"should I stay or should I go?"

antares antares@euronet.nl
Fri, 12 Nov 2004 21:31:59 +0100


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Perhaps we all should become vacuum sales people?

(; >))))


On 12-nov-04, at 20:48, David Skolnik wrote:

>  Hi Andre -
>
>  A shocking splash of sadistic reality, Not what I would have imagined=20=

> from the civilized Dutch. My point, as you courageously demonstrated,=20=

> is, to try.=A0 How would you feel if you never said anything? Perhaps=20=

> you could have made your point by coming to a performance (or a=20
> rehearsal) and turning on a vacuum cleaner.=A0 A mere thought.
>
>  Regards
>
>  David Skolnik
>  Full of mere thoughts
>
>
>
>
>
>  At 07:25 PM 11/12/2004 +0100, you wrote:
>
>
> Hi David Skolnik,
>
>  Of course it is true that there circumstances where you can train the=20=

> stage crew of a certain theater to be quiet when you are tuning.=20
> However, in most, or at least many cases, this is not possible and in=20=

> that case you just have to live with it.
>  Here is a clear example : I worked for some time for the most famous=20=

> concert hall in Holland, and my expectations were that they would help=20=

> me to do the best that I had to offer, and especially in that place=20
> (the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam).
>  The opposite was the case! They did not give a damn whether I had a=20=

> hard time or not. All they said in response to my complaints was that=20=

> the tuners before me had never complained and that I 'd better be a=20
> big boy now.
>  Whatever I said... it did not help. At a certain moment it was so bad=20=

> that 2 people were vacuum cleaning the stage and the seating rows at=20=

> the same time while I was preparing a gorgeous instrument for a famous=20=

> pianist!
>  It should actually be enough to stop the job, pack your tools and get=20=

> the hell out.
>  And you know what?
>  After a long time of this humiliating treatment...
>  I packed my tools, and I got the hell out, and I never returned, even=20=

> though this was the most prestigious client I had ever had.
>  There are however other cases where you try to keep the job, even if=20=

> it is almost impossible.
>  That's where you have to grin and ignore.
>
>  Andr=E9
>
>
>  On 12-nov-04, at 15:45, David Skolnik wrote:
>
>
>  Hi Kent -
>
>  I don't think we disagree.=A0 I credit my own early theatre-tuning=20
> experience with the my ability to through-tune, but I'm going for a=20
> little nuance here.=A0 Let me say this.=A0 As to how many of those =
same=20
> people would ever again be confronted with a piano tuner at work, why=20=

> should you assume it to be so unlikely?=A0 These were stage hands and=20=

> such.=A0 The next time, they might very likely remember...maybe it =
would=20
> take a few times.=A0 That's a learning curve. As to the existential=20
> characteristics, I am trying to distinguish between those conditions=20=

> which are mutable from those that are im-,=A0 (pi).=A0 I see no virtue =
in=20
> suffering in silence if, by speaking up, the situation can be altered,=20=

> and I don't accept the idea that asking / demanding silence ought to=20=

> be experienced as humiliating.
>
>  As for your recent experience, congratulations.=A0 It would be=20
> interesting to hear the circumstances surrounding such a nightmare,=20
> but I think your story illuminates my point on multiple levels.=A0 For=20=

> example, what if some aspect of the tuning had, in fact, proved=20
> inadequate?=A0 Maybe starting out good, but slipping.=A0 How would you=20=

> have felt if some critical attention had been brought to the piano,=20
> despite your heroic effort.=A0 It certainly wouldn't be fair, but you=20=

> might also attribute that to the tuners' existential dilemma. Why, in=20=

> such a panic situation, was it impossible for the venue managers to=20
> control the conditions for you?=A0 Why SHOULD such heroics be allowed =
to=20
> become the standard, as illustrated by the quote from Carol Beigel's=20=

> post,=A0 "Yeah, the real professionals can deal with anything".
>
>  Overall, a much wordier version of what David Love just posted.
>
>
>  David Skolnik
>
>
>  At 06:50 AM 11/12/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>
>  On Nov 12, 2004, at 12:02 AM, David Skolnik wrote:
>
>
>  The point is, SOMEONE has to teach these people.=A0 If I (or you) =
don't=20
> tell them, why SHOULD they know better?
>
>  You are right. My position is indefensible. But it is my position,=20
> nevertheless. I wonder how many of those people that you successfully=20=

> shooed away will ever be faced with the same situation again. Next=20
> time it is likely to be different people making noise and needing to=20=

> be educated. This is the piano tuner's existential dilemma, as far as=20=

> I can see. We can suffer (the noise) in silence, or we can suffer the=20=

> humiliation of having to ask for quiet. Suffering in silence involves=20=

> no break in tuning, and doggedly continues the progress toward a=20
> finished tuning.
>
>  Last weekend I tuned for Olga Kern, the Cliburn gold medalist. I had=20=

> prepared one piano in ideal conditions, but there was a last minute=20
> change of pianos. I had half an hour to bring the other piano up to=20
> pitch and tune it at the last minute while chaos reigned in the hall.=20=

> Impossible. But as far as they know, I did it, and the reviews of the=20=

> concert were raves. Maybe I was able to do that because of the=20
> experience I have tuning in adverse conditions. ?
>
>  Kent
>
>
>  _______________________________________________
>  pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>
>  _______________________________________________
>  pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>
> friendly greetings
>  from
>  Andr=E9 Oorebeek
>
>  "where Music is, no harm can be"
>
>  </blockquote></x-html>
>
friendly greetings
from
Andr=E9 Oorebeek

"where Music is, no harm can be"

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