I wonder how many piano tuners have used their profession as a springboard for playing the piano professionally. If your ambition is to be a Classical musician, it makes sense, when you have a captive audience, to test the piano by playing a technically demanding concerto. If you'd like to play jazz for a living, it's smart to do your best Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, or Erroll Garner impression. If you want to play in a rock or R&B band, it would be smart to have some Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Stevie Wonder tunes ready to play. I wonder how often the owners of a piano have heard a piano tuner flying impressively through a difficult or ear-catching composition and said, "I just play for fun, but it sounds like you're the real deal. I know a band that's looking for a piano player. If you're interested, contact this person..."
Who knows what opportunities await, based on the pieces you play in the guise of "testing" the piano?
