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What's on your bookshelf?

  • 1.  What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-09-2022 14:47
    Greetings,
    The Journal is working on an article about a good core selection of books on pianos/piano technology.
    We may call it "what to read"--or not. We'll see.
    Here's what's on my shelf, along with a couple of recommendations by fellow editor Andrea Hackbarth:


    Reblitz
    Igrec
    Baldassin-On Pitch
    Campbell-Piano Parts and their Functions
    Levitan-Craft of Piano TuningBrady-Repairs
    PTG-Grand and Vertical regulation manuals
    Potter-action handbook
    Orebeek-Voice of the PianoPierce Piano Atlas
    Fine- Piano Buyer
    Isakoff-Temperament
    Brady-Under the Lid
    Parakilas-Piano Roles

    We're sure there are many more "must have" references you can recommend, especially to advancing technicians.
    What's on your shelf? Feel free to include related books, such as general woodworking etc.

    thanks!
    ps--we might ask for a photo of the work, and a very brief description.



    ------------------------------
    Scott Cole, RPT
    rvpianotuner.com
    Talent, OR
    (541-601-9033
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-09-2022 20:14

    I was going to name most of what you already have, LOL. Instead of the Pierce Piano Atlas, I use the Online Piano Atlas, which costs $5 a year and is easily accessible on my phone. Additionally, I believe it's updated once a quarter (?) instead of once every seven years. (Journal editors, don't quote me on that, LOL.)

    One category of learning that's important to remember is business. If one neglects to learn best practices for running a business, it doesn't matter how good of a technician one is - he or she may end up broke and / or extremely stressed out. Here are my personal recommendations for business books.

    -Donald Miller's Business Made Simple and Building a StoryBrand
    -Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership
    -Horst Schulze's Excellence Wins (probably my absolute favorite business book)
    -Seth Godin's Purple Cow, We Are All Weird, and Tribes

    And specific to the piano industry:

    -Berry Bradshaw's How to Make $200,000 a Year Tuning Pianos
    -Wim Blees' The Business of Piano Tuning

    There are a lot more good business books out there, but these are my favorites.



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
    Piano Technician / Artisan
    (256) 947-9999
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-09-2022 21:37
    Thanks for mentioning my book, Ben.

    Wim.

    Sent from my iPhone




  • 4.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 00:10
    Three more I forgot to mention. On the technical side: Ken Burton's Different Strokes, and Larry Fine’s The Piano Book. On the miscellaneous side: Franz Mohr's My Life with the Great Pianists.

    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
    Piano Technician / Artisan
    (256) 947-9999
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-09-2022 23:00
    In no particular order, and not necessarily 100% on topic, they've all had a strong influence on how I learn, work and relate to others. All important aspects of my work and how I do business as a piano technician. 

    Piano Service, Tuning & Rebuilding by Arthur A. Reblitz. 
    Piano Parts and Their Functions by Merle H. Mason
    Piano Tuning and Allied Arts by William Braid White
    How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart
    Temperament by Stuart Isacoff
    The Book by Alan Watts
    Repair Labor Guide by Joseph Garrett
    The Piano Technicians Guide by Newton J. Hunt
    The Book of the SubGenius by Rev. Ivan Stang and the SubGenius Foundation

    ------------------------------
    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 00:12
    There's an excellent book on finishes and finishing:
    Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner

    Also, not a book but https://pianopricepoint.com/ has a news letter with interesting historical, interviews, and industry stories, comes about once a month. 

    Geoff, didn't know that Alan Watts was a tuner; more of an "attuner" I guess. ~:-)

    ------------------------------
    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 06-22-2023 06:58

    Geoff. 

    I read The Piano Shop on the Left Bank.  I liked the piano tuner that stayed drunk all the time, not that I advocate that sort of thing..haha



    ------------------------------
    Patrick Greene
    OWNER
    Knoxville TN
    (865) 384-6582
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 00:04

    Men, Women, and Pianos, A Social History by Arthur Loesser

    It was assigned reading to our class at George Brown College.






  • 9.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 08:04
    Agreed! "Men Women, and Pianos" by Arthur Loesser

    And most of what others have listed, plus:
    "The PIano-Forte (Its History Trac ed to the Great Exposition of 1851)" Da Capo Press (an entry in the Library of Congress)
    "The Craft of Piano Tuning" Dan Levitan (a ground-breaking treatise, equal in importance to Rick Baldassin's "On Pitch")
    "Talking About Pianos" Steinway & Sons
    "The Calculating Technician" David Roberts
    "The Piano - Its Acoustics" W.V. McFerrin (was my first description of inharmonicity, reading it sometime in the mid-'70s)
    "The Piano Hammer" Walter Pfeiffer
    "On the Sensations of Tone" Hermann Helmholtz (like "Moby Dick", never actually read it…)

    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 14:50

    Thank you, Bill!

