Thanks to Richard Davenport for sending this marvelous tribute to Norman Neblett
Norman H. Neblett
October 23, 1921 – July 3, 2011
One of the founding members and guiding lights of the Piano Technicians Guild passed away July 3, 2011. Norman Neblett was 89 years old.
Norm was born in a private home in Los Angeles in 1921. His mother was an accomplished violinist, his father a successful lawyer. He began studying piano in grade school. Norm graduated from Beverly Hills High School and attended USC until WWII broke out. He trained as a pilot and flew 140 missions over “The Hump” in Burma. Toward the end of his service, he became a flight instructor. Norm’s original plan after the war was to captain a commercial airliner. Instead, he began tuning pianos at a local piano store for $1.50. Norm returned to USC and graduated with a BA in piano performance. For the next 40 years, he worked at USC as the head piano technician.
Because of his outstanding musical and mechanical abilities, Norm quickly found work at a major film studio. He worked for Warner Brothers (63 years), and was staff piano technician at Capital Records (34 years). Jascha Heifetz recommended Norm for the piano technician’s position at the Los Angeles Music Center, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (10 years). He became an expert on piano tone. Companies hired him to consult. He served as a Technical Service Consultant with Yamaha, and assisted Renner USA in the development of the Premium Blue hammer. He was hired to prepare pianos at a high level for the NAMM Show by Falcone, Mason & Hamlin, and Fazioli. In 1996, he accompanied a select group of American technicians for training at the Fazioli Factory in Sacile, Italy. As recently as 2005, he travelled to Korea to consult with Samick on the design of the Pramberger piano.
Norm’s career spanned almost seven decades and included some of the most prestigious musicians and celebrities in Los Angeles. He serviced pianos for Artur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Alfred Brendel, Rudolf Serkin, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Gregor Piatigorsky, Victor Borge, Roger Williams, Paul Smith, George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra… and on and on.
Norm was a gifted teacher. He was one of the first instructors to teach concert tuning and voicing in a classroom environment. Teaching by example, the class could really hear the difference. His class, “From the Bottom Up” introduced students to the previously neglected pedal and trapwork system. “From the Middle Up,” focused on the complex grand damper system. Other classes included “Tuning at a Professional Level,” “Advanced Voicing and Concert Prep,” “Advanced Voicing, Analysis & Demonstration,” “Unisons-Tuning & Techniques,” and “Replacing Agraffes.” During the last years of his career, he taught several all day programs with the Renner All Stars. All of his presentations were well prepared. Using slides and informative handouts, he effectively raised the bar for all future PTG instructors.
A few of us spent time working in his shop. We witnessed Norman, the professional piano rebuilder. He kept track of every minute, and every expense. Because of his pilot training, he learned to make “check sheets” for each repair procedure. Norm would sometimes hand these out in class. He taught piano technology the correct way, and never lost his thirst for technical challenges. There were no shortcuts. Nothing was left to chance. His many, beautifully restored instruments serve as monuments to his legacy.
Norm had a charitable side as well. If someone couldn’t afford to do the job properly, Norm charged less and did the complete job anyway. Norman’s public persona of “intimidating giant,” didn’t reflect the actual “caring, gentle man.” Norm would bend over backwards to help a fellow technician locate a hard-to-find part or assembly. His collection of used Steinway hammers hung from the rafters of his shop like heads of garlic. When he evaluated a piano for a colleague, he’d substitute one of the “good” used hammers for the current hammer. The old hammers always sounded better. He always managed to help the other technician to sell a job he could have kept for himself. Norm even went so far as to send these hammer samples to Renner. In doing so, he made life better for the rest of us.
His lasting contributions to The Piano Technicians Guild and fellow technicians are too numerous to mention. He was charged with designing the current PTG Technical Test. He helped develop the current Tuning Test and was appointed one of the first five Certified Tuning Examiners. He served as Los Angeles Chapter President and Vice President and held a position on the Los Angeles Chapter Board for over 10 years. As Los Angeles Chapter Vice President and Program Chairman, he enticed the best national instructors to give chapter programs and seminars. Several times, he managed to obtain a seminar room in the music building at USC at no charge to the LA Chapter.
The Piano Technicians Guild responded to Norman’s service by presenting him with every national award: In 1979, Member Of Note, in 1989, Hall of Fame, and in 1994, the prestigious Golden Hammer Award. In addition, he received a Presidential Citation for his work on the Technical Exam, and was the recipient of the Louis Renner Award of Excellence in 2010. He was very proud of each and every one, but saw no reason to display them on his wall. Norm was a modest and honest man. He was also the consummate piano technician.
Norman is survived by his three children, Carol Neblett, Gail Elaine Naegle and Bradley William Neblett, his sisters Halo Priest and Mary Jane Hocutt, his grandchildren, Stefan Schermerhorn, Lacy Naegle, Kyle Neblett, Adrienne Akre and Brandon Naegle, and his great grandchildren, Marianne Akre, Ian Schermerhorn and Dylan Schermerhorn.
He is sorely missed by everyone lucky enough to share a part of his life.