to keep pianos going, and keep customers happy in this economy. Tom McNeil showed a fascinating restoration of a pre-1900 Knabe concert grand, & Chris Rawson showed different places and ways that laser beams can be used to assist in regulation.

At the Business Meeting, we discussed the needs we will have for the upcoming convention, and the need to prepare early:

Here are the possible committees we need so far:

Coordinator: work with the venue

registrar: registration with info transmittal

exhibitors: vendors

Teachers and clasees

publicity/ website/ program

entertainment

Allan Day has offered to lead the technical for our January meeting, Scheduled for January 12th at 3:30pm in Williston :

HOW TO DEAL WITH TEMPERAMENTAL CLIENTS

October PTG Meeting in Montpelier

2010-09-30T07:42:00.003-04:00

New Event:
PTG Meeting Wed. October 13th 3:30pm at Vermont Piano Restorations in Montpelier

At this meeting we plan to discuss 2 topics, 1 "Stayin Alive" discussing ways to keep old instruments going while staying within budget. For the second topic, Chris Rawson will give a demonstration of how to use lasers to mount and align action parts with great prescision.

September Meeting Update

2010-09-11T09:59:00.000-04:00

PTG ANNOUNCEMENT

Our Next PTG Meeting

is scheduled for Tuesday September 14th, 3:30pm at Hilbert Pianos in Bristol

Topic:

Chris Rawson will give a presentation on the use of modern handheld computer technology to organize schedules and create databases on the go. The technical will begin with an open discussion on databases in general, then will talk about benefits of having a digital database, then of having a portable digital database. He will then describe how to build one using the Iphone app: Tap Forms Database, along with Microsoft Excel. Handheld scheduling software will also be discussed, along with how to use the database for digital billing.

Allan Day will demonstrate the technique of "molecular tuning" on problematic bass strings. This is a technique developed and tested by Marcel LaPointe of Quebec. Marcel is a technical "wizard" who breaks the art of tuning and voicing down to the anatomical and "molecular" level.

Allan will also demonstrate how " Pitch-loc" clips can improve egregiously bad bass string bichord unisons and problems with front duplex noise.

Both Chris and Allan's program will be exploring how "cutting edge" technology can make you more resourceful.

September Meeting

2010-09-04T17:27:00.001-04:00

PTG ANNOUNCEMENT

Our Next PTG Meeting

is scheduled for Tuesday September 14th, 3:30pm at Hilbert Pianos in Bristol

Topic:

Allan Day will finish off the meeting with a presentation of his own TBA

VT PTG announcements

2010-07-05T11:07:00.002-04:00

Upcoming Events:
*Wednesday, August 11, 2010 @1pm, PTG social potluck, located at Allan Day's
home in Williston. Please email rpsvt@juno.com if you are planning to
come. Please include in the email what dish you plan to bring.

*Tuesday, September 14, 2010 PTG Guild meeting, Please email
rpsvt@juno.com if you are able to host the meeting. Suggestions are
needed for the topic of the meeting.

Minute Highlights from the June 2010 meeting:
--Chris Rawson accepted the position of Secretary.

--A plan to hold future PTG meetings at different times and places was proposed as follows: Alternate meeting time and place each month. One month on tuesday at a southern location (possibly Hilbert Pianos), and the next month on Wednesday at northern location (possibly Allan Day's home). This proposal takes into account availability of different technicians. Data was collected over the previous several months. Tuesday would always be a southern location, and Wednesday would always be a northern location as a general rule.
More insight on this topic is always helpful to make the PTG meetings as effective as possible for all members.

--Rose gave a thorough and insightful powerpoint presentation on efficient business practices, using the latest technology.

May PTG Meeting

2010-05-08T21:36:00.003-04:00

After an extended look at most of the 37 steps of Grand Piano Regulation the past two meetings, we will complete the final few steps this month. It has been a great set of technical sessions led by Ed Hilbert. Don't miss this last one!

