Hmm, I'm familiar with the movie, 'How to train your dragon', but I've never heard of 'How to tune your dragon'! Well, maybe I have and just did not realize it. This seen-too-many-times-before prehistoric flick is a full feature film starring every last person who was and ever shall be born into this old world.
In this movie, you and I are the character who comes across a dragon that needs tuning. The dragon is representative of our self-absorbed natures and our instinctive desire to think we are the most important person alive in our particular slice of history. This view of ourselves is very troublesome and will devour others in a moment's notice if we do not figure out how to tame or tune this ill-gotten belief.
The background for this short story was inspired by my first day tuning for the Grand Rapids Symphony this fall, and the event was a showing of the film, 'How to train your dragon' on the big screen with the movie soundtrack played by the symphony. A wonderful union of film and live music which was the way it was done back in the day of silent movies. The only problem with this exciting scenario was that everybody who was preparing for the show needed to be doing their thing at the same time as everyone else.
Including the piano tuner.
My good friend and fellow piano tuner, Brian Bode, told me that when he tunes for the symphony or any such big event, he always does his best to work around the stage people. Because, he says, everyone is trying to perform their job, and no one is more important than any other. So, here on my first day the Genie Lift was being raised up and down as it unmusically sounded an obnoxious beep, beep, beep, the sound guys were testing microphones, the stagehands were loudly setting up music stands, and I must confess I was tempted to unleash the dragon inside of me and demand that these people quiet down and allow the maestro to tune the piano! But as I thought about the film they would be showing and watched all the earnest, hardworking busy bees flying around trying to get ready for the show, I realized that we were all equally important and must work together. The dragon inside of me was properly chastised as I forcibly tuned it into submission while simultaneously gently tuning the beautiful Steinway in anticipation of the big show.
.
Comments