"should I stay or should I go?"

[ilex cameron ross]

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Oh, I absolutely think people SHOULD realize that making a good tuning
requires good conditions, but I also know that most of the time they
*don't*, even when asked politely. Often, there just isn't an alternative
once the stage is set (no pun intended) for what's going on that day or in
that environment. People also don't usually think piano tuners are any more
"special" than the plumber, the lighting guy, the sound man, etc., and they
certainly won't be inclined to treat the piano tuner as such. Sad fact of
life, I am afraid.

More and more I catch glimpses of how tuners and non-musician types are
completely different animals. It's weird. I guess I've known music all my
life and I take that for granted. It's completely foreign to imagine not
even knowing, as someone else pointed out, that the lid must be open in
order to tune. I have to remind myself it's *just* that we're different
species, not necessarily that they're just dummies, but I digress. ;)

Something that I have discovered, just as a personal observation about
myself, is that often times my best tunings have come from the noisiest and
most distracting environments. I don't know what it is, if my brain makes a
shift that super-focuses my ears or what, but I have also experimented with
tuning while wearing earplugs and have gotten the same results (cheapie foam
earplugs, not the nice custom-designed ones, mind you). Maybe out of
necessity my ears start picking up what they most need to hear, rather than
getting distracted by all the partials I tend to obsess over otherwise.

I've learned to just make due and be proud of the fact that I can put a good
tuning on a piano in an environment with sledgehammers and forklifts and
even loud music over the sound system ("sound check"). My reasoning for not
pitching a fit or insisting on silence is that frankly, the majority of
people seem to remember attitude and demeanor far better than they remember
that your unisons were flawlessly clean. Of course, the prime goal is to
achieve all of the above at once! ;)
-ilex
  -----Original
  -----Original Message-----
  From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On
Behalf Of Alan Forsyth
  Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 9:00 PM
  To: Pianotech
  Subject: Re: "should I stay or should I go?"


  Yes, and it is amazing how kids always start plonking on the piano just as
you start to tune it; but I just have to ignore it and say nothing. I
learned a long time ago that if I put up with it they soon get bored and go
away after 5 minutes.

  As for the 100 teddy bears on top of the piano, I apologize afterwards to
Madame that I couldn't quite remember which one went where when I put them
back.

  Last week I tuned 2 pianos in a church; it was "especially arranged" that
the electricians would be there as well to replace all the lighting.
Everything was a bit dark as they had the power off. However I took
advantage of the multiple labour supply and enlisted some of them to help me
tilt a piano on end so that I could fit a pair of safety castors.

  When it comes to tuning backstage before a concert..........NO THANK YOU.

  AF
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: antares
    To: Pianotech
    Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 10:18 PM
    Subject: Re: "should I stay or should I go?"


    On the other hand Dave Skolnik,

    Most of the time we have no choice but to grin and ignore.
    I used to get incredibly furious, swear at people, stamp my feet or even
walk away from the scene in terrible anger.
    And you know what?
    The years went by, and I am still tuning in the same conditions.
    And you know what?
    I don't care anymore.

    I ignore
    and
    I grin.

    André Oorebeek


    On 10-nov-04, at 22:32, David Skolnik wrote:


      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:

      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.


      and...


      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 !

      Quentin



    friendly greetings
    from
    André Oorebeek

    "where Music is, no harm can be"

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