The Energy at the Edge

This morning I had a two hour Qi Gong class with Master Li.  While this is always an energizing experience, some days are even more heavenly.  Today was one of them.  I left there with subtle muscular knots released, joints wide open and my Qi flowing.  A light lunch and nap and then I picked up my guitar.

With my hands still charged and my fingers relaxed I began practicing.  Looking out the window I noticed the trees now have buds.  Marveling at the complexity of the still bare branches and grateful that I am only working with coordinating eight fingers and two thumbs.  Then I saw the tree's energy in a sense, the buds forming along the smaller branches were particularly concentrated at the ends of the branches.  Just like in Qi Gong where we use our minds to move our energy about our systems, but particularly to the ends of the fingers and toes where the various meridians begin and end.  A surge of energy entered my hands as I continued to play, smiling as once again my various disciplines inform one another.

Growth occurs at the edge of plants, animals and people.  Particularly artists grow most at their edge.  Where is your edge?

For those of you local to Takoma Park, Maryland my wife & I will be offering a course on Sunlight Qi Gong beginning April 1st.  More info here 

Photo by Don Komarechka

Ice Feathers

Ice Feathers was the title of a photo I used earlier this week.  Both the  photo and the title intrigued me.  While looking at the photo, I began improvising, reminding me of last years challenge proposed by  Sid Smith  of composing a piece of music inspired by photo's he had taken.  A possible introduction followed by an interesting progression had me notating what I'd found.  Revisiting the idea the past three days, my interest has been sustained but the idea was not taking off either.

I returned to this idea yesterday after undertaking the previously described work on Forgive Me.  I was primed by the energy.  I played around with the structure of the introduction.  Back & forth, maybe, maybe not.  So I played with the progression.  This became increasingly interesting musically, but while the rhythmic feel of it was compelling, something else was needed.

Watching yet another snowfall in our backyard, I played with my fingers on the strings.  Just caressing them, wondering about them.  Each snowflake uses only the energy needed to reach the ground and no more.  What was the energy needed to move this piece along?  Watching the snow I held the musical questions of this piece.  Playing the beginning again, an idea flew by and I followed.  Liking what I heard I played around with the idea and extended it.  Slowly the energy was building.

Time for my afternoon walk, especially to relish in the snowfall.  As I walked I played the piece in my mind, searching for where we might go together.  Nothing.  Walking the snow covered streets and hearing the idea again.  Hearing a slight change arise, I kept walking, kept listening.  Another idea arose, one I could not really hear, but I understood the gist of the rhythmic change.  Arriving home I played with these ideas and may have found an ending. 

As I shoveled once again, I thought of those lovely snow flakes that used only the amount needed to land on Earth.  Could I use only the amount needed to move this snow and possibly have some energy left to play some more?

Photo by Hannah Edwards

Snow Like Music Touches All

Watching the snow fall I paused to look in wonder.  To touch life right here and now.  The snow comes to the earth, touches it gently yet powerfully, much like music comes to us.  Snow changes our perceptions of life; trees highlighted differently, pathways hidden while new ones are forged.  Snow falls silently, urging me to take shelter in silence.  Looking at the trees reminds me to think in terms of the Alexander  Technique - to direct my body to be long and wide, to allow my thoughts to be forward and up.  Just as the landscape changes snowflake by snowflake, life is changed thought by thought.

Suddenly the snow shifts in the direction it releases from the sky.  Hidden forces and energy displayed before me, reminding me of my recent Qi Gong practice.  Directed movements shift the subtle energies, bring new life into the system, and opens channels not perceived in the every day.  Traveling one way; then another, yet all paths leading the journey to fulfill the aim.  Blankets of white delight the eyes; shadows shifted and revealed.  Truth calling us, showing us what is real.

What if a collective moved with the unity and direction of the snow?  Giving space and freedom to it's members as they move forth and followed the true direction of the path?  What if all of our intentions were as pure?  What if we all took time to contemplate the mysteries?  Moved with such gentleness? 
Snow like music, kisses the heart and spirit.  Snow like music, embraces all within its path.  Snow like music, changes one and all.  I can not make snow, only contemplate its truth and beauty.  I can make music, let me continue the journey and play on this day, everyday.

Photo from Tyne and Wear Archives and Museum

A busy and challenging professional week which culminated in a 12 hour day today.  After a shower I sat for 20 minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee and to rest from a totally "on" day.  I moved to the practice room and knew I needed an AT lie down.  As soon as my back hit the floor, the week's tiredness flooded my consciousness.  My legs so tired that I noticed them twitching as my body began to let go.  The relief was so delicious.  When I rose from the floor, I no longer cared if I played, but I knew that I would.

