A443

[ginacarter]

Dave, and All,

I agree with Tom, especially his:
> Newton and Joel Jones and others are right that it is more of a hassle
than
> meets the eye to customize the pitch of a concert instrument.  I think the
> response to such requests should be:  "Yes, we can accommodate you.  Our
fee
> for that service is [say, four times the usual tuning fee].  Would you
like
> us to include that in your contract arrangements?"

This kind of phrase is now standard in my contract with the Community
Concert Association. Let me add that this didn't happen overnight. :-) It
took several years and a major catastrophe (for which I had refused to tune)
for them to understand that pitch changes require much preparation before
and after the concert.

Gina Carter
Charlotte NC