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guslThis morning, a man came to give our piano a major tune-up (no puns intended).
He spent about an hour looking at it and talking to us, in the end he managed to sell my mom a nicer, brand new piano for ~ US$ 2 000 + the old piano. It immediately sounds very different from the old one (which I figured might cause some regret): it's a lot more muffled and less metallic than the old one, but also obviously cleaner (and well-tuned).
At night, the tuner came. He borrowed my tuner (no pun intended again), and proceeded to do his thing. After he was done, I asked him to improve the highest C-C interval in the piano. It's strange that those extremes tend to sound so badly out-of-tune. I've heard that this due the fact that our perception of pitch is warped at the ends, which sort of makes sense, but it is nevertheless not satisfying.
After everything he agreed to try my thirds-octave tuning. C-E-G# in just intonation, G#-C a harsh third. I wanted to cry when I heard those just thirds... I didn't remember it being that beautiful. If I'm here for the next tuning, I will ask for a well-temperament or some sort of just intonation. I may need to print out a table of frequencies.
By the way, I am tired of pretending that I don't understand things so that "experts" don't feel threatened by my knowledge. This is not a positive action, it's things like: listening too humbly to explanations of simple facts, refraining from using technical terms, etc. I don't have this problem in longer relationships (such as music teachers), because after some time it becomes clear what they know, what I know, and how they can help me, though I often do have this problem when talking to computer technicians, piano tuners, insurance agents, etc.
Maybe I should be more blatant. I'm too nice. Hmm... well, I abstain from normal rituals of "niceness" quite often, though. Where lieth the balance?
He spent about an hour looking at it and talking to us, in the end he managed to sell my mom a nicer, brand new piano for ~ US$ 2 000 + the old piano. It immediately sounds very different from the old one (which I figured might cause some regret): it's a lot more muffled and less metallic than the old one, but also obviously cleaner (and well-tuned).
At night, the tuner came. He borrowed my tuner (no pun intended again), and proceeded to do his thing. After he was done, I asked him to improve the highest C-C interval in the piano. It's strange that those extremes tend to sound so badly out-of-tune. I've heard that this due the fact that our perception of pitch is warped at the ends, which sort of makes sense, but it is nevertheless not satisfying.
After everything he agreed to try my thirds-octave tuning. C-E-G# in just intonation, G#-C a harsh third. I wanted to cry when I heard those just thirds... I didn't remember it being that beautiful. If I'm here for the next tuning, I will ask for a well-temperament or some sort of just intonation. I may need to print out a table of frequencies.
By the way, I am tired of pretending that I don't understand things so that "experts" don't feel threatened by my knowledge. This is not a positive action, it's things like: listening too humbly to explanations of simple facts, refraining from using technical terms, etc. I don't have this problem in longer relationships (such as music teachers), because after some time it becomes clear what they know, what I know, and how they can help me, though I often do have this problem when talking to computer technicians, piano tuners, insurance agents, etc.
Maybe I should be more blatant. I'm too nice. Hmm... well, I abstain from normal rituals of "niceness" quite often, though. Where lieth the balance?
(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-06 05:57 am (UTC)with regard to the above, i think it's all about attitude. i agree that it's stupid to pretend not to understand things, but it is possible to reveal your knowledge and/or interest in a subject without making the "expert" feel threatened. if you engage someone in conversation, it's pretty easy to tell if they know what they're talking about or if they're full of shit. if the former is true, as long as you're polite and respectful of their knowledge, i doubt they will feel threatened. in fact, they will probably be happy to be able to converse with a fellow non-ignoramus. however, if the latter is true, it can only be malicious and self-serving to point out you know more than they do. there is no need to pretend you don't understand them, just be polite and excuse yourself from the situation.
the two qualities i value most in life are kindness and courage. (and i mean sincere and true kindness and courage.) it is so difficult to be kind and courageous with all the shit life deals you. but at the end of the day, i think if you've been able to handle your interactions with the world in a kind and courageous manner, then you will have made the world a slightly better place. other qualities such as intelligence, talent, knowledge, charm, beauty, etc. are nice, but they don't make one a good person.
just my opinion. and i fully realize that i am far from the epitome of kindness and courage. still, i do try...
- laura (http://www.lauraelgin.com)