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HI Ric,<BR>
<BR>
respect! I think I would have got a heart attack if I was to tune with audience in such a stressing situation. The worst I did was a tuning on a stage at a village fair and it was an Yamaha CP 80. Many eyes stared at me and that made me nervous.<BR>
<BR>
But you are right: it´s really nice to listen to a concert where you tuned the piano. I love this job :-)<BR>
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Gregor<BR>
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<BR><BR>> Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2007 12:48:47 +0100<BR>> From: ricb@pianostemmer.no<BR>> To: pianotech@ptg.org<BR>> Subject: Oscar Peterson<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Hi Gregor.<BR>> <BR>> I have two stories to tell that are relevant to your post. I owe Keith <BR>> Jarrett quite a lot... in an indirect way. On one of is European tours <BR>> in the early 80's he complained about every single piano on his tour <BR>> except his last concert... which was my instrument... a nicely restrung <BR>> Steinway D that Molde International Jazz Festival had just purchased. <BR>> The Festival folks were of course very nervous before he came on stage <BR>> for sound check... and it of course put this gigantic feather in my hat <BR>> when he did his 3.78 second chromatic run from middle C upwards to the <BR>> top to <<check>> the piano. That was all he needed to approve the thing <BR>> believe it or not. It held up nicely the whole concert and my position <BR>> at Molde was sealed for as long as I wanted it... which was up until <BR>> 1999 when I figured that 18 years service was enough. I could tell the <BR>> long version of this story... but suffice to say that I got lucky in <BR>> several ways that day and that luck had as much to do with the whole <BR>> affair as anything else.<BR>> <BR>> The other story was more recently. About 7 years back Chick Corea came <BR>> to town and accompanying him was a CF III. This was to be tuned by a <BR>> fellow in Stavanger who had been chosen to follow the thing around <BR>> Norway for Chicks concert... but for reasons I wont get into the local <BR>> Yamaha dealer did the tuning. It was to be a live recording concert. <BR>> The tuning went totally bonkers during the first set and Mr. Corea <BR>> insisted it be retuned. The fellow who'd done the job had gone home and <BR>> was 45 minutes away from being able to sit down at the instrument to <BR>> retune... I was in the audience and the regular tuner at this venue ... <BR>> so they asked me back stage to talk with Mr. Corea about it. I <BR>> explained there were 300 people sitting out there and it would be <BR>> probably difficult to improve the situation much. As it turned out... it <BR>> was easy to clean up the octaves and unisons significantly... for two <BR>> reasons. The audience was very cooperative, and piano was really very <BR>> much out of tune. I was given 20 minutes to do the best I could out of <BR>> the situation. When Mr Corea came on stage... he spoke up about the <BR>> life and situation of piano tuners as he had experienced it... and he <BR>> was very kind to the fellow who'd done the original tuning... too kind <BR>> really but then that was they way Mr Corea was (and probably still is). <BR>> I perhaps would have found it embarrassing had I done the original <BR>> tuning... but as it was not my <<fault>>... I just found the experience <BR>> "interesting". Never have before or since had to tune with an audience <BR>> in the hall. Tho I work regularly around lights and sound folks during <BR>> pre-concert situations. One learns how to work together with these... in <BR>> the end the audience was not all that different.<BR>> <BR>> My point is... its all part of the job.. these are the kinds of things <BR>> among many others both positive and less so that make such work <BR>> interesting and challenging. And if you are good... you'll do well most <BR>> of the time if not nearly always. If you are not so good... well you <BR>> have the opportunity presented to get better in what ever ways you need <BR>> too. And that can be everything from basic tuning skills to people <BR>> skills... i.e. dealing with a pianist in a stressing situation. I just <BR>> have to go back to my original statement... and say it leaves us all in <BR>> all with enormous amounts to be greatful for. Not the least of these <BR>> that wonderful feeling of satisfaction when you have done a fine job.... <BR>> sitting in the audience or back stage listening to a master make the <BR>> instrument you just tuned for him/her come alive with music. A bit of <BR>> you is up there on stage.... hopefully providing some of the inspiration <BR>> for the pianist to cut loose with the best music they can offer.<BR>> <BR>> Cheers<BR>> RicB<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> RicB wrote:> > I think any of us who've had this kind of<BR>> pleasure to work for these > folks has enormous amounts to be<BR>> greatful for.><BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Not all of us! About 20 years ago there was a jazz festival with<BR>> Keith Jarrett in my hometown (Münster, Germany). Unfortunately, I<BR>> missed that concert, but my friends told me this story: after a<BR>> while Keith Jarrett interrupted the concert and claimed that the<BR>> piano was not perfectly in tune. The tuner was still there. Because<BR>> it would had taken too much time for some thousand people to leave<BR>> the hall, they made an anouncement: special request, please keep<BR>> absoluteley quiet for the tuner to touch up the tuning. And that<BR>> worked. This collegue had to tune in front of the audience. Horror!<BR>> And embarrasing too. The piano should not have been in a condition<BR>> that a player has a reason to complain. No idea if the tuning was<BR>> actually so bad. However: poor collegue!<BR>> <BR>> This year Keith Jarret played in Frankfurt, Germany and one guy in<BR>> the audience had to cough. Jarrett interrupted his playing very<BR>> angry, slammed the piano lid and said: I can wait outside if you<BR>> want to cough. In Madrid he affronted the audience because someone<BR>> took photos.<BR>> <BR>> On the other hand: at the legendary Köln Concerts (1974) he played<BR>> on a worn out piano with a poor tuning. The moving company had the<BR>> job to carry the Bösendorfer Imperial from basement to stage. But<BR>> they mixed up the piano and brought and old and short Bösendorfer to<BR>> stage, which usually was used for choir practicing only. The<BR>> organizer convinced him to play on that piano and he really did. And<BR>> said: I do that only for you (the organizer was a 18 years old<BR>> girl). After half an our the tuner had to touch up the tuning live<BR>> on stage.<BR>> <BR>> Gregor<BR>> <BR><BR><br /><hr />Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! <a href='http://clk.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/' target='_new'>MSN Messenger</a></body>
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