Thanks to all for input.
I will write a letter to all concerned as some suggested...it may help me in the
end.
Most of the comments asked below are explained by the fact there is a strike
of Gallery workers at the venue, the regular technician is out of town, The Lady
that usually manages the stage piano is on strike, and a student is subing for
her,
The student is clued out as to who is who in town. The "production manager" is
a gofer, and is run ragged, and is getting no respect. Everything is wrong with
planning.
In fact they on secured the bad Steinway the day before concerts began, because
the other piano fell through. They booked me as a tech. the day before concerts
began.
As for getting in early.....building opens at 10am....close at 10pm.
Dress rehearsal 10am...hall open 11:30...concert 12....dress rehearsal
2:30....hall open
4:30 concert 5pm....sound check 7:15 hall open 7:30 concert at 8pm, kicked out
at 10...10:30pm. Security I think is being sympathetic to the strike....They say
they
lost the e-mail instructing them to let a technician stay there at night....sure
they did.
For anyone that did not reed the other e-mails...I was kicked out by security,
and could not tune Steinway as scheduled.
It is a one person orginisation...run by the founder, director, chairperson.
She is surrounded by volunteers and I have not been successfully reaching her,
despite attempts. I think she is overwhelmed by it all. Her husband called in
there
personnel tech. after that first night, without calling me, talking to me, or
even talking
with the other artists, who were very happy. A knee jerk reaction to the
steinway not
getting tuned, and having to use Yamaha. The new tech. has destroyed the tuning,
the unisions were all over the place last night...I went to listen. I spoke to
the tech
after and he says the Yamaha CF needs new bass strings, the hammers were
reshaped
badly, it has funny harmonics. Ladys and Gentlemen..this is the nicest Yamaha I
have
had the pleasure to touch. The tech. caring for it is the best in the city. The
Yamaha
tour group from Japan was just there on there annual service tour last week. It
was
an absolute pleasure to tune. I hope he does not start tinkering with the
hammers.
If he does, when the regular staff get back after the strike they are going to
have a
heart attack..
One day this will be funny
But not today
Dave Renaud
RPT
"Z! Reinhardt" wrote:
> This sounds like an incredible mix-up of non-communication. Comments below
> ...
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Renaud" <studiorenaud@qc.aibn.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 12:37 AM
> Subject: Concert nightmares/no time
>
> 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.
>
> >>Who told you this? The technician you are covering for? Where was the
> stage manager?<<
>
> 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
>
> >>At what time next morning could you have resumed work?<<
>
> 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.
>
> >>Who is this booking person? An administrator (notorious for
> underestimating rehearsal requirements) or someone more heavily involved
> with the production schedule or with the artists?<<
>
> 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.
>
> >>Had any attempt been made to make sure your name and phone number were
> readily available in case emergency service was necessary? How sure were
> you that the person you left the message for would deliver the message to
> the powers-that-be with the pianos?<<
>
> 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.
>
> >>Sounds like the personal tuner's phone number may have been more readily
> accessible (perhaps memorized by the committee member) and hence was the
> first number called in a panic situation. It could well be that the
> committee member also got a beating from the pianist and was forced to call
> the first person that came to mind.<<
>
> 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.
>
> >>No one is in control in times like this. It doesn't sound like anyone
> could have fought back against the artist's temper tantrum.<<
>
> Committees
> Too many chiefs, too little communication.
>
> Dave Renaud
> RPT
>
> Wasn't there anyone in charge of the production schedule? Someone who could
> make the arrangements for you to keep the security guards at bay?
>
> Could you have sneaked in there in the before-hours (7-8am) to work on the
> Steinway before the day began?
>
> Sounds like you did what you could with the "Known Variables" namely the
> people who referred you and booked you for this job. The problem I see here
> is the absence of a Stage Manager and anyone who works closely with the
> artists. Perhaps you were "too invisible" to them hence the call to the
> other technician when things got wild.
>
> It's so sad how piano technicians are looked upon as a bane to stages when
> their importance is so obvious. Who else would be asked to limit their
> activities to the hours when no one os around? I think a lot of the problem
> is that the time a technician is working is also a time when none of the
> other stage workers could do what they do best, because of noise. The
> technician's efforts are obviously noisy and not particularly musical,
> despite the noise coming from a musical instrument. We're expected to
> unseen and unheard, while at the same time performing our miracles in a
> matter of seconds when in reality we need hours.
>
> Have you talked this incident over with the technician you were filling in
> for? Does he have similar stories about the apparent disorganization?
>
> Funny how things can get tougher when no one is around ...
>
> Z! Reinhardt RPT
> Ann Arbor MI
> diskladame@provide.net
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