Lately,there has been much to say about the dying out of piano tuners in
South Africa, and accusations made against so called "fly by night" tuners.
Whom are, as it is claimed, "unqualified individuals" operating as
opportunist and who will ruin this profession and industry.
But what are the hidden reasons behind all this?
During the Apartheid years in South Africa, the profession "piano tuner"
was reserved for Whites only. While Coloureds were employed to work behind
the scenes to do the dirty work in the workshops, performing as technicians
but never enjoyed such a title. And, were never even paid accordingly and
still not. Also during the Apartheid era many White piano owners did not
want people of color in their homes. I have witness atleast one such a case
in the town of Tulbagh in1970. In the home of an elderly Afrikaaner lady
who asked the apprentice tuner who accompanied the senior tuner, to leave
her house as she did not allow people of color in her house. In spite of
the fact that this apprentice tuner was there to learn his profession.
Piano tuning in South Africa has always been kept jealously and
possessively among White males. Therefore it was and is very rare to find a
person of color as an apprentice to this profession. People of color were
kept in workshops and almost none were given the opportunity to learn how
to tune a piano.This has not changed dispite the coming to power of the ANC
and the new Constitution.
Many a piano dealer who also supplies the service of piano tuning and
repairs, also insist that their technicians and tuners sign a contract that
prevents any kind of private work on pianos by their employees even though
those employees may need the extra income. This is the greed of some of the
large piano business owners. There is an enormous amount of jealousy and
greed amongst certain piano dealers even going so far as to stab each
other in the back, each wanting it all for himself. The the less
competition they have the better.
Some piano dealers work against each other and are always ready to squeeze
out the anyone else to win the client.
This selfishness are the cause of the rareness of piano tuners. And now,
once again some are forming associations and trying to get government aid
to stop the so called "unqualified individuals" who is tresspassing on
their gold mines. These very same "unqualified individuals" may have at
some stage been tuners and technicians for these big boy businesses.
In South Africa the piano business is in many cases is a rip off. Many
clients pay high prices for poor workmanship or work that was never there
in the first place or necessary,This unsavory contact is now being blamed
on the so called “unqualified individuals”, yet this has been happening for
many years and is nothing new, and since the majority of pianos in South
Africa passes through the hands of registered professionals are they not
equally as guilty as those they are accussing?
The making of 200% profit on each piano has made many a millionaire and has
put the cost of pianos beyond the average buyer. Thus fewer potential piano
players can afford to buy this expensive instrument. Especially when
reconditioned pianos are sold at the same price as new ones. This may be
the biggest killer of the industry as only the rich can afford.
Then there is the quest to stamp government standards in the piano
profession, is it really about high standards? Or are these registered
professionals merely defending their own hunting grounds? And wanting to
get rid of some competition? As their own standards are not that flawless
either. And their prices have gone overboard and out of reach of the
majority of South Africans.
(SAAPPT) The South African Association of Professional Piano Tuners. Were
founded by blind tuners, who can never be technicians since to repair a
piano requires sight. Yet they attack and accuse individual tuners and
technicians who have sight, of being a danger to this profession. Are they
trying to protect themselves?
Furthermore, some of the members of SAAPT are also individuals who have
seemingly come from nowhere and therefore, can we not put a question mark
on their abilitiy and qualification to be piano tuners and technicians?
And, it is interesting to note that the biggest piano dealers and the
best piano tuners, especially in the Western Cape are NOT even members of
the SAAPPT!!! And they do not want to be!! Which goes to show that there
is no unity amongst piano tuners in South Africa. It is a little know fact
that some have wanted to sue others due to back biting. Due to this
disgreements amongst persons in this profession perhaps SAAPPT should
rename themselves to: The Blind Piano Tuners Association of South Africa.
Since they are not representing South Africa as a whole. Also, of the so
called 50 registered piano tuners that is said to be left in South Africa,
some are just mere business men who absolutely CAN NOT tune or repair a
piano, they employ tuners and technicians in their workshops to do the
work. And when these same employees leave to become self employed in a
country that encourage small businesses and self employment, some big boy
piano dealer try to shoot them down, because of greed, and White domination
of the piano tuning profession.
If there are any rogue opportunist piano tuners and technicians in South
Africa, they are few and far between, thus this attempt to cast out the
individual piano tuner and technician is driven by a hidden current.
Finally, piano tuners are not dying out. In fact there are now more piano
tuners and technicians in South Africa than there were before 1990.
Therefore some piano dealers are now feeling the competition and are afraid
of it. There are millions of pianos in South Africa, but many piano owners
do not have their instruments tuned regularly, many a piano goes without a
tuning for up to 20 years. Piano owners in rural areas may say it is
difficult to find a tuner but that is not because there are not enough
tuners. In the 70’ s and 80’s it was easy to go out and tune in rural
areas not today. Since 2000 with the rising cost of petrol it has not been
profitable for tuners.
Which is why most piano tuners stick to the big cities. And this then may
give the potential unqualified tuner to operate in the rural areas. It may
be wise to advise piano owners in rural areas to instead contact a city
tuner.
And last but not least, a suggestion to all those in the piano profession.
See the individual tuner as the house doctor for pianos and the big dealer
as the hospital for pianos. An individual tuners who comes across a major
restoration on a piano should pass this on to a dealer with a large
workshop. And dealers should perhaps hire these individual tuners as
freelance tuners, this will secure their own clientel.
