Detuning 13 notes (aka: Tuning for outside groups)

[S. Brady]

David,

Outside groups frequently rent the large concert hall at the state
university where I work. Our policy, developed after some trial and error,
is to have the outside groups contact me personally if they want a tuning
for their event. When a group rents the space, they meet with the
technical director and front-of-house manager in a production meeting
where information of all sorts is exchanged, and this tuning policy, along
with my phone number and my fee, is passed along to them at this initial
meeting. Then it's their responsibility to make it happen. Certain groups,
like a local high school orchestra that gives their major concerts here,
will call me to find out if I think the piano will "need" tuning, because
they have tight budget constraints. Others just don't care and never call.
Still others do call and do arrange tuning, and usually pay promtly.
When I do concert work for university groups, it is just part of my job
and covered by my salary.

I sympathized with your plight, though. And deliberately mistuning the
unisons is surely something every frustrated tuner would like to do for
revenge, although not a wise idea in the larger picture. Ironically, I
once was called to tune an upright for a concert where they requested that
I make it sound like a saloon piano for a particular 20th-century piece that
called for this sound. I did a nice tuning and then de-tuned one string
per note, and they loved it!

Best,

Steve

On Sun, 6 May 2001, 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
>
>


_________________________________________________

Steve Brady, RPT
Head Piano Technician, University of Washington
Editor Emeritus, Piano Technicians Journal