Time: 3:30
Date: Tuesday, May 11th
Place: Hilbert Pianos
40 Pleasant Street
Bristol, VT

Any questions or comments, please e-mail vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail.com.

If any former Vermont PTG technicians do not wish to receive these blog updates, please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button at the bottom of the page.

April Meeting

2010-04-20T08:28:00.006-04:00

This month, we have a change in date for our meeting. It will be on the 27th starting at 3:30 with a business meeting as usual. We will continue the technical on Grand Piano Regulation, completing the 37 steps of regulation.

Time: 3:30

Place: Hilbert Pianos
40 Pleasant Street
Bristol, VT

We have been discussing a new monthly meeting day instead of Tuesday. It seems as if Wednesdays work better for most members. We should finalize this decision in the business meeting.

Any questions or comments, please e-mail vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail.com.

PS: If any former Vermont PTG technicians do not wish to receive these blog updates, please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button at the bottom of the page.

March 9th Meeting

2010-03-07T17:18:00.002-05:00

Hello Piano Technicians!

This month's meeting is on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 starting around 3:30 with the technical starting around 4:15 at Hilbert Pianos in Bristol.

Address: 40 Pleasant St, Bristol, VT

The third session would be actually going through the regulation procedure. Also, a discussion on the minimum and maximum parameters of various measurements and what happens when these get out of range - such as hammer blow, key dip, after-touch. etc. Jigs and tools to make the work easier and more accurate can be shown and explained.

Directions are available upon request.

See you there!

Greg Moore, RPT
Secretary for VT PTG

Part 2 Grand Piano Regulation

2010-02-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, February 9th, the Vermont Chapter will be hosting the second part in a four part series on Grand Piano Regulation. The meeting begins at 3:30 PM at Hilbert Pianos on 40 Pleasant St. in Bristol. For directions and other information please call (802) 453-3743.

These opportunities can often come with a price tag, please take advantage of this FREE opportunity to improve and refine your skills.

Here is a description of the program, as described by Ed Hilbert:

February 9th: Part Two

The second presentation deals with what needs to be considered and done to many actions before they are really ready to be regulated. In other words, prep work such as cleaning, restoring proper friction, shaping of hammers, replacing or reshaping various parts (knuckles, whippen cloth, regulating button cloth, etc.) Only when this work is done is an action really ready for high level regulating.

Grand Regulation

2010-01-06T07:46:00.003-05:00

Hello Piano Technicians!

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 starting at around 3:30 (technical starts at around 4:15) at Hilbert Pianos in Bristol.

Please RSVP by replying to this email or calling 802-453-3743 (Hilbert Pianos) 40 Pleasant St, Bristol,VT. If you need directions, please reply and I’ll be happy to provide them to you. If the driving conditions are questionable on the day of the meeting, please call the Hilbert’s to see if the meeting is still on.

These opportunities can often come with a price tag, please take advantage of this FREE opportunity to improve and refine your skills.

Here is a description of the program, as described by Ed Hilbert:

JANUARY 12th: Part One

“As for this Tuesday, Emily and I will both be in the shop and can be available to any and all who would like to come and work on any aspect of piano work in which we may be able to help. In other words, have an open, hands-on for any who come. If we are lucky enough to have any of the more experienced technicians come then they too can share their pearls of wisdom.

If you are able to come, please email me or call (453-3743) to let me know you are planning to come. If you have a particular project or idea you wish to work on, let us know about that and we'll try to be prepared to help you with your particular interest. We'll be glad to see as many of you as can make it. We'll be here pretty much all day, but certainly from 3:30 (our regular starting time) on.

First, we should discuss basic concepts of how an action works and why it is designed as it is. We can discuss the artist's needs for control which includes ESP = Efficiency, Speed, and Power (the action conveying the artist's desires, repetition speed, and dynamic level range. How has the modern action evolved to answer these needs?

