February 2016
The Piano department at Forsyths, 129 Deansgate, Manchester
Piano Technicians at work in the workshop of Matsuo Instruments, Japan 2 CONTENTS
Editorial — 4 President Writes — 5 Membership News — 6 PTA Training Day Information — 7 H Matsuo Musical Instruments — 8 Piano of the Month — 11 Piano Technology School — 13 Images from Piano History — No 9 — 16 Return of the PTA Factory Visit — 17 Piano Picture Quiz — 18 PTA Piano Sales Encouragement Scheme — 19 Annual Convention and AGM — 20 Letters to the Editor — 21 Codeword Solution — 21 Council Report — 22 PTA Diary — 23
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The next deadline for PTA News is: Friday 18th March 2016. PTA News is the Newsletter of the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association. All views expressed are those of the contributors, not necessarily reflecting those of the PTA or the editorial team. Please send items for publication to ‘The Editor’, preferably via email with photographs sent separately from the text. Posted items can only be returned if accompanied by an SAE. Please obtain the necessary permission before submitting copyright items.
PTA News, 49 South Hamilton Street, KILMARNOCK, KA1 2DT Email: [email protected]
3 EDITORIAL ANNE BURTON
When Yumi Shigeno was in Japan recently she visited the piano shop, H. Matsuo Musical Instruments, and has written an interesting article about her visit to this unique establishment on page 8. Following on from his article ‘Terry Pamplin Revisited’ in the October 2015 PTAN, Peter Crunden has sent in ‘Piano of the Month’, (page 11), an article by J W T Roope, which was first published in “The Pianomaker, Music and Radio Retailer” in February 1967. We thank the IMIT for generously allowing it to be reprinted again here. I hope that you will find the information about the new course which Steven Droy has started in Northampton to be of great interest (page 13). After a visit which is planned to the Piano Technology School, a follow up article should appear in the next issue along with some photographs. The next fascinating instalment of ‘Images from Piano History from Dr A Laurence is all about Frank Squire, page 16. Do you fancy a visit to a tuning fork factory? See page 17 for details about a visit to Granton Ragg in Sheffield, organised by Paul Fox. You’ll find the answers to the Codeword (page 21) and the Picture Quiz (page 18) from last December. However, the next picture quiz a bit trickier than the first; do send your efforts to Nigel Donovan who will let you know how you fared. The Convention is not so many months away now; the programme of classes is published on page 20. I would be grateful of anyone who attended the PTDAE and/or the Wessell, Nickel and Gross courses would write an account of these and send it to me for inclusion in the next issue of the Newsletter as this would be of interest to our readers. You may (but hopefully not) have noticed that we have been having some difficulties with getting the last two newsletter issues to the proof reader but fortunately these seem to have been resolved now. Typically with one problem resolved, I’m now experiencing difficulties with the software not allowing images to load properly and consequently it is taking much longer to produce the newsletter. DEADLINE FOR PTAN ARTICLES: FRIDAY 18th March 2016 Articles, letters and photos to: [email protected] or to address on page 3. Please email photographs and text separately.
