In this episode, we sit down with Sam Bennett of Piano Works -- a dealership, recital hall, and rebuilding shop based out of Duluth, Georgia -- to discuss selecting the right brands to carry in your store; sales strategies; familiarizing yourself with your tools; building relationships within the industry; and tips for replacing pinblocks.

Here are the resources discussed throughout the episode:

-The Piano Works website, Youtube channel, and Facebook page

-Hidrau benches for sale

-"What if Rach had a Bösendorfer Imperial?" Youtube video

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In this episode, we sit down with Arian Sheets, the curator for stringed instruments at the National Music Museum, to talk about how instruments and music have changed through the years; invasive restoration vs. conservation; handling historic instruments in client homes; and how the museum's research is helping to preserve fascinating instrument designs for the years to come.

Here are the resources discussed throughout the episode:

-The history and sound of the choralcelo (sound clip #1 and #2), which is an example of a very early electronic keyboard instrument.

-Additional examples of various reinventions using modern drivers but with the same principles as the choralcelo or historical "sostenuto pianos", which involved using the strings own vibrations in a recursive fashion (example #1, #2, #3, and #4).

-The digital library of all the keyboards in the National Music Museum's keyboard collection.

-The Pennsylvania-based EMEAPP Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project, which maintains and houses one of the best historical electronic instrument collections while also providing educational opportunities for piano technicians and other interested inquirers.

-The "Frederick Piano Collection" Youtube channel

CORRECTION: Arian misspoke when mentioning the early New York manufacturer who developed and sold upright actions to other manufacturers starting in the 1860s: she said the name Straube, but meant Strauch, whose labels can sometimes be found on the actions of 19th century upright pianos. Strauch Bros. published The Manufacture of Pianoforte Action, Its Rise and Development in 1904, which can be read at this link. On page 58, they discuss the founding of the company in 1867 as a specialty action manufacturer with particular mention of a soon-impending shift to upright and grand pianos, as opposed to squares, in the American market, which Strauch aimed to supply.

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In this episode, we sit down with Josi Davis from Brooks LTD to talk about the services the company offers; the sound profiles of different hammers; how to efficiently communicate with clients and understand the scope of larger projects; and negotiating your worth as an aspiring "leader of the band."

To subscribe to their newsletter or email your enrollment for the All Day Upright Hammer Hanging workshop, visit the Brooks LTD website. You can also stay up to date on their latest news, products, and articles by following them on Instagram.

If you don't already, be sure to follow ProPTN on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠... or visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more!