through maybe, but things that get the blood flowing. The fingers loosen, become more nimble. The hands start to talk to one another. The ear perks up. In instrument making, the eye also perks up.

The musician also must tune the instrument to play well, just as the instrument maker must tune his tools. The distinguished woodworker James Krenov likened tuning a hand plane to tuning a musical instrument. The tool is honed and carefully brought into adjustment. The goal is to focus on the work, not the tool -- just as you want a well-tuned, great sounding instrument so you can focus on the music. When the instrument allows you to perform with ease and grace you begin to explore the music more. The same is true of building an instrument: You are drawn to the

work in new ways with good, well-tuned tools.

As musicians and builders with these well-tuned tools, we are able to pay attention to all the parts of our respective crafts: quiet parts, loud parts, obvious parts, subtle parts. When you execute all the parts well, giving them all the treatment they deserve so that everything works well