February 2018 PTA Vice-President Andrew Giller with Rick Wakeman PTA Executive Council Meeting 2 CONTENTS Editorial — 4 President Writes — 5 PTA Useful Contacts — 5 Membership News — 6 Advertising Rates 2018 — 6 PTA Annual Convention and AGM Programme — 7 Meet the PTA Event with Rick Wakeman — 8 PTA Tuning Reminder System — 10 Allay PTA Test Fears — 12 Letters to the Editor — 14 Stop, Think, Act — 16 We’ve all had these … — 17 Council Report — 18 PTA Diary of Events — 19 To advertise in PTA News, at very reasonable rates, please contact: Tania Staite, Tel: 020 8677 4422 Flat 8, Deepdene, 15 Streatham Common Northside, London SW16 3HQ Email: [email protected] The next deadline for PTA News is: Friday 23rd March 2018. 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 The Meet and Greet the PTA Event with special guest Rick Wakeman could be a really interesting day; all the information about the opportunity to meet PTA Members along with Rick Wakeman is on page 8. Completed Booking Forms are to be returned to Annette Summers by the end of February. The PTA is very grateful to Andrew Giller for sponsoring and organizing this event. A theme seems to have emerged in this newsletter, “Become a PTA Member” — for which I make no apology. The PTA Membership Test is often thought of as a daunting prospect before it is attempted. Having learned to tune and having learned basic repairs, through enough good practice (include timing your work and pushing yourself) you can have confidence to achieve consistent results in an exam environment. On page 12, Roberta Caradine writes to encourage Associates and Students to aim for something really worthwhile, Membership of the PTA. If Roberta’s article isn’t enough to get you applying for Membership, the helpful short article, ‘Stop, Think, Act’, donated by Bill Kreis, on page 16 could be just the impetus that may lead those who have not yet applied for Membership to finally make the positive decision to do so. Printed on page 7 is the Programme of Technical Classes for the Convention to be held at the Blackwell Grange Hotel in Darlington in May. The PTA is sponsoring PTA Examiner Andrew Jamieson’s ‘How to Pass the PTA Test’ class, so that there is no charge for anyone attending this class. Matthew Gough has written an excellent article on page 10 about how to make good use of one of the excellent benefits of Membership of the PTA, the Tuning Reminder System. If you are considering advertising your business, why not try the PTA’s own publications as the Year Book has a circulation circa 900 and the newsletter c 300. The current rates for these are to be found on page 6 and details of how to contact Tania Staite are on page 3. I’ve been reminded that the BBC4 programme ‘Handmade: By Royal Appointment’ about Steinway, featuring the PTA’s Honorary Life Member Jeff Prett, may still be available to view on the BBC iPlayer for only a few more days. Roberta Caradine has written about something that happens perhaps too often, see page 17. Included in the Letters to the Editor on page 14 is Dr Alastair Laurence’s thank you letter to all who assisted in supporting the John Broadwood objection after his request in last August’s Newsletter. As I don’t have any stock of articles waiting to be published, articles and photographs for publication are eagerly sought. You may have noticed that this Newsletter is thinner. 4 THE PRESIDENT WRITES BARRY CARADINE As you receive this copy of PTA News, a copy of the PTA Questionnaire is winging its way to you. We have deliberately kept it short with only a few questions as we want to get as many answers as possible. I don’t think there is anybody who hasn’t got enough time to fill in 9 simple questions. Those with email will receive it via email, others via “snailmail”. If you don’t receive your copy soon, please contact Annette as your opinion matters to us. For those of you who are willing, there is an option to receive a longer, in-depth Questionnaire and I encourage all of you to do this. The more we know about what you are thinking the better our Association can become. This is not just open to Members but to everyone involved in our Association as the collective opinion is being sought. We are also approaching members of the wider piano trade to hear their views of our Association. This