    The Piano -- Its Acoustics, by W.V. McFerrin, also a class text at George Brown College, but I couldn't find my copy to get the title right.

    I used a formula in it to rescale the treble of Ted Sambell's Pleyel, and it worked a treat.







  • 11.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-11-2022 10:00
    Yes, "Pianos and Their Makers" and "Men, Women and Pianos" are essential (and fun!) reading for the well-rounded technician
    --David Nereson, RPT





  • 12.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 06-11-2022 18:15
    I found a small flyer that I thought is worthy of mentioning: 
    1700 to today. The piano then & now by the Piano Technicians Guild

    Peter

    ------------------------------
    Petrus Janssen
    Peachtree City GA
    (678) 416-8055
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 00:10

    Also,

    Pianos and Their Makers, A Comprehensive History of the Development of the Piano, by Alfred Dolge (Dover)






  • 14.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Member
    Posted 06-10-2022 03:38
    Piano Tuning, Maintenance and Repair - Reblitz
    Player Piano: Servicing and Rebuilding - Reblitz
    Pianos Inside Out - Igrec
    Piano Action Regulating - Capleton
    Theory and Practice of Piano Tuning - Capleton
    Piano Action Handbook - Potter
    Modern Piano Tuning and the Allied Arts - White
    Voice of the Piano - Oorebeek
    On Pitch - Baldassin
    Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone - Boone

    WIM - I tried to purchase your book a few months ago from Schaff but it was out of stock.  I've seen listed elsewhere (although not sure if its actually in stock) with much, much higher markups. Any suggestion on the best place to obtain a copy?




    ------------------------------
    Kevin Karr
    njpianotech.com
    Belmar, NJ
    (732) 841-0267
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 06-10-2022 07:11
    Piano Tuning, Maintenance and Repair - Reblitz
    Piano Roles - (Both editions; large and small) - Parakilas
    Temperament - Isacoff
    A Natural History of the Piano - Isacoff
    Evenings with Horowitz - Dubal
    My Life with the Great Pianists - Mohr
    Giraffes, Black Dragons, and other Pianos - Good
    Pierce Piano Atlas - I also highly recommend the Online Piano Atlas
    Encyclopedia of the Piano - Palmieri
    The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos - Kehl & Kirkland
    88 Keys: The Making of a Steinway Piano - Chapin & Prato


    ------------------------------
    Jeffrey Cutler
    University of Wisconsin Eau Claire
    (651) 398-6293
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 08:11
    Forget to mention:
    "Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone" Danny L. Boone

    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 11:08


    ------------------------------
    Jim Fariss, RPT
    PTG Vice President
    (719) 425-8845
    VP@PTG.org
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 12:34
    Thanks for sharing your bookshelf, Jim. Reminded me that I forgot to include Randy Potter. Without his course I would not be here. Also must mention LaRoy Edwards and Yamaha's 37 Steps program. While neither of these are reference books that you can go buy by themselves, they are, nevertheless, huge collections of training and educational materials that formed the backbone of my career.

    ------------------------------
    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-10-2022 13:37
    Actually, Geoff, PTG sells two regulation manuals with roots to Yamaha and Leroy Edwards. Laroy himself updated the Vertical Action Regulation manual and the Grand Regulation Manual is used in the home office grand regulation class. That manual is basically Yamaha's 37 Steps. Both are excellent and available through the PTG store.

    Richard West







  • 20.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 06-10-2022 14:50
    New Techniques for Superior Aural Tuning by Virgil Smith.

    Regrettably this appears to have gone out of print a few years ago,
    and as it was ssurely a small print run aimed at the rather small
    audience of piano tuners who tend to keep their books, used copies for
    sale are very hard to find.

    One of the big points he makes is that the beat you hear while tuning
    is not necessarily the mathematical difference in pitches of the
    fundamentals or harmonics, but often some sort of amalgam of those
    beats.

    I've read the local chapter's copy of Levitan's book and it's
    certainly much larger and more complete (I recall about half the book
    is on hammer technique, Smith has only a few paragraphs), but I still
    think Smith's book has some good nuggets not found elsewhere.




