Triangle Lesson # 1

Michael opened the conversation today saying “The triangle is to be taken seriously.” He then proceeded to tell me that I need a triangle lesson. Oh, great - a triangle lesson.
He said that I needed to learn to not be randomly banging on the triangle in Harvey’s left ear, most especially while Harvey is trying to play another song. You mean I didn't add anything to Harvey’s song? Random? I would like to point out that my intention was to create a lovely sound effect in keeping with what Harvey was playing (which sounded like Cluck Old Hen, by the way).

Michael also said that my timing is off. Triangle timing is important, he said. My timing is off? I’ve heard this somewhere before… Oh yes, the bass. Bass lessons 1 through 3. The fact that my timing is off is not news to me. Had my timing been good, I would have married Bernie Curran, the person I met while in high school that introduced me to Supertramp and AC/DC.

Finally, Michael said that my tone is not good. This is not news either. I’ve been accused of having bad tone for many years, probably since early childhood. I recall my mother saying “don’t use that tone with me, young lady.” Many times Michael has said he did not like my tone, and oddly enough, I know I did not have a triangle in my hand. Now I’m wondering what it was he was referring to. Hmmmm… Oh! Maybe he is referring to the cellulite that is accumulating on the southern hemisphere of my body, creating a drastically poor tone situation.

Or, could he have been referring to my tone in that each time I ‘played’ the triangle during last night’s jam, as a special effect in the song Petticoat Junction, everyone laughed. The triangle was supposed to make a gentle ding, ding, ding sound, reminding one of a dinner bell. Harvey pointed out once…twice…that the sound I was making put him more in mind of a nagging wife, frustrated to the point of distraction, and making it clear that if she had to hold dinner one more second, there was going to be heck to pay.

I hit the thing once and Leola nearly jumped out of her skin. Imagine being startled by noise in a room where a banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar are hard at work, together. I hit the triangle once, and she jumps. Makes no sense to me at all.

Before I forget to mention this, we had a lovely surprise party last night at our house to mark Michael’s birthday. We had sugar, good friends, and good music. We are so blessed to have such good friends. Thanks for coming, everyone.

Michael, my dear, I think I’m going to pass on the triangle lesson. Sweet of you to offer, really. I’ll be bringing my big ole cow bell to the next jam I go to. You just think I was dissonant, jarring, and cacophonous. You just think my tone is bad and my timing off. I’ll show you the champion way to poor tone and incredibly bad timing, not to mention poor cow bell etiquette.

Thought for today: The journey that happens while we are trying to be perfect is called life. Don’t miss it in the looking for perfection.