Getting in a Chair

Amazed, though I shouldn't be, that working with how I get in & out of my chair has opened me to a creative musical idea this evening. Tonight I read Frank Sheldon's blog regarding FM Alexander's work with the "critical moment." Frank describes this as " he heart of the matter is the "critical moment" that occurs just before we do something. In some ways, this means even before we get ready to do something, as it is at this moment that the power of our habits tend to take over. "  This post gave me pause and many times tonight I paid very careful attention to where I was prior to sitting on my stool and then again as I sat on or left my stool.

Whenever I pay attention to one detail, I am paying attention. This quality of attention then can spread into other areas of my activity. Paying attention & gaining a small measure of freedom in one area of habitual area such as my body then frees other areas from their habitual working such as my brain.

8:05 pm
Just after writing the first two paragraphs I was going to return to my guitar. Noticing the stiffness in my back and my overall physical tiredness I began doing Qi Gong. Smiling I went to pick up my guitar. The power of habit so strong that before I knew it the guitar was  on me and I had no knowledge of how it got there. I have a routine, ritual even that I go through when I remove my guitar from the case. But just now the guitar was on a guitar stand and there went my attention. How fleeting my attention is. Remembering the aphorism "we begin again constantly," I shall go now and know that I am putting on my guitar.

8:22 pm

Spent time playing with the new idea until I noticed that I was thinking about the idea instead of allowing the piece to emerge. Let go, music is always present, always. Am I?

9:15 pm

Continued working with the new idea and with paying attention, looking for the "critical moment." Like music the critical moment is there, am I?