CAUT

  • 1.  concert pianos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-01-2020 15:02

    Hi All,

     

    How often do yall go through your concert instruments for a full regulation?

     

    I have time now and able to come into work. I'm having some fun going through all our practice grands right now, but that can't last all summer!...or can it!  I can't get new parts though, so dealing with what I have, sadly.  They all need lots more....

     

    Thanks

    Paul

     



  • 2.  RE: concert pianos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-01-2020 15:33
    Frostburg State, Frostburg Maryland is a small music department - only 2 performance pianos.
    The pianos enduring the most strenuous use are the 2 piano studio/offices and the choir room.
    I like to regulate these 6 pianos once a year; tweaking and voicing the performance pianos throughout the season.
    In reality, only the 2 stage pianos are fully regulated each summer 0r Christmas break. The others and parts replacement may take 2 to 3 years to budget in.

    The other Community Colleges I care for are tuned only as needed and repaired only in a disaster. This improves with knowledgeable instructors that I can meet.
    Nancy Salmon, RPT
    Frostburg State University
    Frostburg, MD 21532



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: concert pianos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-26-2021 22:13
    Paul -

    To tackle this question at U of H we have 10 performance Steinway D's, a Chickering 9', and 5 B's that are used for recording and recitals.  It's an insane inventory just of  concert instruments...  Factor that in a non-COVID year of 500+ performances during the school year, daily classes/lectures on the instruments, Texas Music Festival and several other summer institutes. Our goal is this - concert and recital instruments get 1 hour per week of non-tuning type work in the schedule; that being regulating or voicing work that I don't do when tuning.  These instruments are tuned like the dickens; I can pretty much count on seeing them daily so they stay REALLY close to parameters.  During the summer or breaks we like to take each hall down for a week at a time and do any needed work to the instruments.  Additionally our budget allows our concert grands to be rebuilt every 5-7 years thankfully, and we are able to maintain parts as well between all of that.

    Long story short - try to aim for setting aside time in the hall to just do regulation or voicing work at an hour per week during the semesters.  It makes a HUGE difference in the overall time you will spend with the instruments.

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    Corbin Sturch
    University of Houston
    Houston TX
    870-307-5645
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    Original Message