Recording Studio Tuning

[David Love]

I don't see anything wrong.  I'm not sure how 1.5 x 75 comes to 172.5, but
charging a premium rate for recording studio or concert work is pretty
normal.  These tunings require a bit more due diligence to insure that the
tuning is spot on and stable.  I usually add a bit to those tunings.
Whereas a tuning is usually taking 1 hour, or 1.25 with a pitch raise.  I
will spend a good 1.5 hours on a concert level tuning and charge
accordingly.  I usually spend some time at least touching up the voicing in
that time as well (through the string).  If I have to pull the action, the
meter starts running.

David Love


----- Original Message -----
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: October 22, 2002 6:42 AM
Subject: Re: Recording Studio Tuning


One guy says I'm giving my services away and the other says I'm charging too
much. I guess the answer to that is to never make any reference to charges
for service. E-gads!

> Why was a "touch-up" pass needed after the tuning?

My normal method of tuning a piano that is within a couple cents of target
is to make one tuning pass where I do the best I can without dwelling on any
particular string. After finishing, I replay each note to listen to unisons
and I will touch up any that might need it - or can use it. On good
instruments that were real close to start with, this may only be one or two
strings. On poor instruments with false beats and also had a pitch raise, it
may be quite a few strings that I re-examine, or touch up. Then I'll play
octaves, etc. and touch up anything else I need to - not usually much work
there though.

So in this case, I did a small pitch raise pass. There was only one or two
strings that I didn't adjust during this pass. It took me 30 minutes. Then I
tuned it in about 55 minutes. And then I spent a few minutes doing touch-up
on a couple of hopeless strings in the tenor that had bad false beats. Total
1.5 hours.

I do not claim to be an accomplished tuner. I don't know that I will ever
be. I do try hard. That is part of the reason of my strong interest in
shop/belly work. I struggle and do what I need to do to make a tuning sound
good - and I think I usually get there - eventually. I have had many
compliments of my tunings from people that should know. I know I am not even
half as fast as some tuners. And it may take me two slow passes to get where
a more accomplished tuner could get with one fast pass. I just do what I
need to do to get where I need to get. If it is not right the first time, I
do it again. I try to keep learning.

>  And what was the
> rationale for charging 1.5 times the price of a pitch raise and tuning?  I
> must be missing something here.

This was an "emergency" tuning. I was eating my lunch, having taken a break
from drilling dowel holes through an upright pinblock in my shop - was going
back out to the shop to epoxy in dowels, when a call came in at noon from
the recording guy saying that a couple keys on their piano had gone "bad"
and some big shots were scheduled to start recording at 2 pm. He told me
right up front "name your price if you can come out here now". I said for
short notice requests like this I charge 1.5 times my normal fees. He said
OK. So I wolfed down my lunch, changed clothes, and tuned his piano. I was
done just as the musicians were setting up.

When I first got to the piano, I checked the tuning (looking for the two
keys that were off). Every octave I struck had fast irregular beats. Some
unisons were out in the 5 to 10 cent off range. Clearly this piano was WAY
out of tune for a recording session. The piano sounded real good when I was
done. I think the guy got what he wanted, and I got what I wanted. If both
parties are happy, is that not a good thing? Do you think I did something
unethical or unprofessional here?

Terry Farrell

Why are you guys beating me up! I'm just trying to do good things!  ;-)

----- Original Message -----
From: <A440A@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 9:03 AM
Subject: Re: Recording Studio Tuning


> Terry writes:
>
> > >I did a pitch raise/adjust pass (mostly in the 2 to 6 cents range), a
>
> > tuning pass, and a touch-up pass. Charged him a bundle (1.5 times my
>
> > regular rate, which I detailed out to him).
>
> The original post made it appear that the piano had been tuned three times
> for 1.5 times the regular rate, (which many of us would have thought
referred
> to the regular tuning rate).
>      Why was a "touch-up" pass needed after the tuning?  And what was the
> rationale for charging 1.5 times the price of a pitch raise and tuning?  I
> must be missing something here.
>
> Terry writes to Don,
> >That came out to $172.50 for 1.5 hours of work. I can live with that. I
> >would hardly call that "3 tunings for the price of 1.5" on very many rate
> >sheets.
>  >Are you suggesting that you would have charged the guy $337.50 to tune a
> piano that was 5 cents off?
>
>    I never saw a piano that was 5 cents off to need three tunings.  For
> critical work, a 15 minute pass will have the piano within 1 cent of
pitch,
> and then a 1 hour tuning will be all that is needed.
>   The true test will be if they call you back for future tunings.  If you
can
> command this rate, more power to you.
> Regards,
> Ed Foote RPT
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

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