Lately,there has been much to say about the dying out of piano tuners in South Africa, and accusations made against so called "fly by night" tuners. Whom are, as it is claimed, "unqualified individuals" operating as opportunist and who will ruin this profession and industry. But what are the hidden reasons behind all this? During the Apartheid years in South Africa, the profession "piano tuner" was reserved for Whites only. While Coloureds were employed to work behind the scenes to do the dirty work in the workshops, performing as technicians but never enjoyed such a title. And, were never even paid accordingly and still not. Also during the Apartheid era many White piano owners did not want people of color in their homes. I have witness atleast one such a case in the town of Tulbagh in1970. In the home of an elderly Afrikaaner lady who asked the apprentice tuner who accompanied the senior tuner, to leave her house as she did not allow people of color in her house. In spite of the fact that this apprentice tuner was there to learn his profession. Piano tuning in South Africa has always been kept jealously and possessively among White males. Therefore it was and is very rare to find a person of color as an apprentice to this profession. People of color were kept in workshops and almost none were given the opportunity to learn how to tune a piano.This has not changed dispite the coming to power of the ANC and the new Constitution. Many a piano dealer who also supplies the service of piano tuning and repairs, also insist that their technicians and tuners sign a contract that prevents any kind of private work on pianos by their employees even though those employees may need the extra income. This is the greed of some of the large piano business owners. There is an enormous amount of jealousy and greed amongst certain piano dealers even going so far as to stab each other in the back, each wanting it all for himself. The the less competition they have the better. Some piano dealers work against each other and are always ready to squeeze out the anyone else to win the client. This selfishness are the cause of the rareness of piano tuners. And now, once again some are forming associations and trying to get government aid to stop the so called "unqualified individuals" who is tresspassing on their gold mines. These very same "unqualified individuals" may have at some stage been tuners and technicians for these big boy businesses.
In South Africa the piano business is in many cases is a rip off. Many clients pay high prices for poor workmanship or work that was never there in the first place or necessary,This unsavory contact is now being blamed on the so called “unqualified individuals”, yet this has been happening for many years and is nothing new, and since the majority of pianos in South Africa passes through the hands of registered professionals are they not equally as guilty as those they are accussing? The making of 200% profit on each piano has made many a millionaire and has put the cost of pianos beyond the average buyer. Thus fewer potential piano players can afford to buy this expensive instrument. Especially when reconditioned pianos are sold at the same price as new ones. This may be the biggest killer of the industry as only the rich can afford. Then there is the quest to stamp government standards in the piano profession, is it really about high standards? Or are these registered professionals merely defending their own hunting grounds? And wanting to get rid of some competition? As their own standards are not that flawless either. And their prices have gone overboard and out of reach of the majority of South Africans. (SAAPPT) The South African Association of Professional Piano Tuners. Were founded by blind tuners, who can never be technicians since to repair a piano requires sight. Yet they attack and accuse individual tuners and technicians who have sight, of being a danger to this profession. Are they trying to protect themselves? Furthermore, some of the members of SAAPT are also individuals who have seemingly come from nowhere and therefore, can we not put a question mark on their abilitiy and qualification to be piano tuners and technicians? And, it is interesting to note that the biggest piano dealers and the best piano tuners, especially in the Western Cape are NOT even members of the SAAPPT!!! And they do not want to be!! Which goes to show that there is no unity amongst piano tuners in South Africa. It is a little know fact that some have wanted to sue others due to back biting. Due to this disgreements amongst persons in this profession perhaps SAAPPT should rename themselves to: The Blind Piano Tuners Association of South Africa. Since they are not representing South Africa as a whole. Also, of the so called 50 registered piano tuners that is said to be left in South Africa, some are just mere business men who absolutely CAN NOT tune or repair a piano, they employ tuners and technicians in their workshops to do the work. And when these same employees leave to become self employed in a country that encourage small businesses and self employment, some big boy piano dealer try to shoot them down, because of greed, and White domination of the piano tuning profession. If there are any rogue opportunist piano tuners and technicians in South Africa, they are few and far between, thus this attempt to cast out the individual piano tuner and technician is driven by a hidden current. Finally, piano tuners are not dying out. In fact there are now more piano tuners and technicians in South Africa than there were before 1990. Therefore some piano dealers are now feeling the competition and are afraid of it. There are millions of pianos in South Africa, but many piano owners do not have their instruments tuned regularly, many a piano goes without a tuning for up to 20 years. Piano owners in rural areas may say it is difficult to find a tuner but that is not because there are not enough tuners. In the 70’ s and 80’s it was easy to go out and tune in rural areas not today. Since 2000 with the rising cost of petrol it has not been profitable for tuners. Which is why most piano tuners stick to the big cities. And this then may give the potential unqualified tuner to operate in the rural areas. It may be wise to advise piano owners in rural areas to instead contact a city tuner. And last but not least, a suggestion to all those in the piano profession. See the individual tuner as the house doctor for pianos and the big dealer as the hospital for pianos. An individual tuners who comes across a major restoration on a piano should pass this on to a dealer with a large workshop. And dealers should perhaps hire these individual tuners as freelance tuners, this will secure their own clientel.