<html> <body> Quentin - There is no one answer when you are talking about theater, which, for these purposes, includes concerts.  Even if you are dealing with a regular account, it can take a long time and a lot of work, to train the people around you, or the people who create the schedule, before the requirements for tuning become accepted and anticipated.  And then, sometimes, sh_t happens.  A rehearsal goes late, last minute stagecraft, etc.  The best approach, I think, is to be  bit anal when making the original arrangements.  Ask the scheduler if there is anything, as in  ANYTHING, else going on during the tuning time.  Sometimes the scheduler and maintenance, or stage crew, don't communicate so well.  It's worth double checking.  It is true how amazing it is that people (especially musicians) don't make the connection between tuning and the need for silence, which includes shuffling papers, whispering, or sometimes, breathing, but, on the other hand, why should they know.  There are times when the only course is to ask someone to desist,,,as politely as possible.  At other times, again, preparing for performance, other people may have jobs that have to get done.  Then it becomes a matter of determining what level of noise is essential for them to fulfill their responsibilities, and what part of the usual noise can, in this case be reasonably suppressed. Regarding the 2 or 3 people chatting vs. 15 making noise, sometimes the few can be more annoying, to me.  A lot of the time it depends upon the need.  The 15 may have no choice but to carry on, to prepare for a show, while the 2 or 3 could probably take the conversation somewhere else.  I will not hesitate to enlighten someone for a few offenses: Unnecessary conversation or laughter Singing- especially the note I'm tuning Whistling, ESPECIALLY THE NOTE I'M TUNING Jingling keys on a key ring No noise accepted for a recording session tuning. Otherwise, it's Show Business. David Skolnik At 05:44 PM 11/10/2004 +0100, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Hi Patrick,   This afternoon, I had to tune for a concert in a small hall. I tuned the piano this morning, and had to check it another time when it was installed. People started installing the stage for the choir (nearly 50 singers I think) just after I began checking everything. Some notes were a little bit out of tune, I had to tune them correctly. People were trailing the stage "blocks" everywhere and shouting at each other because they should have finished work sooner and people wanted to go back home. I asked for silence, everything remained noisy all around me. I decided to... go ;-)   If they totally didn't care about my concentration and about what I was doing, that's because they 'd probably think the piano was good as it was.  </blockquote> and... <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>But don't you think people should realize that making a good tuning requires good conditions?   There is a difference between 2 or 3 people chatting and 15 persons screaming and moving chairs and wood panels all around you while you're tuning !   I think I would have preferred 2 or 3 people discussing in a normal way instead of this disturbing noises !  </blockquote>Quentin </body> </html>