questionnaire is not a trick, there are no right or wrong answers. What matters is what you think. You don’t even have to tell us your name but as there are no wrong answers, I urge you to do so. By doing this it helps us understand your opinion and gives us a chance to ask you to help clarify what you think. And, of course, enables your name to be put in to the hat for our Prize Draw. The PTA has evolved over many years. Some things it does pretty well, others less so. Criticism and opposing opinions are always hard to listen to. But only by listening and considering other points of views can anything or anyone hope to evolve into something better. Having said all of this, if you think we’re doing all right please let us know! By obtaining an overall view of what everyone is thinking, I hope that we can develop a plan to move our Association forward for the betterment of us all and for all those who join our profession in future years. Barry Caradine PTA President USEFUL PTA CONTACTS [email protected] Tel: 01563 551530 [email protected] Tel and Fax: 0845 602 8796 [email protected] Tel: 020 8677 4422 Librarian, Mr M Backhouse Tel: 01686 627970 5 MEMBERSHIP NEWS ANNETTE SUMMERS An application for Membership has been received from: Mr Rupert J Taylor 1 East Road Wymeswold LOUGHBOROUGH LE12 6ST Tel: 0116 237 4553 Mob: 07748 201584 Email: [email protected] Please send all changes of address, telephone and email to The Secretary using the contact details on Page 19. ADVERTISING RATES 2018 FOR PTA YEAR BOOK AND PTA NEWS PTA Year Book Full Discount * Quarter Page (87 x 62 mm – portrait) £77.55 £69.80 Half Page (87 x 125 mm – landscape) £136.73 £123.06 Full Page (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £203.06 £182.75 Centre Page (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £222.45 £200.20 Inside Cover (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £244.90 £220.41 Back Cover (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £306.12 £275.51 * 10% discount applies to advertisers who book space in 6 consecutive issues of PTA News PTA News Single Issue 6 Issues * Quarter Page (87 x 62 mm – portrait) £46.94 £211.23 Half Page (87 x 125 mm – landscape) £73.47 £330.62 Full Page (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £107.14 £482.13 Inside Cover (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £114.29 £514.31 Back Cover (180 x 125 mm – portrait) £127.55 £573.98 * Advertisers in six consecutive issues of PTA News pay for four and a half adverts only. 6 ANNUAL CONVENTION AND AGM 2018 TECHNICAL CLASSES PROGRAMME DEADLINE FOR PTAN ARTICLES: FRIDAY 23rd March 2018 Please email articles, letters and photos to: [email protected] or post them to the address on page 3. Please email photographs in jpeg or png format separately. Photographs within documents generally are not of a sufficiently high quality for the print process. 7 MEET AND GREET THE PTA, WITH SPECIAL GUEST, RICK WAKEMAN BY ANDREW GILLER For our next PTA event, Vice President Andrew Giller is delighted to announce a ‘Meet and Greet the PTA’ on 10th March from midday to 4pm (approximately). The location is at Andrew and Jill’s Old Granary Studio and the Giller Pianos Workshop in South Norfolk which lies just north of the Broads market town of Beccles. Attendees are more than welcome to explore both premises at Priory Farm which is sited on a historic Norfolk Estate owned by England’s premier Baronet, Sir Nicholas Bacon. The informal event will include a light lunch with rock star Rick Wakeman who for several years has followed the work of the PTA and met several of our Members tuning in concert venues! He will be only too pleased to share his huge passion, experience and knowledge of pianos, with many amusing anecdotes of 50 years in the music industry where he was originally classically trained at the Royal College of Music. He will also perform some of his popular repertoire on his ‘favourite’ Steinway D which has covered all of his piano recording work in the last 10 years. Rick needs no introduction as one of the world’s foremost keyboard players, renowned for his international work with David Bowie, The Strawbs and the progressive rock band, Yes. His most recent 2017 piano album ‘Piano Portraits’ has reached almost 100,000 sales and was a top 10 hit upon release.