Detuning 13 notes (aka: Tuning for outside groups)

[Greg Newell]

David,
    I would be inclined to bill the college since they booked the appointment
with you. It probably won't fly but try it anyway. In the future I would
recommend not showing up unless you talk directly to the person in charge of
paying the bill beforehand. Going by your story I wouldn't have bothered
calling the college a week before and the Jazz people 3 days before. I would
have only called the jazz trio people at least a week before. Their paying,
they get the call. Messing up the piano before you leave can only hurt your
reputation. Sour Grapes you know. Natural temptation and understandable from
another tech's point of view but the might have used an instrument that was
o.k. to their ears even before you began. Now you made it unusable on purpose.
Could come back and bite you hard. How much do you value the college's
business?
My two cents, and remember you asked. :-)
Greg

Vanderhoofven wrote:

> Dear Friends,
>
> I take care of a Steinway D in the small hall at our local state
> college.  I have an oral agreement with the college to tune their pianos at
> a reduced rate.  I very infrequently bill for pitch corrections, so they
> are getting a good deal, in my opinion.
>
> I also tune this same piano for outside groups, such as the local piano
> teachers association, and local concert groups.  A month ago, I put on my
> calendar to tune this piano today for a concert this afternoon.  Last week
> I confirmed with the secretary of the music department that this tuning was
> to be done, and that it was to be billed to the local jazz society.  A few
> days ago I called the director of the jazz society and left a message on
> her answering machine that I was going to tune the piano the morning of the
> concert.
>
> Today at 10:30 am I began tuning the Steinway D to get ready for the
> concert by a jazz trio.  The concert was at 2:30 pm, so I had plenty of
> time to do a good tuning and be done before they began to set up.  The
> piano was about 4 cents sharp, so I did a 2 pass tuning, using RCT,
> lowering pitch from A-441 to A-440 and tuning at A-440.  When I was almost
> finished with my tuning, the director of the local jazz society came in and
> told me that she was not paying for the tuning and that she had not
> authorized the tuning.  Well, I finished the tuning, checked all my
> unisons, and then played a song to check out the tuning.  I have been
> working on piano Sonata K.1, L.366 by Domenico Scarlatti.  I liked the
> tuning.  I didn't like the voicing, but then, I don't get paid to do more
> than tune, so I don't do more than tune.  I have too much free work already
> for the college.
>
> After I was satisfied with the tuning, the last thing I did was to tune all
> of the right strings on notes G3 to G4 precisely 4 cents sharp.  Since I am
> not getting paid for the tuning, then the jazz society should not get to
> use my tuning without paying.  This is the second time in two weeks that an
> outside group said they would not pay for my tuning on that piano.  The
> first time,  I found out before I did the tuning so I didn't waste my time
> tuning.  This time I didn't find out until after I was almost finished with
> my tuning.
>
> Question:  How do you deal with tunings (and getting paid for the tunings)
> for outside groups at your college or university?  Do you have a policy
> about what to do in situations like this?
>
> Thanks for letting me vent.  Perhaps my experience will be helpful to
> someone.  If anyone has a viable solution, I would like to hear it.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> David A. Vanderhoofven
> Registered Piano Technician
> Missouri Southern State College

--
Greg Newell
Greg's Piano Forté
12970 Harlon Ave.
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-226-3791
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net