Institutional tuning cost

[David Graham]

Hi Jon et al: I charge most of my institutional work  at my regular hourly
rate, which now happens to be $58.00.  If I go tune a single piano for a
concert, I charge my tuning fee. I have negotiated with each institution for
the number of hours per month that I think it will take to maintain the
pianos, whatever that will mean for their situation. I hate having to
"mother may I" each time something needs attention. I try to alert them to
upcoming large expenses a year in advance. They don't always respond as fast
as I would like, but at least I know they have been forewarned. I then do
whatever is needed, as it comes up. If the weather turns bad early, like it
did this year, I tune as much as is necessary, and then ease off when the
weather moderates. I usually spend close to an hour tuning each piano,
though most of the time that is two passes with the Verituner- a tool I
cannot recommend highly enough! I tell the institutions I need an average of
1 1/4 hours, so I have extra time to check pedals, some regulation and
voicing, or emergency repairs. Since I do multiple pianos when I am at an
institution, I don't have much travel time in between pianos, but I am
covered if they make me wait a bit to get at a piano. It works out to about
the same amount I would make if I was tuning private pianos, but driving in
between, and I enjoy it. I was a music major once- I remember practice rooms
all too well.
There is one major exception. I charge Lyric Opera a per piano fee for every
piano, and then everything else on an a la carte basis. It wasn't my choice,
though I make more money that way. Their business office couldn't understand
why some pianos took longer to tune than others, so I might tune four pianos
one day and six another. A consistent rate per piano meant more to them than
a bargain, so I just do everything they ever think to ask me to do, as
payback.
---
David Graham <dcgrpt@earthlink.net>