Ping

The triangle is not much of musical instrument. After all, it's just a bar of wrapped up metal and all you can do with it is "ping." In the midst of the orchestra it doesn't seem like much. Not like the violins with their wide range of expression, or the trumpets with their blaring power or the timpani that can roar like a lion. Pretty insignificant and useless one would think.

The triangle player gets his parts and says, "What's this? Only ONE note?" So he complains to the composer who just says, "Play your part as written and later you will understand."

So the piece begins -- violins sawing away, trumpets blaring, timpani roaring until suddenly it stops and in a brief moment, no more than a catch of a breath, you hear "ping!" Ahhh, now we see. Not so insignificant after all. One little ping, without which the whole symphony would fail.

So I will stand in place and count my measures until the conductor points to me. Then I will make my little, not-so-insignificant "ping."

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