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Despite my unsocial attitude, I am still tempted to get involved with the PTG. But having talked to and seen the work of some of the best the PTG has to offer in this area, I am unimpressed. I don’t see much to gain from (or offer to) the local chapter. Also, it meets 2 hours away. I have gained a great deal from this Forum, though!

I find RPTs have a certain "aura" or glow when working on a piano. They also emit a kind of musky scent, a rosewood dust/oil polish/CLP thing that drives the fairer sex mad. These effects are limited to RPTs, however. Associates have a smokey pall about them and a rusty pin/mouse turd/WD40 reek. Something in the test clears it right up.

FLYING PIGS AWAY!!!!!!!!

Then, get involved and start your own chapter.

Well said, Jerry!

Sam, with all due respect to you, I am somewhat offended. I am one of those rusty pin/mouse turd/WD40 reek Associte members of whom you speak.
But I smell of "Stetson for Men" (hehehe)

All in good fun............

Jerry:

Great idea!

Chapter One

It was a dark and stormy night...

Sam, let me say I love your sense of humor!!!! If anyone is offended they may need a humor pill. I hear they come in varying doses, and even an overdose can be good.

I must say as one of those smokey, rusty pin/mouse turd/ types...I abhor WD40 within 25 feet of a piano...I laughed my butt off over that comment!!!!!!

I get a big kick out of your humor too Sam.

Thanks Mitech.

mr G,you are a bluffer,and god only knows there are plenty on this site!.l can spout off words of wisdom all night long and you can pretend you know where l am coming from... but you dont and you never will.

Yeah Eddie, kind of like a bunch of fart sniffers, something smells but no clue where it originated!!!! hehe

Sorry boys I couldn't help it. Things were getting a bit thick and on the absurd side so I figured I just push it over the edge.

Mouse turds are in my blood...

No need for apology Sam, it needs to be done more often.

That's one for the book Sam, "The Greatest Sayings of Sam Casey." I wanna reserve a copy!!!

I feel that I should say a few words about the Toronto chapter of the PTG since this has come up a few times in the last month or two on this forum.

First, a bit of historical prespective. There is a unique situation in the province of Ontario. A piano technician in Ontario has the option to belong to three different professional organizations for piano technicians, the PTG, the Ontario Guild Of Piano Technicians ( OGPT) and the Canadian Association Of Piano Technicians (CAPT). I am a member to two, the PTG and CAPT.

My understanding is that the OGPT was originally part of the PTG but broke away to form their own independent organization in the 1950's. From that time until 1980 there were no PTG chapters in the province of Ontario. From the 1950's to 1980 the only guild in Ontario was the OGPT. There was a resurgence of the PTG in 1980 and the Toronto chapter was formed. The PTG grew quite rapidly during the 80's and 90's but seems to have stalled in the last few years.

It is very unfair to judge the few who have stayed on the executive, volunteering their time year in and year out to keep the Toronto chapter afloat. I am not aware of any other area that the PTG operates that it faces such competition. Many of the technicians who are members of the Toronto PTG chapter are also members of the other two organizations and I suppose they don't feel the same commitment to a chapter that technicians do in other areas.

To place the blame on the present chapter president is totally off the mark (as I read in a previous thread where this topic surfaced). He has spent many years on the National executive and has contributed more to the PTG than 90% of PTG members ever will. He has just been in the unfortunate position of being "left standing when the music stopped".

I was a member of the Toronto chapter for 20 years. I rejoined this last year after a number of years of absence and I hope to help get the Toronto chapter up and running again. So far my good intentions have not translated into action but July and August are coming and I hope to have some time when things slow down a bit. If anyone is interested in helping out with this or in membership or testing, please contact me through PM on this forum.

For those who complained that their requests for information or testing where not handled properly, I'm sorry that that happened to you but I would ask you to consider that PTG members are just like you, they are trying to run a business and are volunteering there time and energy. No one that I know in this business puts in just a 40 hour week.

I was one who voiced my "concerns". I certainly understand all volunteer members. The concern was the constant saying of maybe next time we will have things in order. Certainly even busy people could find 5 minutes to e mail or call head office to get their hands on proper paper work. Even after a member of this forum tried to help, there was still no replies. As for the chapter itself...great guys..and I always enjoyed going. At the time I travelled from London to Toronto. That travel seems to be the biggest stumbling block for many I know in this business. Do a head count for the Golden Horseshoe/Niagara. Perhaps enough for a NEW CHAPTER. All in all mostly frsutration, I didnt mean anything to appear as complaints directed @ anyone. However, if you step up to volunteer for something..then do it! Or dont volunteer.

Thanks for your response Thompson L, I was wondering what the requirements from the PTG are to start a new chapter. Do you think this would be viable for the area between Hamilton-Fort Erie?
I certainly would volunteer some of my time and know of a few others that probably could. Your comment about keeping the Toronto chapter "afloat" does not clarify if its problems are executive or membership commitment related or something entirely different. One of my instructors at GBC in the 80's is now at U of G and has a program there which does hold fairly regular 3-4 day seminars with high quality lecturers. Right now this seems as one of the best ways to let us technicians keep our finger on the pulse of this profession in veiw of the partial vacume we have as an alternative.

