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Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Peter Kater's music & me
Monday, October 17, 2016
Dylan: A Voice That Matters
When I heard on the radio that Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature last week, I was both happy and stunned, because that was just not one of those thoughts that had ever crept into my mind before.
You see Dylan and I have a long history, one that has been interrupted over the years. Many years ago, when I was a teenager and my cousin Mike first played a Dylan record for me, it was an enlightenment that interrupted and blew away everything I thought I knew about popular music. My earliest love in music was classical music and for a while I took violin lessons, but I was disenchanted with the traditional type of training that went with it at the time. So the first instrument that I taught myself just by listening was the harmonica, especially the style that is known as blues harp.
I had started to be interested in learning to play the guitar because the sound was the primary driving instrument of the pop music that was the engine in our world then. So I bought an acoustic guitar, a chord chart, and a Bob Dylan songbook, and that is what I used to teach myself how to play. I also got other sheet music for pop songs, and played in bands and solo for a while. I kept the guitar in my life for a long time, jamming and playing for friends.
But the lightning bolt that came with learning Dylan songs kind of blew away all the other songs and spoke to something deep and mystical within me. After listening to the radio continuously playing sweet little boyfriend/girlfriend ditties, to suddenly be exposed to songs like "Chimes of Freedom," "The Times They Are a Changin,""My Back Pages," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Masters of War," "Maggies Farm," "It Ain't Me Babe," "Blowin' in the Wind," and "Like A Rolling Stone" just got into my bones and cut me to the quick the way no other songs had.
At the time, the struggle for civil rights was hotly contested and the Vietnam War was being loudy protested, and his songs were the only songs the spoke directly to those important issues that we were struggling with. His songs somehow helped me see the world in a whole different way. So I sat in my room, practicing over and over until I felt comfortable playing in front of other people. I used to stuff a rag under the strings by the bridge to mute the sound while I was practicing.
In time, "Blowin' in the Wind" became an anthem of the civil rights movement, sang on that same massive gathering where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
If you think that all of this is just a dated irrelevant memory, look at what is still going on in our world right now. Go to You Tube and look up and listen to "Chimes of Freedom" and see if those lyrics don't grab you bone deep. Or give another listen to "Blowin' in the Wind" or "Like a Rolling Stone" or "Positively 4th Street."
It is true that he has never been known for his beautiful singing voice. What resonates a half century later are the incredible lyrics. Many other pop musicians launched careers or added noteworthy songs to their repertoire by creating more melodic versions of his songs.
Some songs are made for dancing. Dylan songs are made to stick in your mind and cause you to think all kinds of thoughts. His songs have been an important part of my life and the Nobel committee just reminded us that poetry and songs deserve the same kind of recognition as good books.
How does all this resonate now? Yes, when I was young I protested against the Vietnam War because I did not feel that we should ever get into a war unless it was an absolute matter of self defense, and yes, I feel that we should still avoid getting into wars whenever we can. Yes, I am one of those dreamers who wants to see a peaceful world with justice for all people. Dylan has always been a voice for those ideas and so I think that it is quite a powerful statement that he got that award, and I am happy that he got it. If you are not familiar with his music, give it a listen.
You see Dylan and I have a long history, one that has been interrupted over the years. Many years ago, when I was a teenager and my cousin Mike first played a Dylan record for me, it was an enlightenment that interrupted and blew away everything I thought I knew about popular music. My earliest love in music was classical music and for a while I took violin lessons, but I was disenchanted with the traditional type of training that went with it at the time. So the first instrument that I taught myself just by listening was the harmonica, especially the style that is known as blues harp.
I had started to be interested in learning to play the guitar because the sound was the primary driving instrument of the pop music that was the engine in our world then. So I bought an acoustic guitar, a chord chart, and a Bob Dylan songbook, and that is what I used to teach myself how to play. I also got other sheet music for pop songs, and played in bands and solo for a while. I kept the guitar in my life for a long time, jamming and playing for friends.
But the lightning bolt that came with learning Dylan songs kind of blew away all the other songs and spoke to something deep and mystical within me. After listening to the radio continuously playing sweet little boyfriend/girlfriend ditties, to suddenly be exposed to songs like "Chimes of Freedom," "The Times They Are a Changin,""My Back Pages," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Masters of War," "Maggies Farm," "It Ain't Me Babe," "Blowin' in the Wind," and "Like A Rolling Stone" just got into my bones and cut me to the quick the way no other songs had.
At the time, the struggle for civil rights was hotly contested and the Vietnam War was being loudy protested, and his songs were the only songs the spoke directly to those important issues that we were struggling with. His songs somehow helped me see the world in a whole different way. So I sat in my room, practicing over and over until I felt comfortable playing in front of other people. I used to stuff a rag under the strings by the bridge to mute the sound while I was practicing.
