"should I stay or should I go?"

[David Skolnik]

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Quentin -

There is no one answer when you are talking about theater, which, for these 
purposes, includes concerts.  Even if you are dealing with a regular 
account, it can take a long time and a lot of work, to train the people 
around you, or the people who create the schedule, before the requirements 
for tuning become accepted and anticipated.  And then, sometimes, sh_t 
happens.  A rehearsal goes late, last minute stagecraft, etc.  The best 
approach, I think, is to be  bit anal when making the original 
arrangements.  Ask the scheduler if there is anything, as in  ANYTHING, 
else going on during the tuning time.  Sometimes the scheduler and 
maintenance, or stage crew, don't communicate so well.  It's worth double 
checking.

It is true how amazing it is that people (especially musicians) don't make 
the connection between tuning and the need for silence, which includes 
shuffling papers, whispering, or sometimes, breathing, but, on the other 
hand, why should they know.  There are times when the only course is to ask 
someone to desist,,,as politely as possible.  At other times, again, 
preparing for performance, other people may have jobs that have to get 
done.  Then it becomes a matter of determining what level of noise is 
essential for them to fulfill their responsibilities, and what part of the 
usual noise can, in this case be reasonably suppressed.

Regarding the 2 or 3 people chatting vs. 15 making noise, sometimes the few 
can be more annoying, to me.  A lot of the time it depends upon the 
need.  The 15 may have no choice but to carry on, to prepare for a show, 
while the 2 or 3 could probably take the conversation somewhere else.  I 
will not hesitate to enlighten someone for a few offenses:

Unnecessary conversation or laughter
Singing- especially the note I'm tuning
Whistling, ESPECIALLY THE NOTE I'M TUNING
Jingling keys on a key ring

No noise accepted for a recording session tuning.

Otherwise, it's Show Business.


David Skolnik



At 05:44 PM 11/10/2004 +0100, you wrote:
>Hi Patrick,
>
>This afternoon, I had to tune for a concert in a small hall.
>I tuned the piano this morning, and had to check it another time when it 
>was installed.
>People started installing the stage for the choir (nearly 50 singers I 
>think) just after I began checking everything.
>Some notes were a little bit out of tune, I had to tune them correctly.
>People were trailing the stage "blocks" everywhere and shouting at each 
>other because they should have finished work sooner and people wanted to 
>go back home.
>I asked for silence, everything remained noisy all around me.
>I decided to... go ;-)
>
>If they totally didn't care about my concentration and about what I was 
>doing, that's because they 'd probably think the piano was good as it was.
>

and...

>But don't you think people should realize that making a good tuning 
>requires good conditions?
>
>There is a difference between 2 or 3 people chatting and 15 persons 
>screaming and moving chairs and wood panels all around you while you're 
>tuning !
>
>I think I would have preferred 2 or 3 people discussing in a normal way 
>instead of this disturbing noises !
>
Quentin


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