  • 21.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-11-2022 01:16
    I would be remis if I didn't suggest "Piano Tone Building."

    ddf

    ------------------------------
    [Delwin D] Fandrich] [RPT]
    [Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant]
    [Fandrich Piano Co., Inc.]
    [Olympia] [WA]
    [360-515-0119]
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-11-2022 09:15

    Shame on us, Del, for not mentioning that book. And thanks for you work in bringing this valuable, 100-y-o "time capsule" forward into the 21st Century. (I had an earlier, soft-cover print of this, whose binding glue later turned brittle, dooming the book.)

    Two more additions:
    "Piano Tuning, a Simple and Accurate Method for Amateurs" J. Cree Fischer (a Dover reprint of the 1907 original)
    "The Modern Piano" Lawrence M. Nadler ( Unwin Bros. [U.K.] reprint of the 1927 original. The forward refers to another book detailing piano design/construction, "Art of Pianoforte Construction" by Wolfenden, 1916. I may have bought both of these on a visit to Fletcher&Newman [London] in '78, but now can only fond he former.)



    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------



  • 23.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-13-2022 13:39
    The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, Kehl/Kirkland

    ------------------------------
    Zeno Wood
    Brooklyn, NY
    ------------------------------



  • 24.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-13-2022 14:02
    One book that I haven't seen mentioned (or I missed seeing it) is Piano Tuners Pocket Companion by Oliver Faust. When I was just starting out, this book was very helpful. On the left hand side of the page were problems you might encounter. On the right hand side was the answer to the problem and what to do. I sort of outgrew it as I got experience, but in the first few years of piano work that book got me out of a lot of head scratchers. It also has some good basic articles on tuning and various other topics. 

    Some on this list have suggested we/PTG develop a similar compendium of problems and solutions. Faust's book had the right idea, but we need modern, current questions answered. We all see some questions repeated on this list. This is followed by suggested posts/threads with answers. Compiling common questions and answers would be very helpful.

    The suggested books I've seen so far represent the "canon" of piano service. Some books are really out of date. Piano Tuning and Allied Arts, for example, was the only basic text available when I started. It was a great book, but the language was old fashioned, and the information is not suited to modern ears or techniques. Several of our canon fall into that category.

    How about categorizing our canon into beginner books, history books, advanced books, rebuilder related books? 

    Richard West





  • 25.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-18-2022 15:06
    Richard,
    Categorizing is a great idea, as is pointing out that some books are getting a little long in the tooth.
    scott

    ------------------------------
    Scott Cole, RPT
    rvpianotuner.com
    Talent, OR
    (541-601-9033
    ------------------------------



  • 26.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-18-2022 12:33
    Virgil Smith's New Techniques for Superior Aural Tuning is in print again, as part of his Autobiography. It also includes a new, replacement book on tuning Virgil was writing when he passed away. Available at the PTG Store. An eBook version is available through the PTG Foundation website, ptgfoundation.org. (Publications menu)

    ------------------------------
    Fred Sturm
    University of New Mexico
    fssturm@unm.edu
    http://fredsturm.net
    http://www.artoftuning.com
    "We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda
    ------------------------------



  • 27.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-13-2022 19:13
    One of the historical books on my shelf is "Piano Tuning, Regulating & Repairing" by J Cree Fischer (Copyright 1907). A bit outdated, but interesting. He writes "For tuning, the regular rate charged by competent tuners is rarely less than $2.50 in any community; while in many rich communities the rate is $3.00 and upward. In some places tuners  get as much as $5.00; but few can command so high a price. You should have at least $1.00 per hour for your work". Some of his predictions for the future of piano servicing is entertaining to say the least.

    ------------------------------
    Greg Junker RPT
    Greg Junker's Piano Shoppe, LLC
    Belleville IL
    (618) 971-9595
    ------------------------------



  • 28.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 06-14-2022 09:01
    When i was first learning to tune, the most useful item wasn't a book at all but a card- the Coleman beat locator.
    After that on tuning:
    Superior Aural Tuning by Virgil Smith
    Pace Tuning Lessons 1-26
    Tune Lab Manual or any ETD (your using) software manual 

    On regulating and rebuilding:
    Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone - D. L Boone
    WW Tech Ref Guide Tuning and Voicing Steinway and Sons
    Kawaii America Restringing
    Baldwin accu just Downbearing
    Guide to restringing -Travis

    On Pianofortes:
    Handbook of historical Stringing Practice- M. Rose

    On Piano design and making:
    The Pianoforte and its Acoustic Properties- S. Hansing (The best book written by an actual small manufacturer)
    Versacad Software (you'll need this to send a file of your drawing to the machinist)

    -chris

    ------------------------------
    Chernobieff Piano Restorations
    "Where Tone is Key, and Mammoths are not extinct."
    865-986-7720 (text only please)
    ------------------------------



  • 29.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-14-2022 09:16

    Has anyone mentioned "The Piano Key and Whippen" by Walter Pfeiffer?






