Concert nightmares/no time

[Michael Jorgensen]

David,
      Totally unfair!  You should write a brief letter explaining your
experience, how you were treated, how badly it makes you feel.   Explain
requirements for quality tuning, (time, piano condition, etc.), and what to
do to avoid future problems. Tactfully remind them how proper planning,
appropriate investment in instruments and people, proper scheduling, affect
individuals' moods, the quality or the work, the music, and ultimately the
success or failure of the festival.  Written carefully, this bad thing can
become a good thing for your reputation, income, our profession, and the
organization.  Copy it to all concerned persons including, management,
directors, board, tuner, artist, and employee.  It's quite likely the
artist had other negative experiences that day which all came out on you.

--Mike Jorgensen

David Renaud wrote:

> 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