A couple of days ago we acquired a used but well taken care of Korg tuner. It was a step up (or so we thought) from the ancient pitch-pipe I’ve been using to tune my son’s violin for the past four years. It was also a more simple solution to our everyday tuning needs relative to the DaTuner app on my tablet, since it eliminated all the distractions that numerous other apps expose us to during the violin practice hour. God knows that more distractions is something we definitely do not need in our household, especially during the practice time!
The first morning of tuning with the help of this new tool I relished the simple and clear feedback I was receiving from Korg as to the sharps, flats and naturals. Pleased with myself, I handed the perfectly tuned violin to our son and when he started playing, he sounded exceptionally horrible. He might not be a pro, but I knew he was not that bad. I (unsuccessfully) tried fine-tuning the violin but other obligations of the day crammed the violin tuning and playing out and I wasn’t able to troubleshoot the problem further. The afternoon didn’t yield better results – we were all tired and grumpy from the long week anyway, and tuning and playing the persnickety instrument when you are tired and grumpy is simply a very bad idea.
Today we had plenty of time for tuning and practice, so I was at it again. And again. And AGAIN. The more he played, the more horrific he sounded. We checked the tuner again and again, and the little green light kept smiling at us, but Beethoven had to be turning in his grave listening to his cannibalized piece. The longer I listened, the more I could feel my internal temperature rising. First I blamed it on the ‘stupid’ violin. Then I blamed it on the careless way my son handled the instrument, causing it to get un-tuned as it got transferred from my hands into his. On the verge of throwing the violin through the closed window, I decided to try one last thing. I fired up the tablet, pulled up DaTuner and started playing. I was shocked to discover that although two strings were right on target, the other two were completely off! I looked at the Korg and noticed it says Guitar and Bass Tuner - not violin! We were trying to tune the violin with the wrong kind of tuner! No wonder the music sounded so jumbled and screechy! We laughed and laughed (and I cried a little) as I tuned the violin back to the correct pitch.
As I reflected on this, I thought how often I try to ‘tune’ my heart and mind to other people – what they say, think and do; what's in or cool; or, what I think others think and say about me or what is important to me. Every once in a while, this may strike the right cord, but when I use others as my personal pitch pipe, the overall music of my life sounds more like jumbled screeching than a beautiful melody. Regardless of how impressive their resume might be, other people’s experiences are not meant to be a standard I should strive toward. When I do, in the heart of my heart I know the music I am playing, the stories I am telling don’t resonate properly. They are a waste of time at best and terrible, irritating noisy distraction for those who are trying to listen.
There is only one pitch pipe given to mankind to tune our hearts to – His name is Jesus Christ. When our hearts are tuned to His life-giving Word and His life-giving Spirit, He will produce heavenly music through each of our lives no matter what instrument we are playing. And His music, and His alone can truly refresh and restore the souls and spirits of all the weary ones who have ears to hear His song.
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