4 THE PRESIDENT WRITES ANNE BURTON
The deadline for Convention paperwork will be strictly adhered to this year. Please make your choice from the wonderful classes on offer and send Andrew Jamieson your booking form before 1st March; note that double Convention fees are applicable after this date, see page 20 for the Technical Classes. Rick Ohlendorf, PTA Examiner, very ably assisted by Kevin Brice, is giving the Friday afternoon class ‘How to Pass the PTA Test’ which is free of charge to any Associate or PTA Student. It’s a great opportunity for anyone considering becoming a Member to hear and see precisely what is involved. I remember attending some years ago now and repeatedly thinking “I can do that”; this had the effect of reducing my thoughts of the Test as ‘a really big thing’ to something quite manageable. With expert guidance and tuition — thank you to my mentors — (and some practice on my part) I passed! The benefits of Membership are wholly worthwhile and it is a good thing to have something to aim for and a standard to achieve. Steve Droy’s information about his course is on page 13. The PTA plans to visit the course to see staff and students and a report will appear in the next issue of the PTANews. In the Council report you will read that Yumi Shigeno has been looking through the PTA Rules and has raised some points which will be put to the Membership for voting at the AGM on Saturday 14th May at 11.30am; I hope that you will come to Barnstaple and attend the main event of the PTA year. I am looking forward to meeting those who will be brushing up their grand damper skills at Forsyths in Manchester who are kindly hosting our next Training Day and sponsoring it with Schimmel. Paul Fox has kindly organised the Factory visit to see how tuning forks are made; full details on page 17. I hope that Members will be interested and able to attend as there are so few opportunities now for visits to anything piano- related in the UK. Many thanks indeed to all those who replied to our advert and kindly offered to house the PTA Library. Council has now accepted the offer from Martin Backhouse and I’ll let you know when the library is set up in its new home. An enormous thank you to Reg Montague for having been PTA Librarian. Thank you to Tania Staite who has taken over recording PTAN to disc. Anne Burton PTA President
5 MEMBERSHIP NEWS ANNETTE SUMMERS
Please note these changes to the 2015/2016 Yearbook: 1002 Mr I M Lubert 37 Hill Rise LONDON NW11 6LY Tel: 020 8123 6553 Email: [email protected] 1228 Mr P Symes (telephone and email remain the same) 75 Wallwood Road Leytonstone LONDON E11 1AY 1046 Mr R T Ponton (new mobile and email) Mob: 07907 658389 Email: [email protected] 1101 Mr H Burgess (new mobile telephone number) Mob: 07517 871779 A340 Ms Rie Michishita 16 Kingsfield Road HARROW Middlesex HA1 3DD Tel: 07804 270555 Email: [email protected] We welcome back PTA Patron: P1319 Mr R Dain Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios The Hurst Crouch Borough Green SEVENOAKS Kent TN15 8TA
Please send all changes of address, telephone and email to The Secretary using the contact details on Page 23.
6 PTA TRAINING DAY INFORMATION Sunday 6th March, 2016 Grand Damper Regulation With Christian Fromm, Klavierbauer at Wilhelm Schimmel Pianofortefabrik, Braunschweig, Germany at Forsyth Brothers Ltd., 126 Deansgate Manchester M3 2GR 10.30 am for 11am – 5pm Please arrive at 10.30am for registration and coffee. The class will start at 11.00am and there will be a break for lunch, with the class finishing at 5.00pm. Please bring a packed lunch; tea and coffee will be provided. The day will be a practical hands-on class covering regulation of grand dampers, so please bring your regulation tools.
Forsyths is located in central Manchester on the block next to the House of Fraser store, Kendals. There are many car parks close by and the FREE No 1 City Centre Bus stops at Forsyths. The following is a link to The Manchester Metro Shuttle Guide. Bus number 1 will take you from Manchester Piccadilly to Forsyths: http://www.tfgm.com/buses/Documents/Metroshuttle-Infosheet.pdf
If you need any further information please contact Gary Whiteland on 07910 975 925 or [email protected]
The PTA is very grateful to Schimmel Pianos for sponsoring this event and also to Forsyth Brothers Ltd for sponsoring and hosting the event.
7 MUSIC AT ITS HEART H. MATSUO MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (MATSUO GAKKI SHOKAI), TOKYO BY YUMI SHIGENO
It was two winters ago that I was introduced to this remarkable music establishment by Mr Kitamura (of Hibiki Tools). I was so impressed by their exceptional standards that I requested a re-visit to their workshop during my short stay in Tokyo last month with the intent of writing a report here. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Mr Kurata, the Deputy Director of Technical Services flanked by three other technicians. This is the technical branch of Matsuo Gakki located near the centre of Tokyo, a couple of subway stops away from their main office and showroom. The space is semi- industrial, without a lot of decorations or formality. We sat around a table in the middle of the workshop and started talking. The company was founded in 1953 by Hiroshi Matsuo, then the Concert Manager of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, who was also involved in the planning of the NHK Broadcasting Centre. He was reported to have been to the UK to visit the recording studios of BBC Mr Kurata, Yumi Shigeno and two technicians during the Centre’s preparation, and seen a lot of pianos (particularly of Steinway) there. He went on to become the major importer of Steinway and Bösendorfer pianos, and the firm remained Steinway’s sole agent in Japan until 18 years ago. The current President, Haruki Matsuo, is a professionally trained Harpist, and not surprisingly harps are sold as well as pianos, harpsichords and organs at Matsuo Instruments. They have a small recital room seating 88 people (one for each key!) as well as three rehearsal studios at their showroom location.
