I've read these recent notes about the loss of so many player
technicians with a great deal of interest and sadness.  I have had the
opportunity to work with Dick Kroeckel to rebuild player mechanisms,
first for my own Steinway AR, and now for other various projects he
has.

If I didn't have a full time job, I would spend more time with him,
but he has other pursuits as well.  The kind of knowledge he has
(especially about Duo-Arts) amazes me; any random piece he can look at
and know exactly where it goes and what it does.

I think we don't have to worry too much about the loss of piano repair
skills, it's the _player_ mechanism skills that are fading.  There will
always be a market and a community for the folks who can re-hammer,
re-string, re-voice a piano.

The technique -- cutting and repairing pneumatic parts, how to safely
remove glued parts, what products to use and not to use -- it's hard
to fathom how much is lost with every passing (and I'm not even
considering anything but player pianos here).

I was heartened when visiting the Music House Museum in Acme, Michigan,
and seeing their large workshop.  Those are the places to preserve this
knowledge, as it seeps away from local workers.

It does appear that there are some videos on YouTube about player
repair, perhaps this would be a way to preserve some of this knowledge
for future generations.

Andy Gerber
Denver, Colorado