Bombproofing Yourself (was Re: piano tuners are 126)

Z! Reinhardt diskladame@provide.net
Sun, 21 Mar 1999 11:04:38 -0500


Hey Everyone --

Do any of you out there bombproof yourselves against the onslaught of
unnecessary noise and other environmental disasters?  It's not all that
difficult.

Find out the production schedule as soon as you arrive at the job site ...
then find out about any delays.  Do what you can with the time you are
allotted ... but sometimes it is necessary to negotiate for more time.

Use your coolest, most diplomatic manners for dealing with the stage
manager and stagehands.  They can be very cooperative unless they are up
against major technical difficulties.  You can explain a lot to these guys
and they will usually try as they might to minimize the time the door is
open to the great outdoors.

Use earplugs.  The musicians' plugs (custom molded) work best.  In really
noisy situations, it may be necessary to supplement them with industrial
earmuffs.

Use an electronic "friend" such as an SAT or RCT or whatever.  I don't know
how it is for the laptops, but you can get assorted pick-ups for the SAT. 
One such pick-up enabled me to tune a piano I otherwise could not hear over
the din of a rock band rehearsing on the other side of a thin curtain.

Just my 2c deviation --

Z! Reinhardt RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net

----------
From: Ron Nossaman <nossaman@SOUTHWIND.NET>
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: piano tuners are 126
Date: Friday, March 19, 1999 11:16 PM

At 09:24 PM 3/19/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Don't work that way, Wim.  Ask any of the guys on caut@ptg.org about
>recital time at a university.  WHOLE different ball game.  The whole
>department goes ballistic and carries you right along.  
>
>Try tuning a concert piano with the outside doors open and a cold wet
>breeze coming across the piano, the stage hands doing a load in, the
>ligh crew are yelling to each other about how to set the lights and
>the sound guys trying to set up the sound system and you have 45
>minutes to tune somone elses piano.  
>
>Now THAT is stress.
>
>Have a stressless weekend.
>
>	Newto


Newto,
You left out the fork lift and the 14,002 folding chairs in the local
Coliseum. I understand. Some things are best forgotten. It's unbelievable
to
me how utterly intrusive the sound of folding chairs being THROWN into
place
is to the tuning process. My tool case is already heavy enough without the
optional Pre-emptive strike bazooka, but it is certainly tempting.

 Ron 



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