In time, "Blowin' in the Wind" became an anthem of the civil rights movement, sang on that same massive gathering where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
If you think that all of this is just a dated irrelevant memory, look at what is still going on in our world right now. Go to You Tube and look up and listen to "Chimes of Freedom" and see if those lyrics don't grab you bone deep. Or give another listen to "Blowin' in the Wind" or "Like a Rolling Stone" or "Positively 4th Street."
It is true that he has never been known for his beautiful singing voice. What resonates a half century later are the incredible lyrics. Many other pop musicians launched careers or added noteworthy songs to their repertoire by creating more melodic versions of his songs.
Some songs are made for dancing. Dylan songs are made to stick in your mind and cause you to think all kinds of thoughts. His songs have been an important part of my life and the Nobel committee just reminded us that poetry and songs deserve the same kind of recognition as good books.
How does all this resonate now? Yes, when I was young I protested against the Vietnam War because I did not feel that we should ever get into a war unless it was an absolute matter of self defense, and yes, I feel that we should still avoid getting into wars whenever we can. Yes, I am one of those dreamers who wants to see a peaceful world with justice for all people. Dylan has always been a voice for those ideas and so I think that it is quite a powerful statement that he got that award, and I am happy that he got it. If you are not familiar with his music, give it a listen.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Gaining Control by losing control. How does this make sense?
It takes a lot of courage to trust that things will work out without knowing the answers to all our questions. It also takes a lot of courage to be open to possible developments that we had not anticipated. Actually, doing some research now is revealing some patterns that I had only been vaguely aware of before. At this moment I am keeping those discoveries to myself until I see how they all add up and how they may influence future choices. Suffice it to say that I am making discoveries because these factors are causing me to research and reconsider what I know and what I prefer.
Face it, it can be unnerving when we have a plan and it unfolds in a different manner than we expected because it took a different turn.
We all like it when things go according to our plans. But sometimes, it just happens that someone else makes a decision or takes an action that sets in motion a chain of events and next thing you know, your schedule has changed and your plans have changed.
Be patient. The changes work out just fine. Just like that old saying about when one door closes and another opens.
Sometimes we gain control when we lose control. Here is a simple example of a fun way to experience this. I used to lead drumming circles and still use the drums with people who want a different kind of meditation experience. By just listening and following what we hear, we feel the music and our minds are just following that track. Malidoma Some, an African drummer and shaman whom I had the pleasure of encountering says that "a person who has trouble with drumming has trouble with listening."
Consider that for a moment. When we become more aware and pay attention to the signs we pick up from all around us, we find new paths. We learn melodies that we did not know. Fresh thoughts come to us. And we learn to work with others more beautifully, more harmoniously. We play together, listening to each other, we find a groove and that frees our mind to travel. And we would never have discovered those paths had we not opened our ears to listen.
So you are not drumming, you say? All drumming comes back to the first drum, our heartbeat, our breath. As we are more observant and aware of our surroundings, we perceive in ways that were once not visible to us. Hidden in plain sight is also revealed by listening to things that we have not been tuning into before.
It's also interesting how sometimes pieces of information come to us that help us make decisions that we were not even searching for. Guess all you can say is that the guiding influences in our life must have intended for us to have those, whether we call those guiding influences God, Goddess, spirit guides, ancestors, angels or something else. So here we are. Once again making a decision that veers off our original course. Is that bad? No. Making changes often leads to finding a better way to do things.
If we allow things to come to us, they will. Sometimes not being certain will get us where we want to be, except that the process of discovery reveals that we are in a place that we did not know we wanted to be but it is working out well although it was unexpected.
And we can gain control by losing control.
* A note about the photos. The image on top is the 4 of Wands from Ciro Marchetti's Tarot of Dreams which is one of the decks I read with all the time. The bottom photo is Layne Redmond, one of my teachers in the world of drumming.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Rhythms to Magically Shift Our Spirits
The rhythms of our days vary. Some days we get up and feel eager to get going. Other days we wake up slowly and we welcome the slow pace of a day with no urgent appointments on the agenda.
Rather than force ourselves to be one or the other, we can either increase our pace and speed things up or we can slow things down.
When we match the pace of our feelings, we are in sync with our spirit.
Have you noticed how some days it seems to take a while to get in sync? How the rhythms of our day may take a while to catch up with our feelings? Or how are feelings seem to be brought into line with our pace?
It is always a matter of fine tuning. After all, we do not just have one pace all the time. It fluctuates, just as our mood does.
Sometimes when we are down, we can play directly into it to lift ourselves out, singing blues, dancing slowly with ourselves, maybe drumming a little or reading a good book until we move into another rhythm.
So the rhythms we work with can alter our moods. We could be feeling out of sorts, but then by simply taking a walk, we can come back refreshed and come up with fresh ideas.
We could even be discouraged or disillusioned, but after going out to dance for a few hours, come back with a whole new attitude.
We can use rhythms in our life to lift our spirits, improve our health, find inspiration, grab a hold of the joy of life and clasp it to our chest, so that we are heart to heart with our aliveness.
Consider the ways in which we establish and shift the rhythms in our days. It is a magical energy that is always at our fingertips, at our feet, the sparkle in our eyes and the sweetness of discovery. Every day has new things to discover, if we just open our senses and engage with them.
We always have the power to bring things into alignment with movement, and rhythm is the tuning fork for what drives us.
Rather than force ourselves to be one or the other, we can either increase our pace and speed things up or we can slow things down.
When we match the pace of our feelings, we are in sync with our spirit.
Have you noticed how some days it seems to take a while to get in sync? How the rhythms of our day may take a while to catch up with our feelings? Or how are feelings seem to be brought into line with our pace?
It is always a matter of fine tuning. After all, we do not just have one pace all the time. It fluctuates, just as our mood does.
Sometimes when we are down, we can play directly into it to lift ourselves out, singing blues, dancing slowly with ourselves, maybe drumming a little or reading a good book until we move into another rhythm.
So the rhythms we work with can alter our moods. We could be feeling out of sorts, but then by simply taking a walk, we can come back refreshed and come up with fresh ideas.
We could even be discouraged or disillusioned, but after going out to dance for a few hours, come back with a whole new attitude.
We can use rhythms in our life to lift our spirits, improve our health, find inspiration, grab a hold of the joy of life and clasp it to our chest, so that we are heart to heart with our aliveness.
Consider the ways in which we establish and shift the rhythms in our days. It is a magical energy that is always at our fingertips, at our feet, the sparkle in our eyes and the sweetness of discovery. Every day has new things to discover, if we just open our senses and engage with them.
We always have the power to bring things into alignment with movement, and rhythm is the tuning fork for what drives us.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Power of Enthusiasm
It has been said that to enjoy swing dance, all that is required is joyful enthusiasm and a ready partner. Much of the pleasure and adventure in life only requires these same two ingredients.
How many times have you wanted to try something new but hesitated because you didn't want to go by yourself?
But sometimes, that beginning of the new journey is all about you deciding to get up and go, and in so doing, finding others who enjoy the same things as you do.
Part of the adventure is simply being willing to get started and trust that you will meet others who share your enthusiasm.
How many of the things in life that give you pleasure and satisfaction are things that you simply had to learn by doing? Yes, most of them. Of course, at times we need teachers to show us the way to do things and give us knowledge about subjects we want to learn more about. But in the end, it is still all about getting up and putting one foot in front of the other.
How many things can you do that only require joyful enthusiasm and a ready partner?
If we remove all the other considerations from the picture and just get going, how much more joy would there be in our life?
How many times have you wanted to try something new but hesitated because you didn't want to go by yourself?
But sometimes, that beginning of the new journey is all about you deciding to get up and go, and in so doing, finding others who enjoy the same things as you do.
Part of the adventure is simply being willing to get started and trust that you will meet others who share your enthusiasm.
How many of the things in life that give you pleasure and satisfaction are things that you simply had to learn by doing? Yes, most of them. Of course, at times we need teachers to show us the way to do things and give us knowledge about subjects we want to learn more about. But in the end, it is still all about getting up and putting one foot in front of the other.
How many things can you do that only require joyful enthusiasm and a ready partner?
If we remove all the other considerations from the picture and just get going, how much more joy would there be in our life?
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Mysteries of Energies
Monday evening kirtan was a great way to get in touch with the spirit within that loves to sing. After a few hours of singing, there is a very mellow vibe that is upbeat and enlivening at the same time. Voices blended in the traditional Hindu style of chanting is a delicious experience. The call and response rhythms is similar to the blues, except with a different intention. Chanting the sacred chants which are embedded with bits of wisdom and lots of love invokes a sacred presence and a presence of mind into those who participate.
Tonight, I went to hear Stan Romanek speak about his experiences with UFOs and alien abductions. Quite fascinating to see the photos and hear voice recordings of other beings in his life. One photo in particular sticks in my mind, that of a girl attending one of his talks who is a hybrid human/ET. She had human features and those distinctly large almond shaped eyes that are common to depictions of ETs.
