By Leonard Hebert, RPT Las Vegas Chapter

Las Vegas -- May, 2001 Summer has come early to the Vegas Valley. A dull haze blankets the I -15 corridor as an endless
stream of visitors make their way to this Entertainment Mecca. My family made their way up the old two-lane highway from
L.A. in 1962. Except for nine years in Seattle and thee years in the Army, I've been here ever since, as has my wife.

Today is an off day. I prefer to put all my tunings on Thursday through Saturday and use Monday through Wednesday evenings
to make my calls to load the schedule. Today I've scheduled two tunings in the afternoon, but I think nothing of that as my wife
and I, and the friendlier of our two cats, enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the back patio. Like many people in Las Vegas she
works the swing shift, unlike everyone else, she is the residentVulcan at StarTrek, the Experience at the Hilton Hotel. My wife
disparages over the "office" politics as I privately gloat over having none of these problems. Working alone has its own set of
problems, but infighting is not one of them.

I left early for my 1 :00 appointment. It's eight miles away and I'll be traveling by bicycle. Over the past three years or more I've
biked to over 1,500 tunings. It's a great way to get around, and, to my surprise, my customers love it. I've put on my favorite
bike shorts, (mountain bike style; hey, nobody wants to see your butt in black spandex on their piano bench!) and a bright
orange jersey. I put on my bike shoes, a helmet, sunscreen and bright yellow sunglasses, throw on some fresh water and my 18
pound tool kit, and I'm off. My bike is a custom folding bike from Bike FridayTM in Oregon. It's a Pocket Llama TM model,
bright yellow with an optional trailer. I use the trailer to deliver keys, Dampp-Chasers TM and other small items.  As usual,
there's a big grin on my face within the first mile.Years of experience have made me very cautious and I take great care to
check my mirror as I hear each car approach. Residential roads with school zones are the safest. Each turn is carefully
considered for distance and safety. Just as you must be on your best behavior in your customer's home, you must be on your
best behavior on your neighbors' roads. Don't think for a moment that the roads belong to you because you don't have the two
tons of metal to back that up. Las Vegas was listed in Bicycling Magazine as one of the three worst cities to bike in!

I arrive at my 1 :00 a little early and secure my bike to the front fence. Norm is not surprised to see me biking and asks,"So you
think that is still the way to go?" He has added more birdcages to the front of the house. (N ot the English piano type). The
"fowl" smell takes me back to my rural Oklahoma upbringing. I feel like I'm visiting a member of the family. N orm was a fellow
student in a composition class at UNLV; then NSU, in the early '70s. He has made a living as a card dealer, but continues to
pursue his art and music; and for the past five years, a love for toucans. His home has become an aviary.

The piano, a 5'10" Kawai, is covered with newspapers and bird perches. The extra humidity from continuous cage cleaning has
had its effects. Throw some birdseed between the keys and add four large tropical birds screaming at the top of their lungs and
you have some difficult tuning conditions! Of course, they're quiet during the electronic part of the process.Years of tuning in
casinos, dealers floors, and around various shop tools have dulled my awareness of extraneous noises, but these birds are in the
fire alarm range! Oh well, they probably scream while he's playing, too. Norm updates me on his planned move to Belize,
where many of these birds originate. He quickly withdrew his offer on some property when a hurricane ravaged Central
America. I suggested that he retire in San Diego and work for the Zoo at their expense.

We say our good-byes and it's back on the bike for three or four miles. I reflect on why I continue to tune after 25 years of
piano wrestling. It's the people. We work for some of the best people ih the world and like us, some of the most eccentric. My
3:00 appointment, Mr. Halpin, is 86-years-old now. He has outlived his younger wife, but is not doing well without her. He
rarely cooks a meal because of the g~nerosity of the women in his mobile home park. While I'm tuning, he shows me what he
can do on his new Lowrey organ. (see Toucans above) .

It's about 12 miles southwest to my home and, of course, the wind is in my face. It's about 100 degrees and I've been drinking
lots of water at both stops today in anticipation of the ride home.You might be surprised that it's possible to tune four or five
tunings by bike in one day. Actually, the tuning feels like a rest period. In order to do this, you've got to arrange your customer
file by Zip Code, and carefully schedule your tunings within that area. For two years, I worked without a car, and tuned
exclusively by bus and bike using this method. For one year, I used a motorcycle and bicycle, but came to think that between
the two, I was an accident going some place to happen. Roller blades would work but I'm still having trouble with the stopping.
There is a great satisfaction in knowing that I'm contributing not only to my own health and well-being, but to that of the "Best
Darn Planet in the Solar System!"

I arrive with just enough time to eat (you can eat whatever you like after 25 miles of biking), and to start the evening's customer
calls. I'm tired, but still mentally energized. Filling the schedule, 16 pianos, is often the last thing I want to sit down and do in the
evening, but it's the only way I'm going to pay the bills.

Even if you don't take this as far as I have, consider organizing your file by Zip Code to cut down on your travel time and
expense. Try walking or biking within a five to 10 mile radius of your home or place of business and driving outside of that
distance. Try the bus and or bike combination. By the way, you can complete 95 percent of your calls with your tuning,
regulating, and miscellaneous small tool, a few supplies, and a small amount of13 and 14 gauge wire and bass tails (splice first,
ask questions later) . Call me for details and survival questions at 702-914-8082 or E-mail me at leonardhebert@hotmail.com.
Good luck! .
 

September 2001 / Piano TechniciansJoumal 37