Allan If they want the piano tuned to A442 they will tell you. Is there a contract involved, if so, it should be well stated that the request for A442 be very evident. Otherwise assume it will be A440. My advice for the recording session is as follows: Listen, listen, listen. Make a plan and allow yourself ample time prior to the beginning of the session. Any of the ETD's will get you in the ballpark for a rather decent tuning , but honestly do not rest your reputation on accepting the ETD's read on the fine areas of tuning. Your ears have to be the final authority. Listen, listen, listen.... Use logic and common sense as much as possible. Recording sessions are an entirely different world. They need to be taken quite seriously as these sessions become a matter for the records. These will be listened to and criticized by many. In all my sessions I've been involved with, tuning is generally the least of my concerns. Good voicing (which brings out the clarity and voice of the piano) will occupy most the time of any experience session tech. It goes without saying, that fine regulation should be in good order before you get to far into the session. Pay especially close attention to the aftertouch. It's one of those fine areas ( which when done right) will put a big smile on the artist's face. My normal protocol is to first evaluate the instrument. Check the regulation Check the condition of hammers. Check for excessive friction from keypins, capstan, etc. Lubricate if needed. Check the quality of voicing. Check with the una chordal pedal. Check the sostenuto pedal. Check for good string/ hammer fit...always a source for notes which will stand out in a recording if not fitted well. See if you can get recent recordings which used this piano and really listen to it. This is the perfect time to evaluate and quality of tone and tuning. Check to see if there were any recent strings replaced. If so, special attention should be made to make sure those strings are well seated and settled. Ask the recording engineer if there have been any issues with the piano. You'll be amazed of some of the comments you'll get...good and bad. I've come into many situations at major studios where one would assume everything should have been up to snuff. Only to find a piano in very marginal condition, let alone suitable for a major recording. I've found hammers with next to no felt left on them. I've found keybushings so loose that they click against the neighboring notes. The list goes on and on. With sometimes less than 3 hrs to make things right, being able to prioritize the important issues in a logical order, and being able to work in a fluid but not frantic pace, will make for a fun adventure. This work, however, is not for the faint-of-heart type. Some techs find this environment exhilarating, others find it threatening. If this is a new environment for you, I strongly advise you to visit the piano well in advance of the date. Make a "punch list" of things you notice and figure a game plan. I would also advise the folks hiring you the understanding of what services you are to be providing. Some want only a tuning and that's it. Some put a tech on retainer for the entire event, which sounds what you have, which means make it right no matter how much time it takes. I vividly remember flying to NYC for a session, arriving at 5pm, with session starting at 9am the following morning. Luckily I went to the studio first to see what I was up against, only to find I had at least 10 hrs of work ahead of me. Very fussy artist with an instrument in very marginal condition. Needless to say, I worked throughout the evening and watched the sun come up the next morning. Luckily I was able to cat-nap throughout the session, but was on call to touch up at every break. The session went very bad due to some technical difficulties, and they didn't wrap up until midnight, then I had to retune and touch up everything. I finished at 3AM, then walked to my hotel, had a cup of coffee, then had to go to the airport to catch a 6am flight to Florida. Once in Florida I had to play a concert for a noon concert. Slept very well that night! Tom Servinsky ----- Original Message ----- From: Allan To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 1:53 PM Subject: [pianotech] Recording session I am being hired to sit on a 3 day recording session for a professional trio next week. The piano will be a Yamaha C7 that I can have access to beforehand. I am reading Under the Lid by Stephen.H Brady. I will try to attend the concert they are giving the day before with the very same repertoire. I'm thinking of going tune this piano the very best I can and record the result in Tunelab so I feel confident on that aspect. Would they be asking for A=442? Anything one of you can give advice? Would any of you master tuners have a Tunelab file of a fine tuning for that instrument that I can use to study? Thank you for any input. Allan Sutton www.pianotechniquemontreal.com No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.42/2042 - Release Date: 04/06/09 06:22:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090407/d2912786/attachment-0001.html>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC