Sunday, April 17, 2011

Transitioning the Transitions


                                     Photo by Carbon 111

A tweet by Elissa Milne about playing the C Harmonic Major Scale beginning on the 3rd scale position (E) and moving in contrary motion caught my eye this morning.  I decided to begin my practice by exploring this.  While I begin with certainty in my approach to the guitar, I find it useful to embrace the unknown as a way to disrupt habitual reactions, while also expanding my knowledge.


Moving to working with the difficult section in the tremolo piece, I am slowly bringing this up to speed.  Taking a brief break from this I picked up a folder with a print version of an older blog post - Transitions.  After reading this,  I thought about transitioning between takes of this difficult part.  I have used the AT principle of inhibition in working with this, as a way to keep my aware of my use.  Today I decided after one take of the difficult part to play the theme from Aspiration, so simple and beautiful. Pausing to direct my use via AT, I then I returned to the difficult section and after this play through I played the opening to A Journeyman's Way Home.  Again something that I can play effortlessly and also connect with positively.  I continued this moving between the difficult section interspersed with sections of pieces that I have mastered.  There seemed to be a qualitative flow from the effortless sections to the difficult section.  Between each 'playing' I paused to work with AT.  I'll continue to explore this over time.

After a break to work on this blog I returned to the guitar, and began exploring the Harmonic Major scale again.  Moving from this unknown improvisation, I then played through a different difficult section I am working with.  Then back to improvising in Harmonic Major and then returning to the difficult.  Again paying attention to my use via the Alexander Technique when my playing paused.  A different flavor from my earlier efforts, but again I stayed within my body more, and am learning from the mixing of these efforts.

1 comment:

  1. Must be something in the air today. Your post reminded me of my Tarot study today - on VIII Strength which mediates the pathway between fear and mastery. Strength arises from being in process rather than polarizing or swing between the poles of fear and mastery.

    That's what I make up you are doing. Being conscious in process and creating, as a result, fluidity. What a beautiful gift to bring to the adventure of music.

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