Concert nightmares/no time

[David Renaud]

Here's one for my book.
Perhaps there is something to learn from it.

How many established concert tuners out there would be comftorable
with these time constraints. I need one hour for each piano for my best
concert tuning, assuming it is within reach of pitch.
Have I been spoiled by regular clients.

Our local Arts Centre technician, and Yamaha man is away at a
convention.
He recommends me for tuning pianos at a string quartet festival at our
National Art Gallery....all week. It is a last min. call. There is a
Yamaha CF, and
a 9' Steinway brought in from a local university that needs work. One of
the
artists had to have a Steinway as he had used the Yamaha three years
before,
and would refuse to play it again(I did not know this at the time).

I am told, as there three concerts/ day, plus rehearsals, I must tune at
night.
10pm till 10am, anytime. I show up at 10 pm, start at 10:30pm
 Within minutes I am alone with the security guard.
He informs me I have to be out by 11:30.
I have 40 min left. There are two grands to tune to each other.
The Steinway is at A442, the Yamaha at 440. I decide to finish the
Yamaha with my best 40 min.effort and spend 20 min quickly lowering
the pitch of the Steinway to A440. For that last 20 min security is on
my back.
I think as there is a current strike of Art Gallery workers, and picket
line, they made
an exception to let the concerts go on, but they apparently are not
anxious to
do overtime for the tuner.
I leave a message for the person that booked me that Yamaha is done,
but if they need Steinway I will have to get in to tune it. I am told
not to worry
about it as there are no piano duets tomorrow. They will just use
Yamaha,
tune the Steinway tomorrow night.

Well,  the pianist(from France), used Steinway for the dress rehearsal
anyway.
He did not want to play Yamaha, but in the end he did, for live
broadcast.
I heard about this, and went to find him, hoping to assure him it would
be done
overnight for tomorrow. I never got to tell him as he went ballistic.
Ranting
and raving a long time about the condition of the Steinway, and not
liking the
Yamaha,, threatened to quit the week, and stomped out of the room.
The result of it all was the next time I went in, I found another tuner
there tuning.
The pianist is boarding with a person on the committee who called their
personnel tuner
to "fix it" without informing me or the person who hired me, or even
realizing
the Steinway had not been done. I've somehow gone through 10 years
without
a tuning complaint, and I do some concerts venues regularly.This is sure
a kick
in the pants and a confidence breaker. I should have stood up and
demanded time,
and defended myself when the artist was ranting instead of standing
there shocked.

Committees
Too many chiefs, too little communication.


                                                   Dave Renaud
                                                   RPT