8 While we were conversing, their piano mover arrived in his special van to deliver some grand pianos. I was fascinated to see their climate-controlled van with extra smooth air-pressure springs in operation! Matsuo looks after some 300 or so concert venues throughout Japan, so it is critical that their pianos are transported in the most desirable climatic and physical conditions – what can be more ideal!? In the 60 years since inception, Matsuo has sold more than 4000 Steinway pianos and over 150 Bösendorfers (agent till 1978). With last year alone, they have carried out major restoration works on nearly 40 concert State-of-the-art piano mover’s van instruments. Particularly notable is the fact that roughly half of the company’s profit comes from the technical division. With this level of contribution, their technicians must be very proud and valued members of the firm. There are currently 15 full-time technician employees and 15 free-lancers working for Matsuo. What is amazing is that all these 30 technicians are fully trained concert technicians with all the necessary skills to work with professional pianists. Everybody who joins the technical team goes through the same full course of training from stringing, frame refurbishment, keyboard and action maintenance and regulation, pedals and dampers, to tuning and voicing. Each person is allowed the time to develop at his/her own pace to reach the necessary standards to operate at a concert platform.
9 I was particularly moved by Mr Kurata’s comment on “the one and the only requirement for a concert tuner”, which he states as “the love for music”. In one corner of the workshop, mounted on the wall is a sizable collection of CDs belonging to various members of the team. People frequently listen to these at lunch breaks, discussing particular recordings (quite a few of these feature pianos prepared by current and past colleagues) and learning about wider piano repertoires and pianists, artists with specific tonal tastes, playing styles, etc.
Workshop with impressive CD collection
Matsuo is not shy about charging for their expert services. Currently their tuning fee for a grand piano is 23,000 Yen (£135) – an impressive figure, particularly when we consider that the Japanese economy has been in a virtual deflation for decades (I remember for instance, a cup of coffee used to cost anywhere between £2 to £5 almost 30 years ago, and that is still the case today!). I must hasten to add that a Matsuo technician could easily spend two full hours or more doing not only a complete tuning but also some additional maintenance work, and never a quick “tune and run” style visit in 45 minutes. I am told that Matsuo Instruments is a very unique entity within Japan. I won’t be surprised if a company like that is rare in the world too. Whatever the case, and most importantly for me, I am inspired! Photographs by Mr Kitamura (of Hibiki tools) Photograph of piano mover van by Y Shigeno
10 PIANO OF THE MONTH BY J W T ROOPE THE PIANOMAKER, MUSIC AND RADIO RETAILER, FEBRUARY, 1967 REPRINTED HERE WITH PERMISSION FROM THE IMIT
Those who saw the Piano Publicity Stand at the Schoolboys and Schoolgirls Exhibition at Olympia just recently, may remember that in September last I wrote about the Player Piano and promised to give further information about Terence Pamplin’s invention which began as a Thesis for the Graduateship of the Institute of Instrument Technology. To take things in their chronological order, we must start with Terry’s idea to substitute magnetic tape for the punched paper roll because standard tape decks are easily available and their size is smaller than that of the spools and driving mechanism of the paper roll; added to this, is the fact that they can be erased and used again also the storage space is less. THE MODEL The first step was to make possible the storage of information which would finally lead to the playing of notes and chords, and give them their correct time value; at this time the problem of expression was not considered. A three-note model was made so that single notes could be struck with any rapidity also combinations of those three could be selected. Two methods were considered for recording the data (1) Rapidly scanning the contacts made by the key, coding the information, and presenting this in the form of pulses. (2) Causing each key to operate an oscillator which would give a frequency which could be handled by a commercial tape recorder; the length of time that the key was down would control the width of the pulse of this frequency. On the replay, the tape signal would be played into a distributive network that would feed three electrical filter circuits (one per key) and the one which would allow the filter to pass would control an amplifier which operates a solenoid the plunger of which pushes the back end of the key. It must be noticed that the oscillator frequencies have no connection with the frequency of the musical note, and since this is so, the rise and fall of the wave does not interest us, but only the length of time that the oscillator is allowed to record, so that when the signal is played back, it will have to be ‘demodulated’ which means that as only the length of time that the signal will be required to determine the length of time that the key is depressed, the signal will pass through a rectifier to remove one half of the sine waves, and then to an integrating (adding-up) circuit to give the total value of the half-cycles.
