People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-09-29
EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN.
With Patience and Perseverance They
May Become Piano Tuners.

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May Become Piano Tuners.
Much has been said about the diff
ferent vocations whereby a woman
can earn comfortable living, and
with others, piano tuning is now
enumerated, says the New York
Times.
This occupation is not the easy
ole that many imagine. 1t requires
All accurate ear, strong arm and
much practice. A young woman
who IS learning to WELD the ham,
ner says, 81 had no idea it was so
hard
A German. a professor OF music,
when she told him what she was
doing, said: "You will never learn,
you will never learn. say. 1t is
like music; it takes a lifetime to learn
ii" She is disproving that. though,
for she is making rapid progress,
and, although she has been studying
only two years, will, in all proba-
bility, soon be able to ''fine tune"
as 1t is called, a piano.
One should go into a factory to
learn tuning. There are schools
where piano tuning is taught and
there can be no doubt that the training
is excellent, as far as it can be; still,
to become practical piano tuner ii
is essential that one should be where
the instruments are put together, so
as to be able to acquire an accurate
knowledge OF the details
The beginning is called "chip-
ping, that is, tuning the wires after
the case has been strung and before
it is put in its proper place in the
piano frame. Often that chipping"
has TO be done two or three times,
because the case, not being in firm
position, the wires slip and fall. Rough
tuning follows and after some repeti-
tons the finishing or fine tuning
puts the instrument in a suitable
condition for the player.
A great amount Of work it seems,
and it is a fact that it requires much
practice to becomes successful piano
tuner.
The popularity of holding the
hammer, the thumb down with the
little finger over the end OF the han
die, is an intense strain on the hand
and arm, and the pins (around which
the wires are fastened), being placed
very firmly in position, need much
strength to turn them. Then, again,
the ear must be exceedingly true to
detect the slightest variation in the
sound; three strings form one note.
consequently they must harmonic
IN tone, and the necessary adjustment
is very delicate. The ear becomes
finely trained by practice, so much
that tuner will notice the wave in a
note that to one uneducated, even
though he may have good ear,
would seem to accord.
The remark OF tuner that it
would be impossible for him to tune
all day in factory, week in and
week out, as it would certainly make
him crazy (piano tuners are said to
grow into cranks), shows that it is
also very wearing on the nerves.
This all sounds discouraging, but
there are drawbacks to everything,
and piano tuning is not 1.-The excep-
tion to prove the rule" and for any
one having the three requisites men
toned, good ear, plenty of phys
zeal strength and a willingness to
practice laboriously, there is no rea-
son why it should not be conquered
as other difficult occupations have
been.
A member OF the firm in whose
factory the woman referred to is
learning pronounces her progress
excellent considering the short time
she has been at it, and does not hes
itate to predict her complete success
after longer novitiate.