People often use the term “getting in tune” to describe being in touch with something, such as getting in tune with your inner self, or getting in tune with nature; basically anything you want to connect with.
Tuning your Foundation
As a piano technician, I spend a major amount of time tuning pianos. This requires intense focus and concentration, making sure that each note lines up in the proper harmony with all the other notes, creating a harmonious whole. In piano tuning, you must first make sure that a proper temperament is set, which means placing each note in the octave so that every other interval (3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths) sounds pleasing; then you can match all the other octaves to this foundation. Then there’s the matter of unisons. Most notes on the piano have two or three strings each, which means you need to match these into a clear unison.
This procedure can be a good metaphor for all the different areas and activities that make up our lives. It is important to first balance all of our fundamental needs before we are able to balance everything else. Each thing builds on what is underneath. Being in tune with our inner self requires that we have a foundation that is in harmony with our true self.
Tuning Past the Neglect
I often get calls from customers who will say their piano sounds pretty good, but there’s “a couple of notes that sound off”. I arrive and check out the piano (which probably hasn’t been tuned in years), to find it is very out of tune throughout, sometimes being a note or more flat! This has happened so gradually that their ear has become accustomed to it, and they don’t even notice how discordant it has become.
This can also happen in our lives; things become gradually more chaotic and out of tune with our true needs and wants, that we don’t even notice until it goes critical. This chronic out-of-tuneness can affect many aspects of our lives such as health, relationships, and our general sense of well-being. Sometimes we completely lose sight of what our true needs and wants actually are. I’ve noticed this many times in my own life; that’s when I realize I need a regular check-in with myself (a maintenance tuning!) to stay on track. Meditating and talking with the Goddess are necessities for me.
Tuning through the hard times
There is another phenomenon in the piano called inharmonicity. This is the tendency for upper partials (string segments) to vibrate at higher frequencies than what is expected theoretically causing the string to sound slightly out of tune with itself. Basically, it can sound like another pitch is interfering. The tuner must compensate for this in order to make the string sound good to the ear.
This can be compared to times in our lives when we feel like things are pretty well in tune, and then suddenly we are thrown a curve ball such as a health issue, losing a job, or any unexpected event that we have to cope with. These are times when having that foundational balance can help you to get through difficulties.
Tuning in to all aspects
For me, being in tune is about balance and awareness, and harmonizing with whatever the subject may be.
If I’m playing the piano, I try to be in tune with that musical part of myself so I can create music that is beautiful to listen to. When I’m singing with my group, the Crow Women, I tune in to their voices as I sing, so my harmony will blend pleasingly.
Other aspects of my life also benefit from this tuning in. When I was raising my son, it was very important to tune in to his needs and emotions. Whether he was a toddler who had trouble expressing his feelings in words, or a more emotionally closed off teen, I had to use my skills of perception to tune into him.
When I’m riding or working with my horse, I try to tune in to her mood, energy level, and so on, so that we can work together as a harmonious unit.
When I’m hiking or spending time outdoors, I tune in to nature all around me; sounds, smells, feelings, everything I need to absorb.
Tuning in to Spirituality
For me, all these activities are also part of my spiritual life. I feel the Goddess moving in music, and know that she has played a part in the composing as well as the actual performing. I was always shy in the past, and singing in front of people was something I would never have even considered. But now when I’m performing live, the Goddess moves through me and I can sing with joy and abandon. It brings me a thrill to tune in to the audience and hope that the music moves them as well.
Eostre is a song I wrote for our newest album Pantheon. It has four parts of harmony and echoes, which required us to listen carefully to both timing and pitch. Before the recording session, I also tuned the piano for the accompaniment part that I played.
Harmony and Balance
Sometimes being in tune with others requires an open and quiet mind. For example, in a ritual setting, it helps to be in tune with the vibes of those around you. Some rituals are light and fun, while others are more serious and intense. Letting your energy flow in harmony with others in your circle can create powerful and meaningful results.
It is important for me to find spiritual aspects in my day to day activities. Whether I’m trying to coax pleasant sounds out of an old beater piano, or dealing with my (sometimes) recalcitrant horse, I try to tune in to the part of myself that is benefiting from the experience on some level. Is it teaching me patience? Tolerance? Perseverance? Or just the simple joy of learning?
I feel that all of these experiences help me tune in to my deeper self and grow as a person. Sometimes just pausing for a minute to thank the Goddess for Her support and presence helps me stay on track.
For more information about the Crow Women pagan choir, and access to all the blog posts by Laura and the other 9 crowsingers who have written for Pagan Song, you can visit the Crow Women author page here on Pagan Song.
lead photo of tuning fork by Laura Krowimn
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