11 FILTERS AND BANDWIDTH Electrical filters are circuits which allow a certain ‘band’ of frequencies to pass, and reject others that are below or above. Filters have a characteristic which is called a ‘rise time’, that is, that time it takes to get the filter to oscillate (or resonate); for our purpose this rise time will have to be much less than the fastest repetition rate that can be acquired by a good pianist. It was agreed that a rise time of 10 milliseconds (10 thousandths of a second) was considered adequate. In order that filters can reject the unwanted frequencies, there has to be a chancel between each filter, so added to the frequency bandwidth, which must be, say, 120 cycles per second, the span required in the frequency scale, now begins to look large, particularly as we have to reckon with an 88-note keyboard. In the three-note model it was found that taking the bandwidth of the filters and the necessary spacing to give rejection, the oscillators were tuned to 3000, 3600 and 4200 cycles per second. Resistors were added to prevent interaction between the oscillators. OPERATION Let us assume that keys number one and three are depressed for one second — these connect oscillators giving 3000 and 4200 c.p.s. to be fed into a mixing unit and the output is passed on to a commercial tape recorder, so that for one second these frequencies are recorded. The tape is now run back and when replayed, voltages of the two frequencies will be induced in the replay head and these are passed to the distributive unit which feeds the filters. Only filters number one and three will pass these recorded frequencies (filter number two will become a high resistance to them). The ‘passed’ frequency currents are fed to the demodulator which gives pulses of one second each to the solenoids which actuate keys number one and three. Valves were used in the model to give the high current needed to energise the solenoids which were loaned by Frank Holland from one of his early all-electric player models in the Piano Museum, 368, High Street, Brentford. EXPRESSION It will be remembered that the loudness of the sound from a piano depends mainly upon the impact of the hammer against the string, and this in turn is a function of the velocity of the descent of the playing key. In order to reproduce this, the plunger of the solenoid which actuates the action is made the means of providing a variable inductance while recording is taking place, and this alters the amplitude of the oscillator wave in accordance with the speed of the keys’ descent. The method of interpreting this signal, relies on recent advances in what are called ‘silicon controlled rectifiers’ — these are switching devices which are either ‘off’ or ‘on’ and only a small ‘gate’ 12 current of 5 to 10 microsecond duration are required to activate them to the ‘on’ state and the ‘turn off’ time is of a similar order when the forward current is reversed. By the use of SCRs the tape signal is turned into pulses of power, the frequency of which is analogue of the speed of the key movement and these power pulses being fed into the solenoid produce a push to the back end of the key which is a copy of the original expression. THE FUTURE As well as the possibilities of recording and playing, there is now a prospect of the redesign of the piano with the frame and action placed vertically against a wall, while the keyboard is detached in another part of the room; larger hammers to bring out the fundamental tones of the long heavy strings could be used since the ‘touch’ is now electric, but more anon!
PIANO TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL 125-129 KETTERING ROAD, NORTHAMPTON NN1 4AZ STEVEN DROY WITH DJ SMALLMAN
INTRODUCTION
After returning from India in 2014, having successfully set up Furtados Institute of Piano Technology in Mumbai, I and colleague DJ Smallman decided to open a small teaching facility the UK to build on what we had developed and learned thus far. We wanted to run a more focused course of shorter duration than the previous and existing UK based programmes, using the successful and respected short programme taught at the University of Ontario and the first year taught at Ludwigsburg in Germany and Bennet Street School in Boston as our model. The course is aimed at those wishing to pursue a career in the piano trade, with our primary focus being on the role of the modern Tuner/Technician with less emphasis on full blown piano restoration. We do not cover pin block or soundboard replacement or any aspects of casework repairs or French Polishing. Our methodology is generally the same as that taught on similar existing programmes around the world, with the possible exception being the judicious use of ETDs in the classroom and for the tuition of pitch adjustment techniques. There is also an opportunity for students to accompany experienced professionals for work experience as well as tuition from industry experts such as David Fry from Renner. We carry out one full restoration as a group and use continuous assessment with a workshop diary to record achievements
13 and monitor students’ progress. There are also written tests and appraisal throughout the year as well as a final written exam. Students are required to pass a final tuning and repairs test similar to the PTA membership test, but with less demanding criteria.
