Resonation of the Heart

Over the years I’ve had many people come up to me and say things like, “there’s something about your tone” or “you have a unique sound”. In fact, I was only a couple of weeks into learning to play the clarinet when my instructor, Mr. Tommy Williamson, told my parents that I had one of the best tones he had heard in a beginner clarinetist. Some of you may realize this but a reed wind instrument is quite unique in that you have to blow air thru a reed to create the sound. What you hear in a beginner is usually very difficult to listen to and sometimes it’s like listening to someone scratching a chalkboard. Now that makes me cringe even as I write. It takes time to develop the natural, mellow tones a clarinet can produce. Oh, I know, you see when someone wants to poke fun the beginner clarinetist is the butt of the joke with squeaks and off pitch notes. Practicing the correct embouchure, air support and pitch is critical to finding a balance to achieve the pure, pleasant sounds a clarinet can produce. For some reason good tone has stuck with me all these years.

When I was taking private lessons in high school I was privileged to study with the principle clarinetist of the Houston Symphony. One day he demonstrated something to me that may be nothing more than a myth to the average person. He explained that his dog would tell him if he hit the note dead center. See, most people think that a bad note will make a dog howl but in fact, he proved to me it was the “resonant” note that actually did that. He played a middle C on his clarinet and when he centered the tone and it resonated perfectly his dog would howl like no other. The dog would not howl on just any note. He challenged me to play and find that perfect resonate tone. It wasn’t easy but I worked on it for weeks. No, making the dog howl is not the goal. That truth is I already had a good tone, better than average but he challenged me to reach deeper and find another level in my music. What really brings me joy is to hear someone say, I really enjoyed hearing you play today……it encouraged me….it lifted my spirit….brought me joy….helped me find peace. Those are the real rewards.

That being said, let’s talk about how to apply this to the resonation of the heart. We can go along thru life and feel like we have done all we can to affect our world of influence in a positive way. Many of us give to ministries and charities, feel compassion on those less fortunate and may even work in a homeless shelter or outreach from time to time. But do we reach for the power of a resonate heart that is beyond the ordinary. Like in music, we can work on the tone of our heart and may indeed find resonation in our heart that will move us to do more than we ever thought possible. And it could be just a simple act of kindness or putting an arm around an elderly relative or even a friend and telling them how special they are and that you love them. The more we practice the better we’ll get and result will likely be a warm smile and kind thank you from someone you may have missed an opportunity to touch otherwise.