And there were also quite a number of photos and film clips where the ETs were in and around his house. Then who would not be impressed with his story about how he fell off a ladder and tore his ACL (muscles around the knee). The doctors were prepared to operate, but then one night he got another visit from his ET buddies who fixed his knee for him. His doctor didn't believe it when he called in and said that he no longer needed surgery. The photos showed a line of little scars, sort of round, like puncture marks.
Listening to Stan speak, I get the same impression I got when I heard Whitley Strieber speak, which is that these are normal people who have been exposed to highly unusual adventures, rather than just people who made stuff up to get attention. Clearly, when you read their stories, you can tell that they did not want all this attention from their visitors.
I find a lot of this stuff interesting. I have no idea what it all really means. No idea how it all happens. When I look at presentations like this, or photos of crop circles, or the photos released by the British government of their sightings, it just all seems so amazing. I think it all has something to do with our evolution. I love a good story, and these stories are full of mysterious things and mysterious doings. There is plenty of food for thought in all this. By now, who hasn't seen photos of UFOs?
But that hybrid girl photo is absolutely stunning. That one image is the counterweight to the goofy end of the spectrum. Remember those two old geezers who got on TV several years ago and claimed that they made the crop circles by dragging pieces of wood around fields on ropes? I suspect they had a few snorts of whiskey before coming up with that one, and it would probably would be fun to have a drink with those old guys. That's part of what I like about this stuff. It contains the full spectrum from the silly to the spectacular and sublime.
On Friday, I go back for another joyous jolt of energy contra dancing. The fiddle music, the foot stomping, the whirling and swinging bring the energies back to earth so that we can ground and take off again. Dancing leaves me the same way as singing after a few hours, energized and euphoric and somewhat spent from the effort.
Every bit of it is worth it. There are all kinds of ways to tap into energies, and all kinds of ways to experience them. These are some of the ones that work for me. If you are looking for ways to perk up your energies, there are lots of other ways out there as well.
Earlier in my life, if you would have asked me, I would have told you that all this stuff is too far out for me. Years ago if you would have told me that I would be devoting my attention to doing readings for people, I would have thought you were mistaking me for someone else.
Then again, it is a strange and wonderful world we live in isn't it?
Tonight, I went to hear Stan Romanek speak about his experiences with UFOs and alien abductions. Quite fascinating to see the photos and hear voice recordings of other beings in his life. One photo in particular sticks in my mind, that of a girl attending one of his talks who is a hybrid human/ET. She had human features and those distinctly large almond shaped eyes that are common to depictions of ETs.
And there were also quite a number of photos and film clips where the ETs were in and around his house. Then who would not be impressed with his story about how he fell off a ladder and tore his ACL (muscles around the knee). The doctors were prepared to operate, but then one night he got another visit from his ET buddies who fixed his knee for him. His doctor didn't believe it when he called in and said that he no longer needed surgery. The photos showed a line of little scars, sort of round, like puncture marks.
Listening to Stan speak, I get the same impression I got when I heard Whitley Strieber speak, which is that these are normal people who have been exposed to highly unusual adventures, rather than just people who made stuff up to get attention. Clearly, when you read their stories, you can tell that they did not want all this attention from their visitors.
I find a lot of this stuff interesting. I have no idea what it all really means. No idea how it all happens. When I look at presentations like this, or photos of crop circles, or the photos released by the British government of their sightings, it just all seems so amazing. I think it all has something to do with our evolution. I love a good story, and these stories are full of mysterious things and mysterious doings. There is plenty of food for thought in all this. By now, who hasn't seen photos of UFOs?
But that hybrid girl photo is absolutely stunning. That one image is the counterweight to the goofy end of the spectrum. Remember those two old geezers who got on TV several years ago and claimed that they made the crop circles by dragging pieces of wood around fields on ropes? I suspect they had a few snorts of whiskey before coming up with that one, and it would probably would be fun to have a drink with those old guys. That's part of what I like about this stuff. It contains the full spectrum from the silly to the spectacular and sublime.
On Friday, I go back for another joyous jolt of energy contra dancing. The fiddle music, the foot stomping, the whirling and swinging bring the energies back to earth so that we can ground and take off again. Dancing leaves me the same way as singing after a few hours, energized and euphoric and somewhat spent from the effort.
Every bit of it is worth it. There are all kinds of ways to tap into energies, and all kinds of ways to experience them. These are some of the ones that work for me. If you are looking for ways to perk up your energies, there are lots of other ways out there as well.
Earlier in my life, if you would have asked me, I would have told you that all this stuff is too far out for me. Years ago if you would have told me that I would be devoting my attention to doing readings for people, I would have thought you were mistaking me for someone else.