  • 30.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-14-2022 09:22
    Thanks all for your contributions! I plan on acquiring at least some of your recommendations.
    -Scott

    ------------------------------
    Scott Cole, RPT
    rvpianotuner.com
    Talent, OR
    (541-601-9033
    ------------------------------



  • 31.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-14-2022 11:47
    Scott, Are you a university, CAUT guy? Sometimes university libraries are open to book suggestions so that you could have access to the books you need without having to purchase. And the library could build a good resource for anyone interested in pianos and piano service.

    Richard West









  • 32.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 06-15-2022 22:46
    For the soundboard maker:
    As already mentioned, Piano Tone Building-Fandrich
    Also,
    Understanding Wood-Hoadly
    I also enjoyed Identifying Wood- also by Hoadly

    ------------------------------
    Fenton Murray, RPT

    Fenton
    ------------------------------



  • 33.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-18-2022 15:08
    Richard,
    I do have a couple of schools, but they barely have a budget to tune, let alone regulation, repairs, voicing..... or book purchases.

    ------------------------------
    Scott Cole, RPT
    rvpianotuner.com
    Talent, OR
    (541-601-9033
    ------------------------------



  • 34.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Posted 07-10-2022 17:18
    Scott, this is a little late -- but I hope that the coming Journal article includes the book by John Travis, "Let's Tune Up".  John was the first president of PTG in 1957 (a co-president).  I took his course on piano tuning at a local community college that used his book.  I still tune aurally using the technique that he and Dr. Martin Grabau (physics at Harvard) developed and that John documented in his book.  From previous posts on this list server, I gather that some people now refer to "The Grabau-Travis Tuning Theory" approach as "Up a Third, Up a Third, Down a Fifth".  Regards, Norman.

    ------------------------------
    Norman Brickman
    Potomac Piano Service
    Potomac, Maryland
    potomacpiano@verizon.net
    https://potomacpiano.com
    (301) 983.9321
    ------------------------------



  • 35.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-10-2022 18:12
    I didn't notice, "The Craft of Piano Tuning" by Dan Levitan. I would include that one.


    ------------------------------
    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
    ------------------------------



  • 36.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-10-2022 19:53
    Also, "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" Clair Davies, written by a piano rebuilder for almost 4 decades.

    ------------------------------
    Greg Junker RPT
    Greg Junker's Piano Shoppe, LLC
    Belleville IL
    (618) 971-9595
    ------------------------------



  • 37.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Member
    Posted 07-10-2022 23:38
    Other additions that are worth considering for education, enjoyment, entertainment ---

    Grand Obsession - Peri Kinze
    Romance on Three Legs - Glenn Goulds Search for the Perfect Piano
    Lost Pianos of Siberia
    Mozarts Last Year

    I will add more tomorrow ..... including several books on Steinway, The Great Composers, Paderewski

    ------------------------------
    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    (843) 325-4357
    ------------------------------



  • 38.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-13-2022 00:48
    Norman,
    Thanks, and it's not too late to add. This has developed into an eye-opening discussion, and I'll be starting to think about how I'll approach this. One article? Two or more? We'll see.
    Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Keep them coming!
    Scott

    ------------------------------
    Scott Cole, RPT
    rvpianotuner.com
    Talent, OR
    (541-601-9033
    ------------------------------



  • 39.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-15-2023 12:48

    Sorry to bump this thread. Scott, did you ever publish this collection of recommended books? Did I just miss it?



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
    Piano Technician / Artisan
    (256) 947-9999
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    ------------------------------



  • 40.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-15-2023 14:28
    Still in progress
    Scott





  • 41.  RE: What's on your bookshelf?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-15-2023 23:29

    The trio of Forss books on tuning, regulation and repairs

    Der Piano und Flugelbau,  for German readers

    Theory and Practice of Pianoforte Building,  White



    ------------------------------
    Parker Leigh
    Winchester VA
    (540) 722-3865
    ------------------------------