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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yes, I said the World Piano Competition. So
for anyone who might have been the technician at this event in years past, you
can laugh at me this year! I'm the sucker, OOPS, I mean technician for
this years competition. I can't say that no one warned me about how it has
played out in years past. This year is much the same, except I got paid
for my first week of work. That's a step in the direction of improvement I
would say. For those who are lucky enough to have never come across this
event I will give you a short run down of what its like. Its a 2 week
affair with the first week being devoted to juniors under the age of 16.
They are all vary good and are thrilling to listen to. The next week is
the more competitive portion of this event, with everyone battling it out on 1
S&S d. Man can they pound the hell out of a piano! I have been
lucky enough to come in each morning and find the piano in decent shape as far
as the tuning goes. My time allotment is getting shorter how ever.
When we started I could be in the hall at 7a.m, and they wanted me off the stage
by 830. Keep in mind that was for 2 pianos which were in use for up to 10
hours. This week I only have 1 piano to worry about. So with less
worries they decided to cut my time back. I was informed that I shouldn't
inter the hall and start before 9a.m. "Oh, and could you be off the stage
by 930?" What the hell are these people thinking? Don't get me
wrong, often I can clean up/tune a piano in 30 or 40 minutes. I would not
want said piano used for a performance though. If a piano is on pitch, I
like to have about 1 hour or 75 minutes to do what I need to do, and that is not
for a 10 hour concert where the performers are possibly some of the best new
talent on the planet. So... Guess I'll just go and do what I can
do. If the piano maintains its stability as it has I should not have a
problem. Guess I'm just complaining on principle here... Not to
mention the fact that they cheated me out of a tuning... They don't want
any of the practice room pianos tuned. Man, these things are so badly out
I don't see how anyone could stand to play them. I had to fix a sticking
key for one of the players, did that one for free as well. Well, he needed
the note! It should be against the law for someone to bring these people
in and charge them all this money to inter a contest where everything is so
messed up! I hate the lack of accommodations for the contestants.
That bothers me more than anything. Once I told someone that the reason I
chose to pick up the guitar as a kid was because every piano I was around was
out of tune and was unplayable. Oh, well, what do ya do?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Shawn Brock, RPT</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>