Fw: Concert Tuning Info Emergency

[Kristinn Leifsson]

Hi Terry!  Congrats!

Well, the first time I tuned for a concert was exactly something like this, 
actually it was my first tuning for someone outside the school, EVER, so 
you can imagine how nervous I was.  It was a hot dog festival of some sorts 
in Vancouver, WA.
I remember having my worries, because I tuned it in the school, and it was 
to be moved to the festival and used there.
All I remember my teacher (Ken Serviss) saying was something like:
"Don´t worry, they´ll be so drunk they won´t notice a thing, if they can 
even hear the piano from all the background noise."

Well, I tuned it, but it never got to the festival, it fell off the truck 
when they were loading it!  I checked the tuning, and the thirds hadn´t 
even moved at all.  The front leg and key slip area were quite demolished 
though!
Well, I think I tuned another piano,  but don´t remember.
As to advice on the tuning itself, well, this is going to be a tough one.
Remember not to hurry with the temperament, when you get that fixed you 
have a lot more leeway and freedom to hurry up with good octaves etc. etc.
You need to remember that this isn´t going to be a recording-quality 
tuning, no matter what, my dear.  For that you need more time, and quiet, 
(which you probably won´t have, and ah, stable atmospheric conditions, 
which you won´t have either.


Good luck,

Kristinn

At 18:20 26.1.2001 -0500, you wrote:
>Oops! The guy's name is Richard Marx I have just learned.
>
>Terry Farrell
>Piano Tuning & Service
>Tampa, Florida
><mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>Farrell
>To: <mailto:pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org
>Sent: Friday, January 26, 2001 5:04 PM
>Subject: Concert Tuning Info Emergency
>
>I enjoy new challenges. Usually. Which is good, because I have just made 
>my tuning services available for my very FIRST concert tuning (5 minutes 
>ago). Tomorrow. I know how to tune a piano for Mrs. Smith down the street, 
>but ANYTHING having to do with a concert situation will be new to me (and 
>admittedly, anything to do with a professional pianist).
>
>I am to tune for Richard Mark (my info is he is a pop pianist - anyone 
>know who this dude is?) tomorrow at noon at the Gasparilla Festival in 
>Tampa, FL. I guess this is Tampa's stab at Mardi Gras. It is your basic 
>get drunk and flash boobs event. Anyway, it is an outdoor stage and I was 
>told I would have an hour to tune. Why am I not comfortable with that? I 
>usually take at least an hour to tune.
>
>Any general advice from you old pros regarding tuning specifics (any 
>special style or anything, like lots of stretch, etc.) and just general 
>considerations for outdoor concert tuning at a festival? Especially, any 
>advice from SAT users - as I do the FAC thing with my SAT III. The piano 
>is a rented Yamaha C3 that supposedly was tuned prior to leaving the 
>rental company in Miami. Anything specifically unusual with this 
>particular piano model? There are two tunings. The first at noon, and then 
>one around 5 PM for an evening performance.
>
>I have this feeling of stepping into a black abyss. Every time I have done 
>that in the past, I have come up in pretty good shape. But there is always 
>a first time it may not happen that way. I'm charging double my usual 
>tuning fee for each tuning. Is that normal?
>
>Help.  :O
>
>Terry Farrell
>Piano Tuning & Service
>Tampa, Florida
><mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com