Then again, it is a strange and wonderful world we live in isn't it?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Blue Healing
The blues has a way of lifting your spirits by taking you down to the bottom and letting you bounce up. I love the blues. Something about the urgency of the music, the gut level feel of it has the power to energize and move. It's also kind of sexy, seductive and playful.
Wonder where you get that feeling when you are hearing the blues? Considering that blues inspired some creative soul to draw eerie, edgy sounds of out a guitar using a beer bottle neck, the earthy vocals fit nicely alongside it. That primal feel is what grabs your attention when the singer not only sings sweetly but mixes it with a range of sounds, growls, shots, and sensuous moans mixed in. And if at some point you don't find yourself laughing or smiling over some of the lyrics, you haven't been listening.
And some nights, that's exactly what I want to hear. The visceral feel, going straight for the emotions, and kicking it into gear with those rhythms that just call you up to dance. Dance, and let it stoke the fire of seduction. Let it bounce in those playful ways you like to do. I see that sparkle that comes with that smile. Funny that works, isn't it?
On those days and nights when you feel like you need some medicine to lift your spirits, bathe yourself in some blues. You might be having a drink while feeling funky about the way things have been going. But after you soak in that music for a little while and feel it moving you to dance, you will be feeling better.
Blues can heal. What sweet medicine.
Wonder where you get that feeling when you are hearing the blues? Considering that blues inspired some creative soul to draw eerie, edgy sounds of out a guitar using a beer bottle neck, the earthy vocals fit nicely alongside it. That primal feel is what grabs your attention when the singer not only sings sweetly but mixes it with a range of sounds, growls, shots, and sensuous moans mixed in. And if at some point you don't find yourself laughing or smiling over some of the lyrics, you haven't been listening.
And some nights, that's exactly what I want to hear. The visceral feel, going straight for the emotions, and kicking it into gear with those rhythms that just call you up to dance. Dance, and let it stoke the fire of seduction. Let it bounce in those playful ways you like to do. I see that sparkle that comes with that smile. Funny that works, isn't it?
On those days and nights when you feel like you need some medicine to lift your spirits, bathe yourself in some blues. You might be having a drink while feeling funky about the way things have been going. But after you soak in that music for a little while and feel it moving you to dance, you will be feeling better.
Blues can heal. What sweet medicine.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Validation
In some of the old ways of doing things, it was harder to get validation for what we were creating. You had to find an agent to represent you and then they would try and find a publisher or gallery or music label that might be interested in making your creations more visible to audiences, customers, readers.
Today, we can write what we want and post it and then try and draw people's attention to it. We can post photos of our art and videos of our music.
Then it is just a matter of getting other people to take a look at it. With all the billons of websites out there, finding things can be real hit or miss.
But at least it is possible to get validation of our work sooner rather than later. That vote of confidence might be all it takes for someone to be encouraged to continue on with their work.
Of course, that is not to say that a person would not like to see their books published and sold, their art sold or reproduced or their music being bought and listened to by appreciative audiences. Who wouldn't like greater success?
At least the chaos of the Internet is a place to start. We no longer have to wait for a middleman for at least some people to consider our creations. For that, I am grateful. Aren't you?
Today, we can write what we want and post it and then try and draw people's attention to it. We can post photos of our art and videos of our music.
Then it is just a matter of getting other people to take a look at it. With all the billons of websites out there, finding things can be real hit or miss.
But at least it is possible to get validation of our work sooner rather than later. That vote of confidence might be all it takes for someone to be encouraged to continue on with their work.
Of course, that is not to say that a person would not like to see their books published and sold, their art sold or reproduced or their music being bought and listened to by appreciative audiences. Who wouldn't like greater success?
At least the chaos of the Internet is a place to start. We no longer have to wait for a middleman for at least some people to consider our creations. For that, I am grateful. Aren't you?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Out of Context
The story of Augustin Hadelich, who I wrote about yesterday, touches on the story of another great young violinist, Joshua Bell. Some experts see the two as comparable talents.
In 2007, Joshua Bell was put on a baseball cap and ordinary clothes and stood playing Bach on a Stradivarius in a Washington subway station. The thousand or so people who passed by while he was playing obviously thought he was just a street musician playing for tips.
He was in Washington to play at the Library of Congress and he regularly sells out symphony halls, commanding $100 a ticket. Yet, that morning in the subway, no one recognized him.
The Washington Post put him up to the idea to see what would happen.
How often do we fail to recognize talent when it is out of context?
Is a musician only good if they are booked into a concert hall? Is an artists only good if a gallery or museum features their work? Is a writer only good if a major publishing house publishes their books? Can we recognize true beauty when it pops up in unexpected places? Do we have trouble recognizing true beauty and true talent when it pops up in unexpected people?
