When I first started playing guitar, I didn’t know what I was doing.
It would be a full year before I took a formal lesson. Prior to that time, I learned from mimicking what I saw on music videos, reading magazines with instructions on where your fingers needed to be, and simple trial and error. I wouldn’t say I was particularly gifted musically, but I was aware enough to know what sounded good and what didn’t.
Early on, I learned how to tune the guitar, because if just one of the six strings was out of tune, the whole instrument sounded bad. But there was a problem. I could get the guitar in tune with itself, but I didn’t know that I needed a pure tone from another source outside of the instrument for it to really be in tune.
For example, the first string on a guitar should be an “E” note. Instead of finding the “E” note, I assumed the first string was where it needed to be and I tuned the other five strings relative to the first string. My guitar would sound good by itself, but when I attempted to play along with music on the radio, it wasn’t even close.
In fact, one time I had all of my strings tensioned so tight (too high pitched) that one of them snapped and the end of the guitar string went through the surface of my fingernail and all the way into my finger.
Shortly after that, I realized I needed to start with the proper note, because if I didn’t, there was really no way to play the instrument like it was meant to be played. I needed the true note to start with, the note that every recording artist starts with, the note every singer would be familiar with, the note from outside the instrument itself. I found an electronic keyboard to use as the trustworthy source for the note I needed.
We may assume we have our lives tuned up pretty well. Physically, financially emotionally, relationally, vocationally, and even spiritually, we can feel like we have our priorities aligned, our time balanced, and our life strings in tune. And honestly, you may have all of that tuned very well.
But we need to make sure we check with a source greater than ourselves. Where the note we start with is always pure, always in perfect pitch, and always ringing with consistency.
I sincerely hope your life is making beautiful music, but I encourage you to check with your source.
Are your relationships in tune with the love of God?
Does the melody of forgiveness play in your heart?
Do your words and actions harmonize with integrity?
Today I picked up a guitar, I checked the tuning, and I used an application on my phone to find the starting tone.
It’s a good idea to recalibrate your life, as often as you can, to the source of the perfect note.
-Tom Wise