'D, A, G, F shar-no that's not right.' The gentle giant placed a soothing hand on the shoulder of his pupil to stop him. The child paused and looked up expectantly up at his tutor. Myrl had been studying under Theodore's tutelage for several years now and had come to understand the man's habits and gestures.
"Do you know what you did differently there, Myrl?" was the gentle question posed to him, just as it always was in situations such as these. No matter how many times he would make a mistake, the man had never raised his voice above that soft tone that was but one decibel above a whisper. In the beginning he had first ventured to test Theodore's patience, going so far as to completely butcher entire pieces of music just to get a cuff to the ear or a harsh word. Much to the youth's disappointment neither had come. Instead a gentle hand and an encouraging word had always met his opposition.
Today though Myrl was on his best behavior. Piano lessons had gone from being a torture to a treat. He would wait all week practicing his heart out just to please his instructor. He wanted nothing more than to bring a smile of approval to the nobleman's lips.
"Myrl?" Theodore prompted again, dragging the young boy from his thoughts.
"I played the wrong note?"
"Perhaps. Why are you unsure of yourself? No, don't look at the music. Feel the music in your fingertips. Try and recreate it. Do you remember now?"
"The note should have been sharp. I missed the key change."
"Very good Myrl. Be sure that you watch for that this week in your practices."
"Oh no! It's time to go already?"
Theodore chuckled and patted his student on the back. "So it is. I'll see you next week Myrl. Scuttle along now before your mother comes after us both." He watched the boy do just that up until he was out the door before turning back to the piano to clean up his things. He was done for the day and ready to go home.