OVERVIEW
Our mission is to provide high quality tuition for individuals wishing to pursue a career in the piano trade. The course description is; An intensive introduction to piano tuning and repairs. The duration is one year, broken down in to 4 blocks of ten weeks, with facility for private study and self- directed practice in between. We are based at The Kettering Road Music Centre in Northampton, home to the excellent Northamptonshire Music & Performing Arts Trust, where we have a dedicated classroom/workshop and 3 rooms for tuning practice. This is currently based on an intake of 6 students per year. The building is an existing educational establishment, so has all the normal facilities one would expect, including kitchen, common room with Wi-Fi study area, toilets, fire exits, plus all the mandatory health and safety provisions and risk assessments. It also offers a sympathetic and positive atmosphere for students. Our aim is to carry on the tradition of Aural piano tuning; learning to tune by ear in individual tuning rooms, with one-to-one tuition and personal demonstrations. In addition students will be taught the basics of piano restoration and repairs, with more emphasis on running repairs and on site work, than on full scale workshop based re-building. As well as practical demonstrations and explanation, we hold regular seminars covering a wide range of theoretical subjects related to the piano trade. We expect students to become more self-directed as their skills increase over time. We hope to provide a stream of high calibre individuals, who possess the skills to embark on a career in the piano trade, either self-employed or joining an existing business. We expect successful graduates to be able to carry out an acceptable basic tuning, as well as having the skills to carry out running repairs, regulation and small scale traditional restoration procedures. Students should be in an ideal position to work towards passing their PTA membership test and develop their skills over the following months and years. Below are the main points of the methods and syllabus which will be covered.
14 PIANO TUNING TUITION Damper replacement Key Bushing replacement Traditional Aural tuning method. Re-centring Temperament building using beat Soundboard shimming and recondi- rates. tioning Treble and bass octave tuning Broken string replacement procedures Re-pinning Pin and string setting techniques Hammer re-facing Unison stability Hammer head replacement, travelling, One-to one tuition and personal spacing. demonstrations Individual rooms for private tuning PIANO TECHNOLOGY practice Pitch raising integrating ETDs and Piano tuning theory aural techniques Early tuning systems Introduction to voicing techniques. History and evolution of the piano Pyscho-Accoustics PIANO MAINTENANCE Piano parts, names and function The physics of the piano. Upright piano regulation The history of the piano trade Grand piano regulation Professional Development: Piano Upright and grand action repairs (re- trade in a modern World place hammer shank, butt spring, damper spring, bridle tape, balance hammer leather, notches etc.)
SUMMARY
I read somewhere that piano tuning can not be taught, it has to be learned. Our aim is to make the best space possible for people to learn, with the right guidance and encouragement along the way. The level and flavour of the training is pitched at the quality end of the domestic tuning and servicing market, alternatively as an introduction to further study towards working on performance pianos. We want to provide a good base for talented and dedicated individuals to set upon the path to becoming respected professionals.
15 IMAGES FROM PIANO HISTORY — NO 9 FRANK SQUIRE (1836-1923) DR ALASTAIR LAURENCE, JOHN BROADWOOD & SONS LTD. Background: He was the son of William Brinsmead Squire and his wife Betsy Chambers. William and Betsy had established a piano-making concern in the Euston Road district of London in the year 1829. Any connection with the famous John Brinsmead? Only on the other side of the blanket, so to speak. And is the legend about the children’s playground on the roof of their factory correct? Yes, it was a remarkable feature. William and Betsy were almost obliged to set it up for their huge family of ten children. And did any of these children succeed to the business? Only Frank, the third son (illustrated), who was bequeathed the business in his father William’s will dated the 15th March 1862. And so the business was still named ‘William Squire’? No, not at all. This couldn’t be done, because Frank’s eldest brother, also named William, had now set up independently another piano-making business. Frank’s business was therefore known as B. Squire & Son, and had become well known as the makers of medium priced but well-made upright pianos by the year 1900. The initial B stood for? For Betsy, Frank’s mother, who remained nominally head of the company until her death in 1888. Frank’s achievements: he continued to manage the family factory until April 1923, when he died at the age of 87. For a period of something like sixty years he had personally checked over and toned each piano which left his factory. He died a very wealthy man, leaving £26,973, a fortune at that date. He maintained high standards, and was keen to ensure that all his apprentices were properly trained. His failing? He could be a harsh taskmaster. He would stroll around the factory in Stanhope Street, carrying with him a small silver hammer, which he would then use to strike and bruise any piano which was not being built to his high standards, as a ‘mark of his disapproval’. As a result, he could be extremely unpopular with his workforce. What happened then after his death? One of his seven sons, Arthur William Squire (born 1871), took over, but resigned from the business in September 1926, and the firm was taken over by Kemble & Company. After this last date, all future Squire pianos were actually built by Kembles. When could we have heard a Squire piano? In January 2014, the jazz pianist Jamie Cullum broadcast a B Squire & Son piano on radio 4, along with the pub musicians Chas and Dave. 16 RETURN OF THE PTA FACTORY VISIT!