In 2007, Joshua Bell was put on a baseball cap and ordinary clothes and stood playing Bach on a Stradivarius in a Washington subway station. The thousand or so people who passed by while he was playing obviously thought he was just a street musician playing for tips.
He was in Washington to play at the Library of Congress and he regularly sells out symphony halls, commanding $100 a ticket. Yet, that morning in the subway, no one recognized him.
The Washington Post put him up to the idea to see what would happen.
How often do we fail to recognize talent when it is out of context?
Is a musician only good if they are booked into a concert hall? Is an artists only good if a gallery or museum features their work? Is a writer only good if a major publishing house publishes their books? Can we recognize true beauty when it pops up in unexpected places? Do we have trouble recognizing true beauty and true talent when it pops up in unexpected people?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Fire Outside, Fire Inside
This past weekend, I went to the Colorado Symphony, and the featured soloist was a young violinist named Augustin Hadelich. Prior to this, I was not familiar with his work. He was stunning. Just my impression? Consider this. Someone else thinks so much of his playing that they let him use their Stradivarius.
The audience was so appreciative of his performance that he also did something quite uncommon. He returned to the stage and performed an encore, solo.
But there is more to this story than just the fact that a superb musician can create phenomenal sounds using a rare and valuable instrument.
When he came on stage, my first impression was that his makeup was very strange. As he cradled the violin, I could see scar tissue on his neck. Suddenly it came to me that he must have been burned in a fire.
So I looked him up on the web when I got home. He has been playing since he was 5. His family is German, and he lived on a farm in Tuscany with his parents. When he was 15, some diesel fuel caught fire and burned his face, his body and his bow arm. Doctors thought that he might never be able to play again. He had 20 operations and spent 2 years healing. Now, he performs with great orchestras all over the world. Perhaps there is a touch of irony to his selection of works by Beethoven and Paganini that evening, reflecting the roots of the German family living in Italy. I choose to think that there are no coincidences in this story.
And all this has happened just in his first 27 years.
It is stunning, isn't it? What humans can do, even in the face of great adversity exceeds stories that the imagination could conjure up.
How strong must a person's will be to come back and make world class music after surviving such intense damage and pain?
Of course, the doctors must have performed their roles exceptionally as well. Yet, even though they restored his body, his spirit had to be restored in order to be able to perform at this level. Was it the power of music that helped him recover? Or was it something else? Maybe this will remain a mystery.
Or perhaps the fire inside was even more powerful than the fire outside.
The audience was so appreciative of his performance that he also did something quite uncommon. He returned to the stage and performed an encore, solo.
But there is more to this story than just the fact that a superb musician can create phenomenal sounds using a rare and valuable instrument.
When he came on stage, my first impression was that his makeup was very strange. As he cradled the violin, I could see scar tissue on his neck. Suddenly it came to me that he must have been burned in a fire.
So I looked him up on the web when I got home. He has been playing since he was 5. His family is German, and he lived on a farm in Tuscany with his parents. When he was 15, some diesel fuel caught fire and burned his face, his body and his bow arm. Doctors thought that he might never be able to play again. He had 20 operations and spent 2 years healing. Now, he performs with great orchestras all over the world. Perhaps there is a touch of irony to his selection of works by Beethoven and Paganini that evening, reflecting the roots of the German family living in Italy. I choose to think that there are no coincidences in this story.
And all this has happened just in his first 27 years.
It is stunning, isn't it? What humans can do, even in the face of great adversity exceeds stories that the imagination could conjure up.
How strong must a person's will be to come back and make world class music after surviving such intense damage and pain?
Of course, the doctors must have performed their roles exceptionally as well. Yet, even though they restored his body, his spirit had to be restored in order to be able to perform at this level. Was it the power of music that helped him recover? Or was it something else? Maybe this will remain a mystery.
Or perhaps the fire inside was even more powerful than the fire outside.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Committed to Memory
Once, when I was studying music, all these things were known to me. There were names for a special place in time where the placement of a fingertip made the sound of a note, a space in time between other sounds, and just the right sound made the note I wanted.
It was precise work to get exactly the note I wanted. Then memory took over after many repeated efforts, the notes flowed together until they made a melody.
It is like that to learn a bit, to learn a note, then a sequence of notes, then more patterns and more notes until it all sounds like songs. The notes flow like they are melodies.
And some melodies become short little songs and others become symphonies.
Either way, it still begins with finding one right note, then venturing further out until it forms something larger.
One note, exactly the right touch at the right time, and a song begins. So sweetly they begin, and then it is committed to memory, so that the whole of the tune can be recalled at once. All beginning with a single note.
