Performer and touring piano brief

Identify the person who can make the musical decision. It may be the pianist, musical director or an authorised representative. A production assistant can collect the information, but should not silently approve a different instrument or preparation on someone else's behalf. Record the decision role rather than filling a shared planning tool with personal contact details.

Use ordinary, precise language. “The pianist needs to approve the offered model before confirmation” is clearer than “top-tier concert instrument essential” if the latter has no agreed meaning. Where a technical term is necessary, explain the requirement well enough that a response can be yes, no or a request for clarification.

Keep irrelevant rider material out of the instrument brief. Catering, dressing-room and general production requirements may belong elsewhere in the advance. A focused document makes it easier for the supplier to spot the piano-specific questions and for the performer to verify that their essentials have survived the handover.

For an essential item, state how acceptance will be established. A named model might need the performer's approval; an unusual preparation request needs a direct supplier response. Do not mark an item accepted merely because it appears in an email attachment. A clear reply or agreed booking scope should identify what has actually been confirmed.

For a preference, say whether an alternative can be considered and who decides. Avoid listing a substitute as pre-approved unless the performer has genuinely accepted it. A useful brief leaves room for discussion without letting the organiser make a musical judgement they are not authorised to make.

Keep open questions separate from requirements. “Is optional on-site tuning available within this schedule?” asks for information; it is not a statement that the service has been booked. This small distinction makes the document easier to read during a busy advance and reduces the chance of a requested item becoming an assumed inclusion.

Give each essential requirement a concise reason if it is not obvious. The reason helps the supplier distinguish an artistic need from a copied rider clause and can reveal whether another proposal is worth asking the performer to consider. It should not become an invitation for the organiser to reinterpret or waive the requirement. If the performer changes their decision after receiving more information, record the revised requirement explicitly.

Before issuing the brief, ask the musical decision-maker to read the essentials as a complete set. Individually reasonable requests can still leave the intended result unclear when gathered from several messages. A short review of the combined wording lets the performer correct that ambiguity before it reaches the supplier. The finished document should make it possible to identify an unanswered requirement immediately, without searching through preferences or unrelated production notes.

Ask the performer to assess the offered information against the musical task. A collection description can identify the model and finish, but it does not prove a particular tonal result, action preference or suitability for every programme. If more information is needed, make a specific request rather than filling the gap with an assumption.

A visual choice can be included as its own line. The production may want a particular finish for a stage design, while the musician prioritises the instrument. Those interests can be considered together, but the brief should not imply that one automatically resolves the other. State which decision is essential and which remains a preference.

If the proposed model changes, obtain renewed acceptance where required. Do not rely on a musician having approved “one of the grands” unless that was genuinely their decision. Keep the final model in the confirmed brief and update any stage plot or production document that refers to a different choice.

Avoid vague phrases such as “fully prepared to artist standard” unless the standard is described and agreed. They can conceal different expectations between performer, organiser and supplier. A concise list of the actual concerns gives the appropriate specialist something concrete to respond to and makes it easier to see what remains unresolved.

Raise unusual playing techniques, internal contact, objects, attachments or alterations before booking. The performer’s creative intention is not permission to change hired property. Explain what is proposed and wait for a clear response. If the request cannot be accommodated, the production needs to decide on an alternative rather than improvising during rehearsal.

Schedule preparation in relation to the actual first use. The instrument may be needed for a player check before soundcheck, or a rehearsal before the show day. Tell the coordinator about that sequence so they can ask the supplier what can be arranged. Do not promise a preparation outcome or a fixed timetable on the supplier's behalf.

Mark surrounding equipment and movement routes on the drawing. Include the areas required by other performers and any audio equipment the production intends to use. Do not reduce the planning task to the outline of the piano alone. The player, seating, access to the position and the rest of the performance all need to be considered by the responsible team.

Published model information is not a doorway or route-fit approval. The current access brief must go to the hire team and appropriate venue specialists, particularly where a lift, stairs or stage is involved. Do not calculate a safety margin from a model name or assume that an instrument fitting on paper establishes suitability for a floor or platform.

If the performer requests a different orientation after seeing the room, communicate the proposed change. The crew should not move the piano casually to satisfy a late preference. The aim is to agree a practical position through the responsible people, then let the performer concentrate on the music.

The performer can explain their monitoring or cue needs, while the sound team chooses and verifies the production approach. A piano supplier's product description is not a guarantee about the venue's acoustic response or the final mix. Put technical audio commitments with the people responsible for them instead of incorporating them as implied piano features.

For a recorded or streamed performance, say that recording is part of the project. The engineer and producer need to assess their own requirements and permissions. The instrument brief should describe the use accurately, while avoiding unsupported promises about recording suitability or broadcast quality.

Check that the final schedule gives the relevant teams access in the right order. Specialist placement, optional instrument preparation, performer familiarisation and audio work should not all be assigned the same moment. The brief supplies the performer's needs; the production advance turns those needs into a coordinated, confirmed sequence.

For a concern during the player check, use a factual description. Explain what is happening, where it is noticed and whether it affects the planned performance. Contact the hire team through the agreed channel. Avoid diagnosing a mechanical issue or attempting an adjustment without the appropriate guidance and permission.

Keep the performer and production coordinator in the same conversation where possible. The performer can explain the musical concern, while the coordinator manages timing and communication with the venue. This prevents a technical question from being reduced to “the artist is unhappy” or a production pressure from being mistaken for authority to alter the instrument.

After a decision, update the brief. Record what was agreed and which earlier statement it replaces. A short version history is helpful when several people are advancing different dates, but it should contain actual decisions rather than a claim that every possible contingency has been solved.

Give the document a clear version and date in your own production system. When an item changes, identify the difference rather than circulating an unexplained replacement. Ask the person responsible for the overall advance to confirm that the venue and supplier have the same current information.

Before the day, check that every required answer has actually arrived. A completed internal checklist is not a reservation, a rider acceptance or a venue approval. The final record should distinguish supplier confirmations from performer preferences and from production tasks that remain with your own team.

The brief builder on this page provides a structured starting point. It does not submit information, store personal details or certify that a model is suitable. Copy its output into your normal advance, add the specific responses received and keep the accepted version with the production documents.