Hi Gerry et.al,
Thanks for the support all!! I sure appreciate all you folks for the great
advice!
I'll just tune as well as I can and get in there during all their breaks
to touch up stuff. We're using a Steinway D in Kimball, another Steinway
D in Lied, another Steinway D in Westbrook and a Steinway B in Steinhart,
so I'll have lots to keep up on. I COULD scare them and say we only have
Lester spinets and our crown jewel, the Betsy Ross in the main recital
hall!! (ha ha ha)
We don't really have "back-up" pianos except a pretty good 1956 Baldwin D
with new stack (Ronsen-wurzen hammers) and it has been Wapinized. The
sustain goes on and on with a really nice brilliance. It still needs more
voicing, IMHO, but could be used in a pinch in either Kimball Hall or
Lied.
The only bummer is that it's over my wife's birthday and, unless she signs
up for the conference, can't come :>(
Thanks again!
Paul
BTW: George Winston was a really nice fellow, but I don't think I've ever
seen someone pound on a piano as much as him....also....damper pedal down
most of the time...no wonder it kept going out of unison tune!!
Another BTW: How do you all handle intermission tuning touch-ups? It's
so noisy!!
From:
G Cousins <cousins_gerry at msn.com>
To:
CAUT <caut at ptg.org>
Date:
10/22/2009 02:35 PM
Subject:
Re: [CAUT] Fw: liszt
Paul,
Dittos on all comments thus far.
My additions: Damper quietness (on and off) Clicks, pops, ticks,taps,
Check the bench tightness, Lyre, leg locks, creaks. Wipe off any
fingerprints off the case. Clean off the keytops.
Besides the Voodoo, keep a supply of mummy dust handy. Many times the
artist just needs reassurance that all's well with the piano. Keep in mind
that you really really know your stuff and they sometimes need subtle
reminders like seeing you at the piano.
Program seems to have some a fair amount of brakes throughout the days. I
concur that pre-prep of the piano(s) and rock solid set ups should prove
beneficial with appropriate touch up times. To add to the stability try to
have the stage set up with lighting on whenever setting up. Pound in those
unisons
Don't know your arrangements with the U but.... overtime/comptime/extra $$
is always overlooked by everyone not directly associated with the piano
maintenance and/or needs. It may be (IMHO is) appropriate to discuss
(negotiate) the your working terms and associated needs,fees,etc.
Otherwise you will work 10,000 hours with only satisfaction of knowing YOU
did a great job. In the end they'll be happy to tell you if something
screws up. Such is the cross we bear.
Hang in there, don't stress, do your best (which, I'm certain you will)
they'll have no complaints!
Good planning leads to good success.
Huzzah!
Gerry Cousins,WCUPA
BTW: What piano (s) will they be playing? One of the old Kimballs?
From: jim_busby at byu.edu
To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:21:52 -0600
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fw: liszt
Hi Paul,
These events can be stressful, but make sure you think through all the
“what if’s”. Here’s a few that have helped me in similar situations; make
sure you have several benches available. Have your stringing kit available
and know good methods to stabilize strings (Mannino gives great advice
here) , and even better, have an alternate piano in the wings, if
possible. Funny, but have voicing tools on hand to at least look like you
have strong voodoo <G>, but you may be asked to do some very quick work on
a note that “sticks out” for someone. Have your “squeak fixes” handy. 1.
Unisons 2. Squeaks 3. Broken strings, 4. Quick voicings and 5. Bench are
the only things that I’ve been pressed to deal with in these high energy
situations. You probably have already thought of all these, but that’s my
short list. Good luck, and don’t forget to smile!
Best,
Jim Busby BYU
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred
Sturm
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 10:41 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fw: liszt
On Oct 22, 2009, at 9:25 AM, Paul T Williams wrote:
Hi all,
Has anyone out there dealt with a HUGE piano festival as you can check out
on the first attachment. (I don't know why Dr. Barnes put his signature on
here!). It doesn't look physically doable to keep the piano in wonderful
tune, and would love some advise on how to handle so many piano pieces in
such a short amount of time.
Thanks
Paul
Quite a star-studded affair! Some great music and great
musicians. Yes, it looks like a challenge, but in fact it looks easier
than a competition, since there are gaps within the day and they don't
start all that early. Often a competition piano is used without break from
8 am to 8 pm or the like.
I guess my best advice is first to just do your best and
accept the results. That's life as a concert tech, and that's part of what
all cauts are. You have to develop a thick enough skin to accept that you
aren't perfect. But second, I'd try to get blocks of time secured ahead of
time (schedule them now) in the hall, and try to make them as firm as
possible (realizing that they won't be entirely firm, that there will have
to be some give). And third, just nail the unisons. Nail them solid.
Forget other considerations for the most part. Have the piano(s) set up
well at the beginning, and then just deal with unison creep, which
shouldn't require more than 15-30 minutes a piano if you are focused and
have a nice fairly silent hall.
Good luck! And try to have some fun and enjoy the music.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu
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