FEBRUARY, 9 2010 Part 2

The second presentation deals with what needs to be considered and done to many actions before they are really ready to be regulated. In other words, prep work such as cleaning, restoring proper friction, shaping of hammers, replacing or reshaping various parts (knuckles, wippen cloth, regulating button cloth, etc.) Only when this work is done is an action really ready for high level regulating.

MARCH 9th, 2010 Part 3

The third session would be actually going through the regulation procedure. Also, a discussion on the minimum and maximum parameters of various measurements and what happens when these get out of range - such as hammer blow, key dip, after-touch. etc. Jigs and tools to make the work easier and more accurate can be shown and explained.

April 13, 2010 Part 4

In the fourth session, we can discuss trouble shooting of various problems. While many of the common problems in actions not working well are cleared up in the preparation work and regulating, often actions just don't work properly because something fundamental (but not obvious) is wrong. This could include problems such as action geometry not being correct (think of parts that have moved, pot metal action brackets that have changed, etc.), incorrect parts having been installed by someone else previously, poor quality parts not functioning well, etc

October 2009 Meeting

2009-09-22T17:47:00.005-04:00

This month we are planning on a trip to the Frederick Collection in:

ASHBURNHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, USA

Please check out: http://www.frederickcollection.org/

The purpose of the Frederick Piano Collection is to give musicians and music lovers a chance to hear works by major piano composers, played on pianos such as those the composers knew, and for which their music was conceived.

The Collection includes only grand pianos, by important makers whose instruments were highly regarded in their day, acquired in basically good condition, with most of their original materials intact (especially soundboards). It aims to match each instrument to a specific composer or generation of composers known to have used or preferred that make and vintage of piano. The period of pianos in the Collection extends from about 1790 to 1907, representing music from Haydn and Beethoven through the French Impressionists.

We look forward to seeing you there. For more information please contact visit the web site.

Details will follow as to timing and carpooling. Please tell us if someone can ride with you at vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail (dot) com.

June Cookout

2009-06-08T12:35:00.002-04:00

It's BBQ time! Ed and Emily Hilbert will be hosting this month's get-together featuring a potluck cookout. So be sure to come with an empty stomach. Chicken and hamburgers will be provided. Please RSVP if you haven't already with what food you want to bring and eat.

We will have an abbreviated technical on managing future appointments and customer databases.

Date: Tuesday, June 9th
Time: 3:30 PM - 6:00
Place: 40 Pleasant St.
Bristol, VT

Contact info: Ed or Emily Hilbert 802-453-3743

Don't forget to bring some extra food along!

May Meeting

2009-05-09T11:29:00.003-04:00

SOUNDBOARD AND RIB:

Ed Hilbert will be sharing his expertise on soundboard and rib repairs for both grands and uprights.

Date: May 12th Generally the second Tuesday of every month unless otherwise noted

Meeting Place: Ed and Emily Hilbert

40 Pleasant St.

Bristol, VT

Meeting Time: 3:30 - 6:00 PM

April in Review

2009-04-30T16:43:00.005-04:00

The past meeting's discussion focused on contracts used by members of the Vermont Piano Technicians Guild. Tom Roby and Ed and Emily Hilbert brought a number of very insightful contracts to the table. They included contracts for moving pianos, selling pianos, working on pianos, renting pianos etc. The bottom line: if you are a piano technician, it is very important to have the right contracts for the job to protect yourself. All attendees had the additional benefit of being given copies to peruse.

April Meeting

2009-04-07T08:21:00.002-04:00

Next month’s meeting will be Tuesday, April 14th at Hilbert Pianos located at 40 Pleasant St, Bristol. If anyone needs directions please call the Hilberts at 802-453-3743.

Technical: Please everyone bring in your contracts! We will discuss business contracts (for example rental agreements and project estimates). Ed Hilbert will moderate the discussion.

