<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <html><head><style type="text/css"></style><title>Re: Concert nightmares/no time</title></head><body> <div>Dave and list,</div> <div><br></div> <div>Dave's experience, as related below, is all too common amongst some 'uneducated' music/arts administrators.</div> <div><br></div> <div>The concert technician is, like the pianist, exposed and on display at each concert. And while the technician's 'performance' will be mostly a solitary event, it is nonetheless critical to the success of the performing artist (at least to that minority of concert goers who can actually 'hear').</div> <div><br></div> <div>We have experienced similar poor communication when dealing with concert administrators in the past. Today, when a concert booking is made we discuss access, the contact no. and name of the stage manager, car parking and the allowance of a satisfactory period of time for tuning and if necessary voicing. Those of us who do concert work must be treated as professionals, we must demand of concert administrators that they allow time for us to adequately perform our task.</div> <div><br></div> <div>I know there are 'concert' technicians out there also who choose to do just what's necessary to get by, making a habit of keeping the piano in reasonable but not fantastic shape. These technicians make life difficult for those who are particular about their work, since the concert administrator will often quote the (quite unrealistic) times taken for a tuning by their favorite 'concert' technician. I agree with you Dave, even with a 'straight' piano, a tuning still takes about an hour to an hour ten. The thirty minute brigade are kidding themselves (and the proof's in the Cds).</div> <div><br></div> <div>Dave, I believe your best course of action would be to find out who was actually in charge of the event and give them a piece of stern advice which they won't forget in a hurry.</div> <div><br></div> <div><b>A personal experience of poor protocol and a 'nearly' bad debt.</b></div> <div><br></div> <div>Several years ago, when I was doing quite a lot of concert tuning, I got a last minute call to do a tuning for an international artist (they'd forgotten to book the tuner - how unusual?). I arrived at the venue only to find a colleague already tuning the Baldwin SD-10. They'd booked two tech's just in case (very considerate and thorough). As you would imagine I was not particularly pleased. The venue manager said to send a bill for a calling charge and they would look after it. They didn't - at least not voluntarily.</div> <div><br></div> <div>By six months and several reminders later I had well and truly lost my sense of humor. When tuning nearby I called at the venue. The receptionist announced that the manager was having a very important meeting and would be unable to see me. By this time I was far too annoyed to observe any protocol and marched straight past her into the manager's office, to find him in a private meeting with a leading Australian concert promoter. The manager looked up with a surprised look on his face and asked me my business. When I agitatedly replied that I had called about an outstanding bill he made the mistake of suggesting that I send an invoice for service in the usual manner (of course - it's all my fault?).</div> <div><br></div> <div>I was already just about in a mood to 'throttle' him, so this very overheated piano technician gave him a blow by blow description of the events which lead to him to be standing there demanding payment. The manager seemed to be very embarrassed at this, so as soon the 'colorful description' ceased to 'utter forth' he went straight to the safe, got the required cash and settled the outstanding amount. As you would suspect, I didn't do any further work for the particular venue. But since I have no wish to work for folks who treat me inappropriately, this suited me just fine.</div> <div><br></div> <div>While this whole event took place over a miserable 40 dollars, I still look back on the incident with considerable satisfaction.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Regards,</div> <div><br></div> <div>Ron O</div> <div><br></div> <div align="center">________________</div> <div><br></div> <div>Dave Renaud wrote;</div> <div><br></div> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Here's one for my book.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Perhaps there is something to learn from it.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>. . Our local Arts Centre technician . . is away at a</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>convention.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>He recommends me for tuning pianos at a string quartet festival . . It is a last min. call. There is a</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Yamaha CF, and</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>a 9' Steinway brought in . . that needs work. One of</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>the<br> artists had to have a Steinway as he had used the Yamaha three years<br> before,<br> and would refuse to play it again(I did not know this at the time).<br> <br> I am told, as there three concerts/ day, plus rehearsals, I must tune at<br> night.<br> 10pm till 10am, anytime. I show up at 10 pm, start at 10:30pm<br>  Within minutes I am alone with the security guard.<br> He informs me I have to be out by 11:30.<br> I have 40 min left. There are two grands to tune to each other.<br> The Steinway is at A442, the Yamaha at 440. I decide to finish the<br> Yamaha with my best 40 min.effort and spend 20 min quickly lowering<br> the pitch of the Steinway to A440. For that last 20 min security is on</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>my back.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>. . . I leave a message for the person that booked me that Yamaha is done,<br> but if they need Steinway I will have to get in to tune it. I am told<br> not to worry<br> about it as there are no piano duets tomorrow. They will just use<br> Yamaha,<br> tune the Steinway tomorrow night.<br> <br> Well,  the pianist (from France), used Steinway for the dress rehearsal<br> anyway.<br> He did not want to play Yamaha, but in the end he did, for live</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>broadcast. I heard about this, and went to find him, hoping to assure him it would</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>be done overnight for tomorrow. I never got to tell him as he went ballistic.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Ranting and raving a long time about the condition of the Steinway, and not<br> liking the<br> Yamaha,, threatened to quit the week, and stomped out of the room.<br> The result of it all was the next time I went in, I found another tuner<br> there tuning.<br> The pianist is boarding with a person on the committee who called their<br> personnel tuner<br> to "fix it" without informing me or the person who hired me, or even</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>realizing the Steinway had not been done. I've somehow gone through 10 years</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>without a tuning complaint, and I do some concerts venues regularly.This is sure</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>a kick in the pants and a confidence breaker. I should have stood up and</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>demanded time, and defended myself when the artist was ranting instead of standing</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>there shocked.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Committees</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Too many chiefs, too little communication.</blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Dave Renaud RPT</blockquote> <div><br></div> <div>-- <br> ______________________________<br> <br> Website:  http://www.overspianos.com.au<br> Email:        mailto:ron@overspianos.com.au<br> ______________________________</div> </body> </html>