A Steady Tuning Peg

I followed the dry, rhythmic twang of nylon strings down the shaded lane. Outside a quiet guitar workshop, a low wooden workbench rested near the entrance. A loose coil of wound brass guitar string was vibrating off the edge with every deep pluck from inside, buzzing lightly against an empty cedar shavings tray. I paused, letting the slow notes drift around me. Then I stepped up onto a rounded paving block and used my soft front foot to nudge the springy loop inward, anchoring its curl beneath a heavy rosewood bridge block. The metal stopped buzzing at once, humming pure and still in the afternoon sun.