We will also have the unique opportunity to look at a 1792 Broadwood Square which will have just returned from Tim Hamilton's shop in Boston. It has had a complete rebuild to be restored back to good playing condition. I think the members who can turn up will enjoy seeing it and getting a chance to play on it. So, all of you out there who would like to try a properly restored 217 year old piano, come early so you can get a little playing time in on it.

Meeting time is 3:30 - 6:00 PM.

March Meeting

2009-03-04T08:12:00.003-05:00

Allan Day said he would be happy to present a technical at his house on a review of the classes he attended at the California State Conference. He says, "I was very impressed with the caliber of the teachers and practical application of the subject matter. One technical of note was by Darrell and Heather Fandrich. They have developed a computer assisted touch weight control method and program. This makes it possible to achieve a remarkably smooth and uniform touch that can be applied to any piano. I will show the graphics on my TV screen and explain how the program is used." He also indicated that he would follow up on the mystery lubricant that necessitated a full restringing on a customer's Steinway model 45.

See you on March 10th!

Place: Allan Day
8 Lincoln Rd.
Williston, VT
Call for directions: 1-802-879-4338
Time: 3:30- 6:00 PM

More Pianos on vtpianosale.blogspot.com

2009-01-29T13:41:00.004-05:00

Vermont Pianos for Sale has been updated with 6 more pianos! It is free advertising for all guild members who want to participate. Not only that, but you can also present a greater selection to your clients who are in the market for a piano.
Don't forget: vtpianosale.blogspot.com. You can also access vtpianosale.blogspot.com through our PTG Chapter blog vtptg.blogspot.com.

February Meeting

2009-01-28T18:38:00.004-05:00

RPT Exam Prep. Class

Attention Associate Members! This class is especially for associate members who are working on becoming RPTs. Marc Poulin, our chapter's CTE, will be the class instructor. Associates will be able to practice on action models and jigs in order to sharpen their skills for the RPT exams. RPTs will benefit from this class too! Be sure to come!

If you are an associate member you will not want to miss this meeting.

Details:

Date: Tuesday February 10, 2009
Time: 3:30-6:00
Place: Hilbert Pianos
40 Pleasant St.
Bristol, VT 05443
Meal to follow at a local restaurant

If you have any questions please e-mail vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail (dot) com or call Ed and Emily Hilbert at (802) 453-3743.

January Meeting

2009-01-07T10:54:00.004-05:00

Date: Tuesday, January 13
Time: 3:30- 6:00 PM
Place: Tom McNeil in Barre

Description:

We will have a tech session on lubricants this month. If anyone
has anything formally prepared, let her or him lead the session. If not,
we're sure to have a lively discussion if we each throw a few of our favorite lubes in a box and bring them for 'show and tell'. Such informal sessions can be highly informative and great fun!

Contact: Tom McNeill for directions mcneiltom (at) aol (dot) com

Any other questions: Please e-mail vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail (dot) com

January Meeting

2009-01-03T12:07:00.004-05:00

The meeting date, place and subject is still being deliberated. We will keep you posted.

News and Stories

2008-11-13T15:33:00.004-05:00

Since this blog is a newsletter as well as a source of announcements, it would be nice for some of you to write stories that have to do with pianos. For example, I traveled to Ukraine and tuned some Russian pianos while I was there. I will write a short story about my experience with those pianos and post it on the blog. You can do the same. It can be funny, dangerous, or just everyday. Please be thinking of something you would like to tell the rest of us about and be apart this newsletter.

Please send your stories and pictures to vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you.

Greg Moore
Secretary, VT PTG

November Meeting Update

2008-11-13T14:33:00.007-05:00

With a substantial turnout for the third straight meeting in a row, Vermont Piano Technicians gathered to hear Lowell Wakker lead a class on the Verituner with Allan Day presenting his expertise on the CyberTuner. There was quite a diverse group ranging from aural tuners, Accutuner users, Verituner users and CyberTuner users who were all interested in the strengths or weaknesses of each system. With the latest advances in ETD technology tuners are able to create tunings that are customizable to their individual tastes or the preferences of the customer with greater ease than ever before.

