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VOICING
Pragmatic, Intuitive, and Inclusive Tone Building
with Jim Busby, RPT and Vince Mrykalo, RPT

Full! March 5 - 7, 2020

PTG Home Office

Kansas City
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A different approach from most voicing classes.
  • Three full days where you will develop listening skills and explore a variety of methods to bring out the best tone for each piano.
  • Each technician will have their own piano to work on, and together as a class, all participants will hear the transformation of every one of the pianos.
  • Some lecture, much demonstration, and lots of hands-on with one-on-one attention.

In this class you will learn:
  • Techniques to help you listen more critically
  • Methods to efficiently “concert prep” the piano prior to voicing
  • Traditional voicing methods
  • What to do when traditional methods don’t work for specific makes of hammers
  • Steinway and Sons (NY) tone building (using lacquer)
  • Alternate voicing methods that many concert technicians successfully use

Difficulty level: This class is designed for experienced technicians who have not had much practice in voicing, but do have experience with tuning and regulating. Seasoned technicians with experience in voicing are welcome to attend, but we will spend quite a bit of our time “concert prepping” the piano, since this is really where many voicing problems are solved.
PTG-Logo-Master.pngAbout the Instructors
Jim Busby, RPT, worked as a concert technician at Brigham Young University for 13 years, and continues at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah where he has worked for 27 years. He has also attended every manufacturer's week-long seminar that is offered in the U.S. and is an avid student of piano technology. He is a frequent presenter at the local, regional, and national level. Jim is also the developer of the Piano Technician Tutorials and eBooks.

Vince Mrykalo, RPT
, has been a piano technician for 44 years, 41 years as a member of the PTG, and a university technician for 28 years. He's attended Baldwin, Steinway, Wessell, Nickel & Gross and Shigeru factory trainings. He is a frequent presenter at the local, regional and national level and is currently the staff piano technician at the University of Kansas.

Fee
$995 PTG members/$1,145 nonmember.
Includes transportation between the nearby Drury Inn and the PTG Home Office, plus lunch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Participants will also receive printed materials and a flash drive with videos to take home. Space is limited to 10 students. Register by February 1 to reserve your slot.

Location
PTG Home Office
4444 Forest Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66106
913-432-9975

Recommended Lodging
Take advantage of special PTG rates at a nearby Drury Inn with free wireless internet, hot breakfast, evening Kickback with hot food and cold drinks, fitness center, indoor pool, free parking and more. You'll receive reservation information when you register.

Transportation
Kansas City International Airport (KCI) - flykci.com - approximately 25 miles from the PTG Home Office
Ground transportation from KCI - Super Shuttle (AAA discounts), Champion Shuttle (click on Promotions for discounts), Taxi, Uber
Transportation between the Drury Inn and the PTG Home Office is included in your class fee.

Supplies
If possible, bring your tuning, voicing and regulating kit. Just bring a bare bones kit, but include any voicing tools you currently use. They should include a three needle tool, a single needle tool (through the string), a third voicing tools with one #6 needle, and a “sugar coating” (multiple, short needle) tool. A voicing block is also needed. Instructors will provide other materials and supplies.

Schedule
Thursday, March 5, Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7 • 
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Registration
Sorry! This class is full and we are no longer accepting registrations.
Online:  Register online
By email or fax:  Download a registration form. Send to kathy@ptg.org or 913-432-9986.
By phone:  PTG Home Office, 913-432-9975.
By mail:  Piano Technicians Guild, 4444 Forest Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66106.

Questions? Contact Kathy Maxwell at 913-432-9975, 913-276-5202 or kathy@ptg.org.