The Creative Life IS Messy

 In a meeting with today the notion that the creative life is messy surfaced a few times. After this very fruitful time with this amazing group I took a walk outside to digest the experience. Returning to my practice space I looked at the following captures of ideas related to the same piece Jumping Over Fences.

The initial idea arrived on May 4 of 2020. Added to in June of that year and now again yesterday and today. Still very messy but a form is emerging. There have also been rmp3 recordings and at some video recordings to capture the feel of the piece. Fine to dwell in the mess. But I must take care to not allow the mess to trigger negative thoughts about my ideas or ability to play them as they emerge. Paying attention to where I am in this moment keeps the process productive. Unfortunately I fail to pay attention more than I care to admit. So it goes.

The Dance I Almost Missed

         Last night we were walking and as we turned east at the end of our block saw the Moon. No longer full but big and radiant nonetheless. Mars was very close. Upon awakening this morning I looked out the front door to see if the moon had set and Mars was still close by it. But last night Mars was to the left of the Moon and now to the right. A dance between them had been going on all night. And I almost missed it. I know their  will continue even when I no longer see them. How many processes go on below the level of my awareness all day long? This complex biochemical psycho-physical being, known as I, a speck in the Universe dancing with the rest of creation. Thoughts frequently introduce noise in the system; emotions push me about like strong ocean tides while my body moves about on automatic.  Until I bring some attention to what “I” am doing.  Then back in the dance, the small miracle of being alive in the moment arrives. Awe, wonder and curiosity arise augmented by being here and now. Tension in the body is eased, thoughts slow and the whispers of the Universe take the form of notes.

Reflection begins my day followed by Qi Gong and Sitting Meditation laying the foundation for the arch of freedom. As I eat my breakfast, sweep the kitchen floor or open my guitar case I might pause and briefly nourish returning to this moment easing my dance with distraction. When I am present and play a note, a subtle energy infuses the music. This energy changes me and those who are listening. But the dance of the Universe is daunting - waves of thought, emotions and miscues of an aging body arise unexpectedly to counteract the flow. Again and again I must begin.  Again and again I loose my step. And then the right causes and conditions supported by decades of practice arrive - music surges and I surf the creative wave one more time.  Dancing with dissonance, connection ebbs and flows, and we begin again. What if I'd never picked up a guitar. 

Listen. Listen now. 

Have you heard The Call? Listen Here

Photo by: Abigail Atienza

 

A Choice Not to Practice

A day without any guitar, but one filled with the music of life.  Laughter, amazement, and understanding blossoming in a day full of family adventure.  From Chinese carvings  and drawings to a toy museum, street art and good food, all with those that mean the most to me.  Working on harmony within and among the form of family.  Developing this harmony and sharing our melodies with the community. 

I thought of the guitar, music, and even directed via the Alexander Technique a few times.  But my choice was to be with those that matter.  As a wise man said "for everything there is a season."  By developing love,  music is impacted, always.  What greater gift does any of us have?

Listen Listen

Listen, Listen.  The sound of the bell brings me back to my true home.  Thich Naht Hahn

Listening, one of the most important senses a musician employs and develops.  The same might be true for all of us as we strive to bring harmony into our world.  While reflecting on how to begin my practice today, dynamics arose as an area to begin and focus on.  I always love to play with dynamics and the fourth primary from Guitar Craft.  This simple and beautiful arpeggio, not only returns me to moments of innocence, but provides an ongoing challenge to the independence of the thumb and fingers of my right hand.  I can simply alter the dynamics as I play the arpeggio.  Building a crescendo or decrescendo or use a loud and soft combination of any fingers.

The sea in front of me provides an example of effortless change in dynamics with the breaking waves.  As I begin to tune my guitar, I invite the low C string to sound.  I am immediately captivated by a richness and heretofore unknown intensity of the Ovation Guitar I have with me.  Suddenly I smile as I realize that this new found power is the result of an ocean going vessel heading out to sea and sounding it's fog horn.  A glimpse of what a master might sound like, I return to tuning.

My listening sharpened by this experience, I begin with a simple piece that has been unveiling herself to me recently.  Inspired by the Muslim call to prayer, I intone these notes with respect and awareness.  Reflecting on this now I realize that  my aspiration is that all notes should be invited in this way; better yet - all the words that I say to another.  A distance wider than the four oceans, awaits me on this particular journey of sound.  So be it.  Like music, the journey will unfold in time; either I will be present to the journey or not.   Knowing this, I cultivate my practice of awareness and insight daily, as often as I remember,  when a bell of mindfulness invites me back or when Nature in all her Glory simply demands that I pay attention to truth and beauty before me.

Playing through a piece, Senseless Loss, the fog horn which is close to  a C sounds again.  Harmonizing with the low E, I am playing, another smile blooms.  Two more times over the course of 30 minutes the fog horn resounds & blends with my joy and with the sea around us.  What a gift this life is, what a gift that music bestows upon me, on all of us.  Wake up, wake up now; listen!  On my own I need help, and the Universe continues to provide this help.  All I need do is to welcome the invitation and practice with what is offered.

As I return to the guitar,  I decide to address the primary with attention to dynamics that I had originally intended to begin my practice with.  While playing these notes, sensitive to the use of my right hand fingers, I notice a flock of small birds joyfully flying by.  Their flight hampered, bolstered, and guided by the wind.  Smiles returning as the birds and I practice taking flight together.   Smiling again as I recall this day is still quite young and many more opportunities await me.

Photo by Yazir Yacob

Night Sounds

The night songs of summer insects remind me of all that I do not know.  Which insect is making that sound?  Why that rhythm?  How are they making that sound?

Do the insects hear me playing my guitar?  Do they hear the other insects?  Do I hear me playing my guitar?  Or are they just interested in finding their mate? And yes I think I know that answer to that last one.

Is their a rustle of leaves within this part of the song?  The drone of a distant car?  What would summer sound like without the insects?  Why am I so intrigued by this summer symphony?

Does the full moon affect their tunes?  Do they quiet down when they find their mate? Or get louder?  Do they pause from a  thunderclap? What else don't I know?

Hello darkness my old friend ...



 

The Music of Life

In the day to day of my life, creating the time to practice music is tricky, requires creative juggling, and is a dance of give and take.  This is the music of life and is more important than any piece of music I might create.  As I learn to improvise and flow with the music of life, the notes become more available, my tone improves, and I am more receptive to the muse.  Today while practicing, loved ones had a few questions, the timing of which allowed me to see - When someone interrupts my practice they are my practice.

Performer Haiku

A fun and informative night playing guitar with my dear friend Peter.  This tinkled out afterwards.


Aware of right now.
Blossoming notes burn of truth.
Sound the inner sage.

Care of the Instrument

Upon arising, I tune my instrument. The practice of Qi Gong, followed by meditation, and a petition for help,  harmonizes the tuning. Instruments are sensitive to the conditions to which they are subjected.  The tuning needs to be checked and adjusted throughout the performance of the day. Failure to take care of the instrument will compromise the tone.  The action of the instrument suffers, and ultimately the music of life cannot be played.

Sometimes the adjustments to the instrument are more than the musician can tend to. Certain venues place unusual stress on their functioning. If one continues to subject the instrument to harsh conditions, additional help must be sought or damage may be done to the instrument. Time to connect with the Luthier?