After tuning, I sat quietly, directing myself via the Alexander Technique.  Noticing the lengthening, the letting go, and overall feeling lighter.  I decided that I would just play through a few pieces and enjoy and be nourished by the music.  After the first piece, my mind a bit quieter, I again went through the AT directions.  Connecting with my body, that has been pushed all week, and bringing my mind together with my movement, began to generate an energy of it's own.  An energy allowing me to play, despite my physical and mental tiredness.  An energy that eventually urged me to improvise and see what the moment might reveal.  The moment was fun and musical.  I felt so good to be reconnecting with myself, my guitar, and with music. 

Glad that I opened the door, and did made myself available.  Just sitting on my stool, aware of myself, guitar in hand, and then the gentle vibrations of the strings bring me back to life.  The awareness deepening and then the vibrations wake me further.  Simple, though not necessarily easy.

                         Photo by Jackie Dervichian

When You Just Do the Work

I woke last night suffering from my allergies several different times.  After dragging out of bed, I really did not feel like doing Qi Gong, nor anything else for that matter.  I could have easily rationalized that I am actually ill, right now, and let it go at that.  But this also seemed to be my resistance lurking, looking for a chink in my morning routine.  Deciding to do a "little bit" of Qi Gong, we began.  Within minutes, I noticed that I was feeling slightly better.  As we continued to practice, my energy shifted, and while I was not ready to climb Mt. Everest, I was prepared to face my day.  My sitting followed and enhanced the flow of positive energy that had begun with the decision to do that "little bit."

During the day, I found out that today was a particularly horrendous day for tree pollen in the DC metro area.  On a scale of 0-12, we were at 11.5, and this put my allergic reaction into perspective.  After work I napped a bit and then did an errand with my wife.  Our house guests arrived and after they settled in, I was again faced with a decision.  Tired, ill, and lacking in desire, should I take the night off from music.  Again the subtle voice of resistance, which I know so well.  Once recognized there is only one answer - do the opposite, do the work.

I decided to focus on the difficult part of the Etude in 7, which is improving.  I worked with the notes in various ways to see where my left hand and right hand issues were.  Then mindfully practicing this part at varying tempi and with & without the tremolo, I worked out the left hand shifts.  After 25 minutes of this, for the second time this day, I noticed how much better I was feeling.  As I continued to practice, I continued to feel better.  Why is this?  Certainly somehow related to doing the work that matters to me.  And then there are the subtle energetic shifts that occur with Qi Gong and my musical practice.  Perhaps even a bit more subtle, is that I am noticing that as a practice develops over time, through effort and discipline, the practice can then give more back to the practitioner.

Conserve the Energy

 

During my commute this morning, I focused on listening to the two takes of Becoming that I recorded last night. I quickly settled on the second one as having the juice of the revision. I listened to this twice, and then drove in silence taking the piece in. On the next listening, I decided that this revision definitely has merit. On my final listen, I was happy with the two new high energy sections that revealed themselves last night, but unsure how the piece will work.


My evening commute found me again listening to Becoming. The piece has an opening theme which is slow and then begins to rock out a bit. The first new section continues this energy, but then the piece slowed down in the original conception. The more I listened, I became convinced that I needed to find a way to keep the energy of the piece high, if I wanted to effectively incorporate the second new section. I let the piece play in my head and then heard a potential solution.

As I was ready to begin my practice the phrase "Conserve the Energy" came to mind as to the task before me. In this spirit I began my practice with an Alexander Technique lie down. During the lie down I decided that before I began working with Becoming, I must address the other three pieces which are candidates for being performed next week. I had not played Stepping Stones in over two weeks and this is a definite for the set. So I began with SS and played it twice. Some work on the chord sequence which is still troubling me with Broken Wing was fruitful as revealed in my play through of it. Then I moved onto Becoming.

I played with the notion that came to me during the drive home, but could not find a way to make it work. Returning to what I knew of the piece, I found that I was now confused. The rhythms were muddled and the melodies lost. Rather than push on I decided to 'Conserve the Energy" and introduced another AT lie down. I was going to listen to last nights take, but I was on the floor with my books supporting my neck and decided to stay put.

When I returned to my guitar, I worked on Beneath Dark Images for a while. I began to play  Becoming and it came alive as a piece of music once more. I worked out the phrasing for the new parts and recorded them. I'll be listening to this on my commute tomorrow, trusting that the potential energy of Becoming will come forth.