It was precise work to get exactly the note I wanted. Then memory took over after many repeated efforts, the notes flowed together until they made a melody.
It is like that to learn a bit, to learn a note, then a sequence of notes, then more patterns and more notes until it all sounds like songs. The notes flow like they are melodies.
And some melodies become short little songs and others become symphonies.
Either way, it still begins with finding one right note, then venturing further out until it forms something larger.
One note, exactly the right touch at the right time, and a song begins. So sweetly they begin, and then it is committed to memory, so that the whole of the tune can be recalled at once. All beginning with a single note.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Yang Energy for the New Year
Now that I have enjoyed some time resting and gathering energy in the yin space, I begin the new year with yang energy reaching out to accelerate the drive to build up my business, crank up the networking and getting the new year off to a start with a vigorous thrust of energy.
Although work has not fully reengaged yet, lots of dates are being put on the calendar and plans are taking shape.
I have culled through my book and music collections and traded in a fair number of things and renewed my focus my attention on what I want to grow this year.
As I was doing a deep cleaning of my living space, it struck me that this would be a good time to review the writings of Carlos Castaneda and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Listening to some of the dance albums I have not heard in a while also reinforced my decision to spend more time dancing every week as well as working out more.
Tarot trading has been fast and furious for me and I have a great new inventory to offer those who are looking for something special.
Exercises like this are always valuable to me, because no matter how many times I have done this, things slip by and I find that there are things laying around that I do not use any more, music I don't listen to or books that I will not get around to reading, and once I strip them away, then there are the ones that it will be good to use more.
Things can pile up and get out of hand when you let them. Clutter hides important things from view and delays decisive action. It takes a motivated effort to prepare for the next stage of action, clarifying thoughts and getting ready to spring into action with a burst of yang energy.
All in all, I am glad that I spent my new year's time this way. I am feeling ready for a new year.
Although work has not fully reengaged yet, lots of dates are being put on the calendar and plans are taking shape.
I have culled through my book and music collections and traded in a fair number of things and renewed my focus my attention on what I want to grow this year.
As I was doing a deep cleaning of my living space, it struck me that this would be a good time to review the writings of Carlos Castaneda and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Listening to some of the dance albums I have not heard in a while also reinforced my decision to spend more time dancing every week as well as working out more.
Tarot trading has been fast and furious for me and I have a great new inventory to offer those who are looking for something special.
Exercises like this are always valuable to me, because no matter how many times I have done this, things slip by and I find that there are things laying around that I do not use any more, music I don't listen to or books that I will not get around to reading, and once I strip them away, then there are the ones that it will be good to use more.
Things can pile up and get out of hand when you let them. Clutter hides important things from view and delays decisive action. It takes a motivated effort to prepare for the next stage of action, clarifying thoughts and getting ready to spring into action with a burst of yang energy.
All in all, I am glad that I spent my new year's time this way. I am feeling ready for a new year.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Western Mandalas, Chakras and Mantras
In eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, practitioners often use art to meditate with, and they call that a mandala. Tarot cards can also serve that same purpose. You can lay them out and let your eyes focus on them while you let go into that quiet state. We can use our tarot decks to create a mandala.
Robert Place, author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism & Divination and creator of the Alchemical Tarot, Tarot of the Saints, Buddha Tarot and others, notes that the idea of three chakras goes back to Plato. The idea also had a parallel among druids and witches. The idea of the seven chakra system which is most familiar to everyone is simply a carryover from the popularity of Eastern practices in the west. Although these references now dominate metaphysical literature, the western traditions have deep roots. These offer us different ways to access and work with our energy systems.
It is interesting how ideas gain currency. For example, back in the 80s and 90s, composer Philip Glass became famous for his compositions for orchestras, movie soundtracks, performance artists and plays. He practices Buddhist ways.
Many reviewers noted that the power of his work came from catchy phrases that repeated many times. Few made the connection that this might be due to Glass' familiarity with another Buddhist meditative practice, chanting.
So consider these tools. You can do the same things that practitioners of eastern religions do, without taking on all the eastern trappings.
I ma not against these things. I just observe that sometimes people can enhance their spiritual practices and psychic abilities by using tools that are already familiar, like tarot. And we can create new mantras that we feel more comfortable pronouncing, in words that make more sense to us.
How much easier would it be to remember three power centers: head, heart and low belly, rather than learn Sanskrit names for seven?
Powerful ideas can migrate between cultures and the understandings will permeate. Tarot art can take you to the same place as a mandala. Three power centers can do all the same things as a greater number of them. And the sounds that you give voice to can work as well as something you learn in another language.
Try these ideas. See how they work for you.
