[pianotech] Simon & Garfunkel piano

[Jim Busby]

Ed,

Been there too. You're right. Here's the "other side": I was asked to tune for a major orchestra, A442. I forgot! I about died the next day, just knowing I'd get a call. I did. "Jim we just wanted to thank you for the wonderful tuning!" "Oh, did everything go well then?" "Yes, just fine...". I just ended saying "I'm glad". Sometimes you  win, sometimes you lose. Or, reverse that.

Regards,
Jim

________________________________________
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of A440A at aol.com [A440A at aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 12:51 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Simon & Garfunkel piano

Jim writes:

<<  A couple of years ago I tuned/prepped for a certain "high profile"
performer. When the piano came in it was terrible!  >>

    I agree, sometimes there is no way to win.  When I was called to tune
the yellow and orange Steinway D for Elton John some years back, it was
unloaded (late),  from a 30 degree truck and put on the stage so cold it was
condensing water on it. It was 20 cents sharp.   When I said there was no way to
tune it right then, I was told that I must, it was in the contract that it
be tuned to A-440 and the show was going on in two hours. No amount of logic
was able to persuade the road manager.  So I began.  The lighting crew
began work while I was half way through, and the beginning and end of the tuning
were basically the combination of a pitch raise on one end and pitch lower
on the other.  It was a total disaster, and when I was confronted with
having done a "bad" tuning, I had to let the road manager know that he didn't
have a clue what was best for the piano and it was entirely his fault.
   I would have done better to have refused the job and let the piano warm
up to somewhere near normal for the show.  It would have sounded better.



Ed Foote RPT
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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