Next meeting will be in January with the subject being RPT skills. More will be posted as the time gets closer. Have a great holiday season!

Piano Sales Blog

2008-11-13T13:10:00.005-05:00

With at least 5 dealers in the State and many more technicians in used sales or commission sales, there may be a need to help buyers and sellers connect. Nothing would be better than to have an area in which we can list pianos we have for sale where others including clients can look. With that in mind, I decided to give it a try and see what the response would be from all of you. Because this is a test at the moment, I would like some feedback from you with comments, suggestions or criticisms.

Pros:

1. Ease of matching pianos to customers
2. Helps clients sell their pianos
3. Gives a broader range of pianos to choose from
4. Even "Free" pianos can be listed (buyer beware)
5. It would be fun to sell a piano :o)
6. Good way to advertise your pianos to the rest of the technicians
7. You can even upload pictures, slide-shows and videos of your piano
8. Site can be developed further
9. If you own a store, you can advertise it and point to your web page, email or telephone number at the same time.
10. Your comments

Cons:

1. None that I can think of.
2. Tell me what you think. You can either e-mail me or place a comment in the comment box below this post.

Here is the blog site http://vtpianosale.blogspot.com/

Comment, the piano that is listed is a piano I am trying to sell for a client. This is something like what your ad could look like.

Respectfully,
Greg Moore RPT
Secretary, Vermont PTG
LVPianos (at) gmail (dot) com

November Meeting

2008-10-29T15:46:00.006-04:00

Lowell Wakker RPT will be presenting a technical this month on the Verituner. The discussion is meant to explain strengths and weaknesses of the machine, and hopefully provide time to experiment with the spectrum display in evaluating tone.

For those who may be new to the area or to the Guild, our meetings are usually on the second Tuesday of every month. We usually go out to eat after the meeting.

Date: Tuesday, November 11
Time: 3:30 PM too 6:00 PM
Place: Ed and Emily Hilbert
40 Pleasant St.
Bristol VT 05445

Contact info: (802) 453-3743
or vtptg.now (at) gmail.com

Between Artist and Technician

2008-10-13T07:20:00.002-04:00

“Between Artist and Technician”

October 16th, Vermont PTG Meeting

Steve Brady and Judith Cohen

In this class, an experienced concert technician and a concert pianist team up to discuss the interaction between artist and technician before, during, and after a piano concert. Topics covered include communication, priorities, and the psychology of the pianist versus that of the technician, as well as specific tips and techniques for concert work, all illustrated with examples drawn from Steve’s and Judith’s respective careers. Copies of Steve’s new book will be available for purchase.

Steve Brady has been a piano technician since 1973, and served as head piano technician at the University of Washington from 1978 till 2003. During those 25 years he tuned and prepared pianos for approximately 5,000 concerts and recitals, and worked with most of the leading pianists of our time, including Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel, Andras Schiff, Garrick Ohlsson, Emanuel Ax, Peter Serkin, Richard Goode, Claudio Arrau, Alicia de Larrocha, Andre Watts, Vladimir Feltsman, Lang Lang, and Evgeny Kissin.

Steve served as editor of the Piano Technicians Journal for six years (1995-2000). In 1996 he received the PTG “Member of Note” award, and in 1999 PTG published his book, A Piano Technician’s Guide to Field Repairs. His second book, Under the Lid: The Art and Craft of the Concert Piano Technician, was published in March of this year. In his spare time Steve enjoys cooking, tending his wine cellar, and dancing Argentine tango. He lives in Seattle with his wife, the concert pianist Judith Cohen.

