In a message dated 10/14/2000 9:24:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time, BUNKYPIANO@AOL.COM writes: << In response to Brian Lawson's query...Most festivals and casinos are using rental pianos that have been specifically requested on the touring groups riders (contracts). Whereas some of the pianos have had little or no prep, especially in the case of a week long fest, the pianos which will be used for the larger acts are usually out of a concert pool of pianos which are kept up very well. Those who are renting these particular ones in most cases have tags for the tuners which in effect say do not mess with the regulation. Naturally there are things that can be out of whack due to moving, etc. but in most cases, you will have very little time to do much more than fine tune, while simultaneously inspecting each note for damper ring, hammer alignment, checking, etc...Look for foreign objects which may be left over from a previous performance and causing unique sounds...pencils, clothes pins, microphone clips, duct tape and the like....Go through the lyre assy quickly for loose nuts, out of place dowels and correct travel..I've found the una corda completely broken off, theres not much you can do in that case. I do the tunings for the New Orleans Jazz Fest and have for the past 15 years. We usually get a day to inspect and tune all the pianos, since this is an all outdoor 2 week fest, we pull the pianos up to a=442 , and maintain them at 4 to 8 cents sharp for the duration. With 13 stages, 7500 musicians, 600 set changes, time is precious. During the day, I have between 10 & 15 minutes to get to the stage, touch-up, and move on. This is ample time, you must take what you can get in some cases, this usually involves tightening up the unisons, visual inspection, listening for the worst and correcting. While you do normally have pre-show time, I have been called to stages where, for example, Bruce Hornsby's piano was just airfreighted in and you have 2-3 hours before showtime and there are acts on stage during that time...Just stay calm, make a tent for yourself, and, between sets do a complete tuning...In cases like this, Sandersons accu tuner performs well, and will actually tune unisons. I've never relied on it for this but I have experimented with it for this purpose and it does work. All in all, concert work is fast-paced and leaves no room for error, it is very tense and requires intense focused concentration. I relish it and enjoy it thoroughly although you must wear ear protection in order to make the duration and miss some of the intensity of all the performers you meet and hear. I hope this helps you, it does take a special sort of drive to do this kind of work. tom mc nabb non-member >> Hi Tom, I have seen you in action at the Jazz Fest long before I ever became a tech. I can still remember watching you touch up one of the pianos on stage and thinking it can't be easy doing what he's trying to do with all the distractions about. I have been to the Jazz Fest many times and will be back for 2001. I saw Jerry Lee Lewis one year and it wasn't pretty how he treated the piano. He's a great player except when he uses the heel of his boot to bang on the keys. Nice to see you drop in on the list. Doug Mahard
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