January 2023

Greetings to Our New Members
If you're reading a PTG member e-newsletter for the first time, welcome! If you need anything, please get in touch with your chapter president, Regional Vice President, or the PTG Home Office. Be sure to check out some of the great benefits of PTG membership. To all members, check out the list of new members in each month's Journal and see who's new in your area.

Find an RPT Public Search
The Find a Registered Piano Technician for the public feature has returned to www.ptg.org. While we’re confident we’ve worked out major glitches, we encourage you to try it and to email [email protected] with any issues you may find.

Next up will be the completion of the online Member Directory that includes all PTG members, along with their chapter and chapter leadership roles if applicable. Finally, we’ll complete the updated Guide to Resources that includes links and contact information to manufacturers and other service suppliers.

This process turned out to be much more complicated for both PTG and our service providers than was anticipated. Our vendors have been working with us since last summer to deliver a product that is useful and comprehensive and lives up the high standards PTG members deserve.

If you have special services you provide other than tuning, regulation and repair, you can update your list of services by following the steps below.
  1. Log in to your PTG Member Account at www.ptg.org.
  2. Under the PTG Member heading, click on My Portal.
  3. On the Portal Page, click on the face icon in the upper right-hand corner. When the drop-down menu appears, click on My Profile.
  4. A box will appear titled “My Personal Information.” Click on the pencil in the box. That will take you to an edit page.
  5. Once the page loads, scroll down and review the information. For any service you would like to add, click on the box and a green checkmark will appear. For any you wish to remove, click on the box and the green checkmark will disappear.
  6. Click update at the bottom of the page to save your changes (please allow six hours for the system to update and reflect the changes you have made).
You Are Important to Us – Renew Your Membership Today
If you haven’t paid your 2023 PTG Membership Dues, you will be dropped from the membership rolls on January 31. Invoices for 2023 were sent to your email and are available for online payment through your PTG Member Portal.
  • Log into www.ptg.org and click on PTG Members > My Portal.
  • Paying online is quick and easy. When an invoice is ready to be paid, a small red number “1” will appear on the bell image in the upper right corner. Click on the bell and a link to your invoice will appear.
Please Note: Chapter dues must be paid in full but if you’d like to set up monthly installment payments for the PTG portion please contact the HO. If you set up monthly installments for 2022, those arrangements will automatically continue in 2023 as long as a valid credit card has been saved to your account.

If you’re not a regular user of the PTG websites (or have never logged in), click here to learn how to update your login information.
Winter Board Meeting
The next meeting of the PTG Board of Directors is scheduled for January 27-29, 2023 in Kansas City. Minutes will be available online as quickly as possible after the meeting. You can view the agenda here.
2023 PTG Convention
Represent Our Trade
July 26-29
Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia
Classes and instructors are posted and the webpage is live! Be sure to visit and bookmark the site. Check back frequently for updates.
Piano Technicians Journal
Resolve to Write
Challenge yourself this year to make the Journal part of your piano-related goals. If you have never contributed to the Journal, set a goal of submitting one article this year. If you’ve contributed in the past, challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone and try a new type of article, or consider writing a longer series. You might even work with another member of your chapter who hasn’t submitted to the Journal before and help him or her put together an article. What kinds of things should you resolve to submit to the Journal? We are open to a wide range of content, including (but not limited to):
  • Technical articles.
  • Cultural articles.
  • Practical Technician pieces.
  • Tuner’s Life.
  • Quizzes.
  • Tips Tools & Techniques.
Read Andrea Hackbarth's December 2022 Journal Editorial Perspective for more info. Articles and photos can be submitted at www.ptg.org/ptgmain/submit or to [email protected].
What's in the January 2023 Journal?
  • The Repetition Spring: How It Works and What to Do With It
  • The Theory and Practice of Key Making, Part 4
  • Reverse Pinning
The Piano Technicians Journal is always available 24-7. Read the January issue here.
Take a Trip Around the New PTG Education Hub
  • A new and expanded piano technology education website with members-only resources.
  • PTG’s existing educational resources organized into a collection of structured curricula.
  • Use in your personal study and/or with apprentices and mentees.
  • Features include a Beginner’s Roadmap and quick links to find resources by topic.
  • The launch of a Vertical Piano Service curriculum (the first of several programs currently in development.)
  • Links to other PTG education and RPT exam-related resources.
  • A more efficient process for finding a mentor with guided steps and links.
  • Visit frequently to see what’s new!
Visit the Education Hub at www.ptg.org.
Attend NAMM 2023
NAMM and the PTG have again partnered to offer members a free registration to the April 13-15, 2023 NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA. Here’s how it works:
  • You must be a PTG member.
  • You MUST send an e-mail to [email protected] with your complete name and e-mail address by March 15, 2023. Please include NAMM NAME BADGE REQUEST in the subject line.
  • That e-mail address will be shared with NAMM. You will receive an e-mail from NAMM with further instructions on how to complete the registration process. Once complete, you will receive confirmation from NAMM that your badge awaits you.
If you make it to the show, please make sure and say hello at the PTG booth. More information about the NAMM show is available at www.namm.org/thenammshow/attend.
RPT Written Exam Fee
Beginning January 1, 2023, a $25 fee for the RPT Written Exam became effective. This item is available for purchase in the PTG Store under the Exam Voucher category. For those interested in taking the written exam, contact an RPT to be your sponsor. The RPT sponsor should contact the Home Office ([email protected]) or the ETSC Written Exam Subcommittee (Robert Guenther: [email protected], or Greg Cheng:
[email protected]) to set up an exam and receive instructions for the examiner and examinee.
Taking the RPT Exams: The 4 P Approach
All new PTG members receive an exam brochure that includes an overview of RPT exam process and a list of resources to help prepare for the exams. The “Prepare. Practice. Pre-Screen. Pass!” brochure also offers a complete list of exam resources. It’s now available for download at www.ptg.org.
Deadlines and Events
January 27 - 29, 2023
Board of Directors Winter Meeting. Download agenda.
February 1, 2023
Nominations due for PTG Board of Directors. Nominating Committee page.
March 7 - 10, 2023
South Central Regional Conference. www.scrcptg.org
July 26 - 29, 2023
Annual PTG Convention and Technical Institute. convention.ptg.org
PTG Green Initiative
As adopted in 2005, the Council Book of Resolutions states, "Home Office and PTG membership shall be environmentally aware." Over the last few years, the HO has been working towards eliminating the printing and mailing of such things as newsletters, supplements, invoices, and monthly statements. Please update your profile online or contact the HO if we do not have your current contact information. Find My Portal under PTG Members and click on your picture or the person image in the upper right hand corner to edit your profle.