October Meeting

2008-10-07T20:32:00.004-04:00

This month's meeting will feature Steve Brady RPT from Washington State. Steve has recently published a book called Under the Lid - The Art & Craft of the Concert Piano Technician. The topic will be "Between the Technician and the Artist" featuring a discussion between he and his wife who is a concert pianist. This is a meeting you won't want to miss. More information on the topic will follow.

Date: October 16th
Time: Out of State 4 PM to 6 PM
Time: Vermont Technicians 3:30 PM to 6 PM
Place: Ed and Emily Hilbert
40 Pleasant St.
Bristol, VT
Contact: Hilbert Pianos
802-453-3743

hilbert@middlebury.edu

Please RSVP as soon as possible.

September Meeting

2008-09-01T08:51:00.043-04:00

Attention all Piano Technicians!

Announcing a Free All-Day Technical Seminar

Saturday, September 27^th, 9am to 4pm

June Meeting

2008-05-16T12:34:00.004-04:00

The next Vermont PTG Chapter Meeting--

WILL START EARLY, at 2 PM.

Tuesday, June 10

at the Hilberts'
40 Court St, in Bristol

We're very fortunate and excited to have Marcel Lapointe as a featured guest from Quebec City. Marcel will spend the afternoon with us in a voicing class you won't want to miss. The extra time
will give plenty of opportunity for some hands-on experience with some of the many innovative voicing techniques that Marcel has developed over the years. Marcel has a well-earned reputation within PTG for his skill, enthusiasm, generosity, and good-nature.

Looking forward to seeing you all with Marcel Lapointe, at the Hilberts' in Bristol, 2:00 pm on June 10!

The following is Marcel's "bio" and class description, in his own words:

********
Bio.

ML,
Born by curiosity, ( direct translation from French) at 4 years old, I decided
to become a tuner.
After a small detour studying the saxophone at Quebec Conservatory for 7
years, (before I was too small to pull the tuning hammer).
I started learning in the old French way as master and apprentice with the
Conservatory tuner.
I started being a real tuner at 18 years old. My first factory training was at
Mason Hamlin in Boston, and 15 years ago studied in Hamburg at Steinway.
I discovered PTG 25 years ago and since that time spended all the possible time
at the conventions Nationnal or regionnal.
There not only you can learn zillions of things, but best of all, you will meet
friends for life.
I tune and voice mainly for concerts for the last 20 years.
Piano is an endless quest for Graal for someone born by curiosity.

Class.
We will explore many different ways to eliminate false beats, some are
unorthodoxes, some are old ones forgotten.
Maybe we will find a new one altogether, who knows?
Thanks to the readings of pianotek list for almost 10 years, many fine PTG
members drove me on the path of finding many differents solutions. They will
not work all the time, ( differents causes), but you will have many more tricks
in your bag to find solutions.
I will show a cross / breed way of sanding the hammers
(German/French/American) .
I will give a demonstration of hammers/strings mating , with accuracy and
speed. All the tools needed are very easy to do yourself.

Meeting update

2008-05-14T12:49:00.000-04:00

May 13 found PTGers arriving at Frederick Johnson Pianos in White River Junction; some an hour early! Now that's dedication. As was anticipated, we had a gathering of 8 including a new face: Helen Weston, from Bristol who is contemplating entering the other side of the piano world. It was also good to see Michael Lynam, a new comer visiting a second time. We were all treated to a class with Dale Howe as he taught on tuning. With about 40 years of tuning experience, it was a challenge to fit all his knowledge inside the time alloted. However, he persevered and gave us a chance to get a good meal at a local restaurant before heading home.

Meeting Notice

2008-04-26T11:06:00.004-04:00

Our next meeting will be at

Frederick Johnson Pianos Inc.

in
White River Junction.
Date: May 13
Time: 4:30
Phone: (802) 985-5406
Map
E-mail: vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail (dot) com

Dale Howe will do a tuning technical. We will go out to eat afterward. Hope to see you there!

This Month's Meeting

2008-04-17T09:33:00.008-04:00

Allan Day showing us some unique and interesting projects he is working on.

