It looks like we follow a similar approach here. It is left up to me to decide and do what is necessary to ensure an appropriately tuned and prepared piano for each performance. I do not touch up during recitals or concerts, although I often attend. Nor have I ever been asked to be present. We have no real policy, written or otherwise, just a professional expectation on my part and that of the faculty and administration that the piano should be at a level appropriate for college level or professional performance. We have two performance venues used by the Department of Music. Neither has a second instrument. Our Yamaha C5 recital piano is now 15 years old, and has loose tuning pins due to excessive heat and dryness, so I have ended up always tuning/refining unisons the day of or the evening before every concert or recital, only because I¹ve learned that¹s what it takes to make that piano sound good. If there are two recitals in a day, I will do my very best to get in there for at least a couple minutes before the second one to clean up unisons, especially if I know the first recital involved any aggressive playing or a jazz rhythm section. I live about 2.5 miles from the school, so I do hop over there on weekends, too. Part of our original agreement/understanding was that I would tune the recital piano once a week, but that¹s not even close to adequate with 4-6 recitals a week, and always a weekly departmental program. Being on staff, I do what I have to do -- sometimes at the expense of other routine classroom, practice room or studio tunings or other work -- to make certain the University and Department are represented to the public in the best light. I¹m told this approach has put things on a level they have not experienced in decades, and the result has been that I am given a lot of autonomy in general. They trust me. I have fostered an atmosphere where faculty and students are encouraged to approach me to request tunings or alert me to other needed repairs, and so far this is working very well. Everyone feels they are getting the service and attention they require. I do have an overall rotational plan of my own to maintain pianos at certain levels, and to accomplish remedial work as well. But this serves only as a very rough guide for deciding where I will spend my time. I am not obligated to adhere to it in any way. And again, if the recital piano sounds good, I am not obligated to tune it just to say it was tuned specifically for that performance; there is no such promise to anyone, just an understanding that the piano will sound good! -- Paul Milesi, RPT Staff Piano Technician Howard University Department of Music Washington, DC From: Dennis Johnson <johnsond at stolaf.edu> Reply-To: <caut at ptg.org> Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:53:44 -0500 To: <caut at ptg.org> Subject: Re: [CAUT] recital policy I would say the same situation applies here for the most part also. The only thing I might add is that over time basically those involved with each event have gradually come to expect that it will be my responsibility to decide exactly what is necessary to provide a satisfying piano, given the limits of access. It is often impossible to tune immediately before a large event as one might expect. I think my first year also was the only time I went out during intermission for a faculty recital. If I remember correctly that wasn't even about tuning but something happened to one of the dampers. Afterward another faculty member implied, or suggested that maybe I was asserting myself inappropriately, or whatever.... "This wasn't my recital." I could not believe it, ....but I never did that again. I do try and at least check pianos being used on the day of, except for weekend student recitals and ensembles with non-prominent piano use also on weekends. As much as possible I make sure pitch adjustments are never done the day of an important piano event, and I think that partly explains why we are able to have more solid work these days as Kent suggests. In the past departments did not have the luxury of that level service. cheers, Dennis Johnson St. Olaf College _______ On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 8:38 PM, Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu> wrote: > I would echo Kent's comments, all of them. I haven't been on official duty at > a concert by the music department, ever. I think I touched up at intermission > once 23 years ago (first year I was there). I tune for all faculty and guest > recitals, and then If I haven't otherwise tuned each of the concert > instruments within two weeks, I schedule a tuning for the department in > general (student recitals). I have no problem with my tunings lasting through > many concerts - not that unisons couldn't be refined a bit every day if I had > that much time to spare. (I am on at concerts for other venues only when the > artist's rider specifically calls for it. George WInston and one or two others > from time to time). > Regards, > Fred Sturm > fssturm at unm.edu > "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Twain > > On Mar 28, 2010, at 12:58 PM, Kent Swafford wrote: > >> Within the past week, my administrators have confirmed that we do not provide >> concert standby. Generally speaking, we have more than one piano in the >> halls, so if there is a disaster, the worst that would happen would be >> continuing the concert on a different piano. Hasn't happened yet to my >> knowledge. >> >> And by the way, even when I have happened to attend concerts, I have never >> provided touchups at intermission. My thoughts are that the general level of >> tuning is better than in times past, and our tunings can withstand a day or >> so of playing, within reasonable limits and tolerances. >> >> In his recent article, Robert Weirich remarks on the passing of the one >> recital/one tuning norm. Our halls are simply too busy to tune for every >> recital, too busy to prohibit rehearsals on pianos between the tuning and >> recital. Weirich sees this as a budget issue, but as I mention above, I think >> that our tunings are generally better than they were 40 years ago, so we have >> chosen to forego some tunings in the halls before choosing cuts in other >> areas. >> >> >> Kent >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Mar 28, 2010, at 12:01 PM, Dr. Henry Nicolaides wrote: >> >>> Hi list...I was wondering about policy regarding the piano technician >>> presence at/during recitals. It does not appear that we, at SIU, have a >>> written guideline or policy. I prep and tune before the solo piano recitals >>> and tune within a reasonable time (whatever that happens to be and >>> considering the use of the piano and recital hall) before accompanied voice >>> and instrumental recitals. Just wondering if anyone was "required" to be >>> present during any recitals to be available should the unthinkable happen. >>> >>> Henry Nicolaides >>> Piano Technician, School of Music >>> Southern Illinois University >>> >>> >>> Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your >>> inbox. Learn More. >>> <http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID27925::T:WLMTAGL:ON: >>> WL:en-US:WM_HMP:032010_1> >> > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100329/dd5ab073/attachment-0001.htm>
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