Correction here to my previous post, it is the University of Western Ontario, not U of G. Going to all those Giffons games last year must have confused me.

Emmery, Thomson, and Richard,

I am not totally sure but I believe that the requirement to start a new PTG chapter is that someone has to be an RPT. There may be other requirements that I am not aware of.

cheers.....

To all,

Lawrie, thanks for chiming in and helping us all to understand what's really going on here.

It is very interesting that there are 3 different piano organizations to which one can belong up there. I would think, they would possibly be in conflict, or, maybe a better word, competition with one another for who is the best or, which one "we" should belong too?

I will happily volunteer my time for you, to write a letter to my home office PTG here in USA and ask the question of what is required to start a new chapter in Canada. I will post the answers here in this forum when I get a reply for you all to read.

One thing that is very important to remember is that if only one or two people wind up running the whole show year in and year out, it will likely flop from burnout. Everyone must take their turn doing a meeting, setting it up or something.

To this day, each one of our RPT members, takes turns giving a meeting each month on something of interest for the learning of all. The more members you have, the less often you have to take your turn! :-)

We also call in and pay all expenses for outside members to drive in to give meetings too or, we barter with them. Sometimes, one of them will drive in and do a meeting for us, and maybe the next month, one of us, does a meeting for them.

I will write my home office now and find out what it takes and will get back to you on that.

The Canadian Association of Piano Technicians mainly operates out western Canada. They publish a newsletter numerous times a year, but probably does not compete. The OGPT is active in much the same area. The only reason I asuggested a Hamilton/Niagara chapter is there seems to be a lot of tuners in the area. When I was going to Toronto to meetings. most wwere local and farther north. I knew at least 8 guys in London ON including those @UWO who were not members. I think its mostly geography.

eddie and rjalex,

Did I touch on some personal sensitivity and/or insecurity or are you just being as crude to me as you are to your potential customers?

Well, contrary to your perception I am not a bluffer in any way whatsoever. My professional qualifications as a cabinet maker and a French polisher, tertiary education and a very successful piano restoration company are testimony to it all.

My name in this forum stands for the initial of my real surname, the mobile phone number at the bottom of my posts is my personal phone in real life and the address is of the factory I own where I practice my skills for which I am recognized by my peers locally to be an authority in the field.

I am posting on forums because I believe that I can contribute to the betterment of the piano industry as a whole and not to bluff my way around it. And from that perspective, surely, blasting people for daring to ask questions in forums and/or in work shops is universally acknowledged as not the best way to close deals.

Quote "step up to volunteer for something..then do it! Or dont volunteer."

Richard, I agree with you but I think what has happened is that someone takes on a position when it is clear that no one is going to. They feel obligated rather than let the chapter suffer. In turn then end up doing a poor job because they didn't really want the job. Some times it is better to let things fall apart first. Sometimes they have to get worse before they get better although it doesn't seem so at the time.

It's too bad about London, it's hard for a place that is half way between Two chapters ( Toronto & Detroit). When I was in charge of the program we had at least one meeting a year in Kitchener to try and bring in the folks from the western end. We would see a few new faces but it was mostly the same people who would come out to the meetings in the GTA that came out.

If the PTG is something that still interests you then you have a great opportunity now. You are just minutes away from the Buffalo chapter, if you don't mind the hassle at the border. If you come out to a meeting for the Toronto chapter I guarantee that I will meet you at the door with the paperwork for membership application.

Emmery, I don't think there are enough technicians in the area between Hamilton and Fort Erie to form a chapter. I know from years of trying to talk technicians in the area into coming out to even one meeting that it can be a hard sell. If the 6 million plus in the Toronto area struggle to support a chapter then this much smaller population is not going to be viable.

All it would take is a handful of technicians with a bit of energy and imagination to get things back on track in Toronto. The chapter is financially sound and has a budget for bringing in some interesting speakers. All it would take is a few techs willing to co-ordinate it. In the last year it has come down to two techs that are trying to run the chapter and they are just tapped out. I have already talked to Anne Francis, who is a regular on this forum and she is quite willing to contribute some time and energy. If you and some of the people you know would be willing to volunteer some time I think we could be up and running again in no time. I don't see any reason why we couldn't meet 5 or 6 times this coming year, starting in September. I'll be in touch with you through PM. besides I'm curious who you were referring to in your earlier posts because there aren't any PTG RPTs in the Niagara area. ( I have to be retested because I let my membership lapse a few years back).

Jerry, Thanks for your offer to help with info on a new chapter but I think it is putting the cart before the horse. If there are enough people in the area west of Toronto to start a chapter then is shouldn't be that hard to get the Toronto chapter up and running again without reinventing the wheel. The Toronto chapter can meet in the area west of the city if thats what suits the active members.