At last – the long awaited PTA Factory Trip is revived! Many years ago I used to organise trips to various places in the UK wherever there was a tenuous link to anything piano or tuning related. In the 1990s there were factories making pianos in the UK (yes, really...) and frame casting foundries, felt makers, action makers etc. etc. Sadly most of these enterprises have left the UK or folded but there are still one or two firms. The manufacturer of our stalwart piece of kit, the Tuning Fork still exists, having been bought (in 2012) by a large firm called Uniplex. It’s still called Ragg Tuning Forks and Uniplex have expanded the range beyond scientific, musical and medical, to incorporate Alternative Healing therapies. Out of 8 firms in the Uniplex consortium, 7 are medical applications from dressings to medical equipment repair. The Trip – will be on Thursday April 14th 2016. Due to the limited space available in the factory, the maximum number of attendees will have to be 20; there will be two groups of 10 taken round at 10:00 and 11:00 so please make your choice when deciding to apply. STRICTLY first come first served! If this is a popular visit then I’ll see about organising another one later in the year. The factory address; Uniplex (UK) Ltd., 11 Furnace Hill Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3 7AF Phone: 0114 241 3410 It’s a longish walk from the railway station but can be done, up a hill and down another (this is Sheffield!). Not sure about parking; from Street View there is a small car park on site, but I guess it’s full of staff cars in working hours. Brick building with green windows and a large sign stating the name outside. Use Google Street View to see the road anyway and probably work out a walking route (1.14km as the crow flies, possibly 1.5km using roads). To book, please email me (Paul Fox) [email protected] I’ll take the applicants in order until the places are filled. If you would specify 10:00 or 11:00, the gaps will be filled in order until complete. Apologies if you don’t get on this time, I could perhaps arrange another trip if numbers warrant. My phone on the day should you be stuck, lost or wanting a chat is 07889 759265. Future trips (if the factories are still there) could be Taylor’s of Loughborough (Bell Foundry, they tune bells, that’s a tenuous enough link for me) and maybe Cavendish Pianos, the sole remaining maker in the UK.
17 PIANO PICTURE QUIZ BY NIGEL DONOVAN
HOW OBSERVANT ARE YOU?
The Christmas quiz was obviously far too easy for most people to submit their answers, so here are some more picture clues and I’m afraid they're slightly more difficult this time. Solutions next issue but if you’d like to send your answers to me, the first correct one out of the hat will receive due acknowledgement and the admiration of his or her peers.
There were two joint winners — all hail to Paul Fox and Mark Beglin who both got 14/16.
December answers — 1, Steinway. 2, Kemble/Chappell. 3, Lipp & Sohn. 4, Barratt & Robinson/Schreiber. 5, Marshall & Rose. 6, Welmar. 7, Eavestaff. 8, Knight. 9, Chappell. 10, Steinway. 11, Samick/Reid Sohn. 12, Schimmel. 13, Cramer. 14, Broadwood. 15, Bösendorfer. 16, Allison.
1 2 3
4 5 6 18 7 8 9
10 11 12
13 14 15
PTA PIANO SALES ENCOURAGEMENT SCHEME
We are pleased to announce that commission has been paid by the following dealer under the PTA Piano Sales Encouragement scheme: JOSEF’S PIANOS 5-7 Bridge Street, ROTHWELL, Northamptonshire NN14 6EW Tel: 01536 710529 19 ANNUAL CONVENTION AND AGM 2016 TECHNICAL CLASSES PROGRAMME
ASSOCIATES AND STUDENTS — FREE CLASS G, HOW TO PASS THE PTA TEST
This class is open to all PTA Students and Associates without charge. Come and see for yourself how straightforward it is to pass the PTA Test. All aspects of the test will be discussed, practical elements demonstrated with plenty of helpful tips given along the way.
