I'm going to assume that was meant for Tim and not the List. Keep it amongst yourselves...please David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "Sloane, Benjamin \(sloaneba\)" <sloaneba at ucmail.uc.edu> To: tcoates1 at sio.midco.net; caut at ptg.org Received: 6/16/2009 3:58:05 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Tuning--again > Hello Tim, > First of all, I need to qualify what I am about to say by observing that many >people in the media quote the bible to justify an immoral lifestyle. More often than >not, I disagree with those who claim this or that is something the bible guarantees >us, or teaches, in the media. That having been stated, I am provoked to make some >observations from the scripture about the capacity of a piano technician to make >moral decisions, though again, the bible can be a terrible source for defining what is >moral. > The first 3 verses of Psalm 33 read as follows: >à øÇðÌÀðåÌ öÇãÌÄé÷Äéí, áÌÇéäåÈä; ìÇéÀùÑÈøÄéí, ðÈàåÈä úÀäÄìÌÈä. >1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous, praise is comely for the upright. >á äåÉãåÌ ìÇéäåÈä áÌÀëÄðÌåÉø; áÌÀðÅáÆì òÈùÒåÉø, æÇîÌÀøåÌ-ìåÉ. >2 Give thanks unto the LORD with harp, sing praises unto Him with the psaltery of >ten strings. >â ùÑÄéøåÌ-ìåÉ, ùÑÄéø çÈãÈùÑ; äÅéèÄéáåÌ ðÇâÌÅï, áÌÄúÀøåÌòÈä. >3 Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully amid shouts of joy. >http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2633.htm > I would like to draw attention to two Hebrew words from this passage, and >attempt to explain these in a way that will help us to recognize the possibility of >morality in music making as it relates to the musician, the tuner, and the technician. > 1. The first is from the 3rd verse. >It is äÅéèÄéáåÌ , translated skillfully. To fully understand this word, we need to >observe another use of the same word in the bible. It also appears in Jeremiah 7:3,5 >which reads as follows: >â ëÌÉä-àÈîÇø éÀäåÈä öÀáÈàåÉú, àÁìÉäÅé éÄùÒÀøÈàÅì, äÅéèÄéáåÌ ãÇøÀëÅéëÆí, >åÌîÇòÇìÀìÅéëÆí; åÇàÂùÑÇëÌÀðÈä àÆúÀëÆí, áÌÇîÌÈ÷åÉí äÇæÌÆä. >3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your >doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. >ã àÇì-úÌÄáÀèÀçåÌ ìÈëÆí, àÆì-ãÌÄáÀøÅé äÇùÌÑÆ÷Æø ìÅàîÉø: äÅéëÇì éÀäåÈä >äÅéëÇì éÀäåÈä, äÅéëÇì éÀäåÈä äÅîÌÈä. >4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying: 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the >LORD, the temple of the LORD, are these.' >ä ëÌÄé àÄí-äÅéèÅéá úÌÅéèÄéáåÌ, àÆú-ãÌÇøÀëÅéëÆí åÀàÆú-îÇòÇìÀìÅéëÆí: >àÄí-òÈùÒåÉ úÇòÂùÒåÌ îÄùÑÀôÌÈè, áÌÅéï àÄéùÑ åÌáÅéï øÅòÅäåÌ. >5 Nay, but if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly >execute justice between a man and his neighbor >æ åÀùÑÄëÌÇðÀúÌÄé àÆúÀëÆí, áÌÇîÌÈ÷åÉí äÇæÌÆä--áÌÈàÈøÆõ, àÂùÑÆø >ðÈúÇúÌÄé ìÇàÂáåÉúÅéëÆí: ìÀîÄï-òåÉìÈí, åÀòÇã-òåÉìÈí. >7 then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, >for ever and ever. >http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1107.htm > The word is translated amend in vs. 3 (äÅéèÄéáåÌ) and amend in vs. 5 >(úÌÅéèÄéáåÌ). When we play, tune, and/or otherwise perfect the sound of a piano, >even though it has a lot more than ten strings, I believe we over the course of time >learn something about amending our ways, or repentance, as the Hebrew word is >employed by Jeremiah. When we play a passage over and over to get it right, what >some call wood-shedding, we engage in an activity that teaches us a lot about >developing the ability to lead a moral life. You may fail a 1000 times before you >finally get it right, and need to take all kind of approaches and practicing techniques >before that happens. But finally, you get something like what the composer >intended. Likewise, the kind of tenacity that it takes to learn aural tuning by >repetition, or the painstaking thoroughness that regulating forces us to engage in, >helps us in that experience to develop an understanding of the practice that leading >a moral life takes, and how often we have to try for finally achieving something >approaching mastery of the task. Morality is difficult to achieve, and sometimes, >religion is the biggest obstacle to discovering it, while some kinds of work help us to >discover it. That is part of what we learn about morality when, playing, tuning, >regulating, and rebuilding pianos. Morality is as difficult to obtain or achieve as being >good at pianos. >2. The second word is from the 2nd verse of the 33rd psalm. >It is æÇîÌÀøåÌ , translated sing praises unto Him. This is a Hebrew word, as the >other, was also used in Aramaic, I believe, the language the 12 apostles used. The >etymological source is from a word meaning to pluck, trim, or prune, play on a reed >in Arabic, hum, or murmer, in Ethiopian, in other words, pluck or strike a string. This >also is something that we enhance the ability to do well at when improving in our >craft as piano technicians. When we look at the following from John 15, > >1"(A<http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015&version=49#c >en-NASB-26701A>)I am the true vine, and My Father is the >(B<http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015&version=49#cen- >NASB-26701B>)vinedresser. > 2"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch >that bears fruit, He >[a<http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015&version=49#fen- >NASB-26702a>]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. >http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015&version=49 >when we consider that the same Hebrew word for pruning a plant is used for playing >a stringed instrument, we realize something about the attitude Jesus taught the >disciples that the Heavenly Father had toward them as His children. The same care >we employ toward a piano, God employs toward, us, as God’s instruments. God >wants to tune us, to fix us, to rebuild us, to restore us, to put His song into us. > My sermon for the day. > God bless all of you, >- Ben >-----Original Message----- >From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of >tcoates1 at sio.midco.net >Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 10:28 PM >To: Ed Sutton; College and University Technicians >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Tuning--again >I read the quote below to my wife and neither one of us understand it. My father >was a minister and one of my best friends is a minister. I must not be tuning the >right pianos because I don't consider myself even close to the type of decisions they >make. I really am in awe of piano techs whose tunings truly have moral implications. >Tim Coates >------Original Message------ >From: Ed Sutton >Sender: caut-bounces at ptg.org >To: College and University Technicians >ReplyTo: Ed Sutton >ReplyTo: College and University Technicians >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Tuning--again >Sent: Jun 15, 2009 8:48 PM >Yes, that's it! >Thank you. >Ed S, >----- Original Message ----- >From: <A440A at aol.com> >To: <caut at ptg.org> >Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 6:17 PM >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Tuning--again >> Ed S. writes: >> >> << "A piano technician makes more moral decisions in 20 minutes than a >> >> preacher makes in a week." Wish I knew who said that. >> >> >> Kelly Ward said that to me when I first spoke to him about going into >> the trade. That was in 1974. I believe I quoted him on this list several >> years ago. >> >> >> >> Ed Foote RPT >> http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html >> www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html >> <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See >Yours >> in Just 2 Easy Steps! >> >(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221322979x1201367215/aol?redir=ht >tp://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072& >> hmpgID=62&bcd=JuneExcfooterNO62)</HTML> >Tim Coates
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