Sweet Moments

Ideas are evolving and coming together, simply by being open to the act of music. Very sweet for me when this happens.  I feel as if I could play forever.  I am amazed at the power these moments have on me and how they fuel my life.  And I am incredibly grateful they occur.  But tomorrow's responsibilities beckon so the case is closed.  C'es la vie.  A very good life.

How Do You Find Those First Notes?

It was an F#, the first note that I played this year.  That one was easy, I wanted the choice to be intentional and mindful.  In the days since, I've been playing with the two Movements I described yesterday from Sid Smith's String Quartet Collaboration.  The first note of the IV Movement is also a F#.  Yes there is a relationship to the note I chose on January 1st, something about the low F# had me that day and led to the introduction for that movement.

Now I'm looking for the first note(s) of the III Movement.  Thought I had something but then I let that idea go.  Found another approach tonight, but not enough has developed yet to know for sure.  I've been watching this search, the endless possibilities of six strings with 21 notes on each one. Add in that the first notes could be dyads or triads or any combination up to a 6 note chord for a beginning.  And no matter how much I might care for that first note(s), I have to have a second one and third one. No wonder this can seem so daunting at times.

I recall the blog from Seth Godin yesterday titled But What if I Fail?  Seth points out that you will fail and that what is important is what you do next.  Make good choices, fail, and be closer to success.  Works in business and composition.  Resilience serves me well here as does curiosity. Finding the limits that frame an introduction, that frame a piece, and then discarding them if needed. How do you find those first notes?

In the Polar Vortex

The local area is cooling down rapidly, the polar vortex is upon us.  I just found this photo online depicting the vortex and the lover of abstract art in me was moved.  But the artist is Mother Nature, the creator of all abstractions.  The past few days have found me looking at two photos taken by Sid Smith of the windows of his home with rain streaks on them.  Sid posted up a set of 20 String Quartets in his blog The Yellow Room.  Each quartet contains 4 photos and serve as graphic scores for musicians to work with.  I was intrigued by this and have taken on Movements III and IV in SQ IV.

After the commitment was made I found myself in a bit of a vortex with how to interpret these photos.  Part of the vortex of feelings that arose was due to the public nature of this collaboration.  Part was how to limit my options.  In questioning Sid about how to proceed, in a very crafty fashion he said "It's anything you want it to be.  Should I fire up the rack with it's aging synths and effects and return to FingerPaint explorations?  Or maybe find multiple lines for a quartet of guitars?  Too many possibilities and the choice was mine.  Of course the options available on the six strings of an acoustic guitar alone  is always overwhelming.  So I look and play and look and wonder.  What do I hear when I look at photos with their beauty that has grown on me these past few days. 

And then the first notes are found.  I trust that inner part nod in assent to where these notes might lead. Slowly  Movement III has revealed a piece with a working title of  Enclosing.  Movement IV is whispering.  Something about "shadows" seems to be hidden within the subtle color of the photo.   Time will tell. 

Zen Guitar

What is the sound of a string at rest?

What Are the Unseen Patterns?

What are the unseen patterns?

Music hovering while waiting for the musician to give her voice.

Nature's laws - those understood & those not understood.

Subtle energy systems.

 

Stored memories of past musical experiences,

ready to inform current ones.

Our misperceptions. 

Our ancestral transmission.

How we use ourselves.

Habits.

The patterns within patterns.

The without.

...

Our Unknowing

Interbeing

Finding Patterns

Exploring an idea on the guitar while watching the snow fall outside. Barren trees and ground look so beautiful right now. The gentle quiet of the snow invoking a similar state within me. The mood beneath the notes probing, perhaps even covering a sinister notion. The notes like the snow falling into place in accord with the unseen pattern. 

Would love to stay up late and play and watch. Watch the snow, watch me as I explore, and watch for the pattern.  But oh that day job ...

The First Note

What will be the first note I play this year?  Perhaps more importantly, how will I play this first note of the year?  Will I be present with the note?  Will I be awake, alive, and making a choice - subsequently ensuring that the note is real?   Fortunately I have a path of practice, a way of returning to the present and being with an activity that makes this possible.

So with no sense of rushing nor urgency, I'll first work on my nails, then myself. Then I'll open the case with intention, care and love.  Extending this to the steps of putting on the guitar, tuning, and then making a choice.  Why do I want it to be an Eb I wonder? 

What will be your first note of the year?  How will you play it?