1790 Longman & Broderip square fortepiano

Allan demonstrating the way this thing works

We had a good-size turnout -- nine in all

Ed Hilbert explaining the effect of swelling and shrinking of wood over 2 plus centuries

Unfortunately, no pictures were taken of the Steinway action which Allan is working on. Thanks, Allan, for leading the discussion and showing us your one-of-a-kind instruments.

NEECSO

2008-04-08T11:07:00.002-04:00

The New Hampshire Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild proudly presents our finest offering ever:

NEECSO 2008

“ART, CRAFT, & INNOVATION”

April 24 to 27, 2008

Highlights include:

35 classes by 29 instructors

13 brand spankin’ new classes (that’s 37 %!)

Thrifty Thursday, with 5 one day classes by nationally known instructors – yours for only $50 more!

A 9 class series “Grand Action Restoration – Raising the Bar”

“Rib Crowned and Supported Soundboards – Towards A New Paradigm?”

Two days of classes on soundboard design and construction by Ron Nossaman and Terry Farrell

“Of Mics and Men (Women and Pianos) – The Art of Recording the Piano” presented by NYC studio piano technician veteran Barbara Pease Renner and 11 time Grammy winning recording engineer Jack Renner

Other instructors include: David Anderson, Steve Brady, Kent Webb, Wally Brooks, Don Manino, Andre & Christian Bolduc, David Stanwood, and many, many more!

Special seminar hotel rate of $99 per night at the Radisson Hotel.

A pdf. of our brochure, class descriptions, other highlights, and online registration are available on our website at www.ptg.org/neecso. Or contact:

Bill Ballard

NEECSO '08 Registrar

POB 84

Saxtons River, VT 05154

neecso.registrar@ptg.org

Air travelers can fly into the Manchester, N. H. airport and take the free Radisson limo service directly to the hotel.

This will be the only Region 1 Conference prior to the Annual in Anaheim!

Meeting notice

2008-03-16T16:09:00.007-04:00

The next meeting will be at Allan Day's shop on April 8th. He is restoring a 1790 Longman & Broderip square fortepiano from London and an 1876 Steinway A.
The Steinway got a new back action to replace the old screw-in damper wires. The old sostenuto used a cord that got snagged by metal tabs on the top flanges. That system has been scrapped and a modern sutenuto bar is now being adapted to the old action. Come and see the work in progress.

Meeting Date: April 8th
Meeting time: 3:30 PM
Technical: 4:10 PM
Host: Allan Day
Address: 8 Lincoln Rd.,
WILLISTON, VT 05495

Phone: 802-879-4338
Email: Pianomanday@comcast.net

We will go out to eat at a local restaurant following the meeting.

Websites

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To all Vermont piano technicians who see this and have websites which they want posted, please send an e-mail to vtptg (dot) now (at) gmail (dot) com, or leave a message in the comment box below.

This Month's Meeting

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Lowell Wakker RPT teaching the group about using tools properly and safely.

Everyone paying close attention as...

...Lowell demonstrates how to handle a radial arm saw.

This is a jig for safely guiding a thin piece of wood through a table saw.

Click the picture for a closer view. These are Lowell's sketches on how to properly sharpen twist drills - otherwise known as drill bits. Thank you, Lowell, for the great job teaching this class.

Lowell Wakker Presents: Safety & Savvy

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Power Tool Basics; Safety & Savvy: Led by Lowell Wakker

Lowell Wakker, RPT, will be giving a technical presentation on how to use power tools safely.

Be sure to come. It will be a time of fun and learning.

Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Meeting Time: 3:30 PM
Technical Time: 4:10 PM
Place Ed & Emily Hilbert
40 Pleasant St.
Bristol, VT

Welcome

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Welcome to the Vermont Chapter of the Piano Technician's Guild! This will keep everyone informed of the latest news. So come back soon to check for updates!