20 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Sirs, The mystery W. Squire Upright – this looks very like a 1960’s Chappell Upright I used to tune some years ago for a professional guitarist – Nils Solberg. From the text in your article it seems to tie in with the details given. Over to you! John Bradbury. No.738 CODEWORD SOLUTION NAMES OF COMPOSERS OF MUSIC FOR THE PIANOFORTE BY BOB MORGAN
21 PTA COUNCIL REPORT ANNETTE SUMMERS The Meeting of the Executive Council was held on 30th January 2016 at Robert Morley & Co. Ltd., Lewisham. Present were: Anne Burton (President), Gary Whiteland (Vice President), Annette Summers (Secretary/Treasurer), Tania Staite (Trustee), Stephen Venn (Trustee), Lewis Flisher, Yumi Shigeno, Andrew Giller, Michelle Rudd and Shaun McLoughlin. Apologies received from Finlay Fraser. Tania Staite has recorded the December PTAN to disc and these have been distributed. Steven Droy has submitted the syllabus for his new training course and his Piano Technology Course Introduction Document will be printed in the next PTA News. Gary Whiteland will arrange a visit. Email enquiry received asking why overseas PTA Members are not shown when using mobile phones on the ‘Find A Tuner’ section of the website. Anne Burton will make enquiries. Email received from Keith Akins of PTG introducing himself as the new Senior Editor of the Piano Technicians Journal. Brian Frost will remain the PTA Europiano delegate and Anne Burton, as current PTA President, will accompany him to Frankfurt this year to meet the other delegates. Nigel Donovan and Paul Fox have contacted PTA regarding the website; it was confirmed that all of Nigel Donovan’s requests had been attended to. The Treasurer’s report was circulated, discussed and approved. The PLI for 2016 has been renewed at an increase of £30 from 2015 due to the Government’s insurance tax increase of 3.5%. No certificate had been issued to date. The PTA is looking into producing an application form in Braille. It was agreed that Martin Backhouse would take over the library from Reg Montague. There was discussion about whether the Yearbook should be produced in house. More Training Days are being planned. Tania Staite has donated to the PTA library the film about Martha Argerich by Stephanie Argerich. The new Forum still has a few issues and the web designer will be contacted to confirm a final completion date. The Treasurer expressed concern about expenditure relating to the new website. The EC agreed that Patron Mr R Parham be reinstated as a PTA Member. Two Members have retired from the Association; three Students have become Associates. 22 Convention 2016 paperwork has now been sent out to the Membership and already 9 confirmations have been received. A list of Convention criteria will be given to each Council Member so that they can scout for suitable Convention premises. The Financial Exit Strategy is to be discussed with John Lambert at the May Convention. Paul Fox has arranged for a visit of 20 people (maximum) to Granton Ragg Ltd on the 14th April. Yumi Shigeno distributed a list of Queries on the Rules of Association. From this discussion four decisions were made: Page 10: Item 15; Student wording to state the exact number of years someone can be a Student. Page 10: Item 19; The Executive Council shall meet at least five times each year. Page 10: Item 21; A PTA Student or Associate may be co-opted to a subcommittee. Page 12: 35(c) Change “en bloc” to “by ballot”. The next EC Meeting is scheduled for 12 o’clock on Saturday 19th March, 2016 at Robert Morley & Co Ltd, Lewisham. Observers are welcome at all Council meetings. A full copy of the Minutes is available from the PTA secretary. PTA DIARY PTA Training Day, Grand Damper Regulation, Sunday 6th March 2016 At Forsyth Brothers Ltd, 126 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2GR 10.30am for 11am – 5pm. Details for those attending on page 7. Visit to Tuning Fork Factory, Sheffield, Thursday April 14th 2016 Visit arranged in 2 groups of ten people, at either 10am or 11am Contact Paul Fox to book your place. Details see page 17. Convention 2016, 11th to 14th May The Barnstaple Hotel, Barnstaple, Devon Convention 2017, 10th to 13th May Mercure Shrewsbury Albrighton Hotel & Spa, Shrewsbury For enquiries, PTA goods, changes of address or contact details: Mrs Annette Summers. PTA Secretary PO Box 230 HAILSHAM BN27 9EA Tel: 0845 602 8796 Email: [email protected] 23