Robert Place, author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism & Divination and creator of the Alchemical Tarot, Tarot of the Saints, Buddha Tarot and others, notes that the idea of three chakras goes back to Plato. The idea also had a parallel among druids and witches. The idea of the seven chakra system which is most familiar to everyone is simply a carryover from the popularity of Eastern practices in the west. Although these references now dominate metaphysical literature, the western traditions have deep roots. These offer us different ways to access and work with our energy systems.
It is interesting how ideas gain currency. For example, back in the 80s and 90s, composer Philip Glass became famous for his compositions for orchestras, movie soundtracks, performance artists and plays. He practices Buddhist ways.
Many reviewers noted that the power of his work came from catchy phrases that repeated many times. Few made the connection that this might be due to Glass' familiarity with another Buddhist meditative practice, chanting.
So consider these tools. You can do the same things that practitioners of eastern religions do, without taking on all the eastern trappings.
I ma not against these things. I just observe that sometimes people can enhance their spiritual practices and psychic abilities by using tools that are already familiar, like tarot. And we can create new mantras that we feel more comfortable pronouncing, in words that make more sense to us.
How much easier would it be to remember three power centers: head, heart and low belly, rather than learn Sanskrit names for seven?
Powerful ideas can migrate between cultures and the understandings will permeate. Tarot art can take you to the same place as a mandala. Three power centers can do all the same things as a greater number of them. And the sounds that you give voice to can work as well as something you learn in another language.
Try these ideas. See how they work for you.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Nature Nurture
Who hasn't been fascinated with this question? How much of our lives are shaped by whatever we were born with, and how much is our life shaped by our education, work, and training?
There is no unanimous answer to this question. I think that they shift back and forth at different stages of our life. How so? When we are in a school, we are influenced by our classmates as much as by whatever subjects are being taught. When we have jobs that have certain expectations of us, from uniforms or dress codes to how many clients we need to see in a week to required attendance at business associations, we find our behavior following the rules. There too, there is the peer group pressure that influences us to go for certain goals or certain kinds of entertainment.
In the nurture department we have not only the shape of our bodies, but our genetic makeup which predisposes us to like certain tastes, smells, visual effects, music. Some people grow up in touchy feely environments where it is natural to hug and kiss, while others grow up in colder environments where PDAs are frowned upon. Some people feel that our genetic makeup is how our sexual orientation is determined.
I picture the yin/yang symbol in 3D like a ball that is always spinning, sometimes showing us the nature side, sometimes showing us the nurture side.
So the bottom line question comes down to how much do we have the ability to shift these two spheres? How stable is the combination?
Consider, how easy was it when you lost that job where you had to wear a suit and tie, and now you can go to work in a jeans and T shirt? Didn't take long to get used to it, did it?
Same as when you suddenly developed an interest in mantra, tantra, drumming, dancing, herbal remedies, crystals, reiki, tarot and past lives. Gradually, you found that many, maybe most of your friends have changed, the kinds of entertainment, food, music and clothing you choose, all fits in a different scene.
How fast things can shift, you know? See what I mean about the nature nurture slipping around? So maybe instead of one or the other winning, they just keep changing places at unpredictable intervals. Kind of ends the whole argument, doesn't it?
There is no unanimous answer to this question. I think that they shift back and forth at different stages of our life. How so? When we are in a school, we are influenced by our classmates as much as by whatever subjects are being taught. When we have jobs that have certain expectations of us, from uniforms or dress codes to how many clients we need to see in a week to required attendance at business associations, we find our behavior following the rules. There too, there is the peer group pressure that influences us to go for certain goals or certain kinds of entertainment.
In the nurture department we have not only the shape of our bodies, but our genetic makeup which predisposes us to like certain tastes, smells, visual effects, music. Some people grow up in touchy feely environments where it is natural to hug and kiss, while others grow up in colder environments where PDAs are frowned upon. Some people feel that our genetic makeup is how our sexual orientation is determined.
I picture the yin/yang symbol in 3D like a ball that is always spinning, sometimes showing us the nature side, sometimes showing us the nurture side.
So the bottom line question comes down to how much do we have the ability to shift these two spheres? How stable is the combination?
Consider, how easy was it when you lost that job where you had to wear a suit and tie, and now you can go to work in a jeans and T shirt? Didn't take long to get used to it, did it?
Same as when you suddenly developed an interest in mantra, tantra, drumming, dancing, herbal remedies, crystals, reiki, tarot and past lives. Gradually, you found that many, maybe most of your friends have changed, the kinds of entertainment, food, music and clothing you choose, all fits in a different scene.
How fast things can shift, you know? See what I mean about the nature nurture slipping around? So maybe instead of one or the other winning, they just keep changing places at unpredictable intervals. Kind of ends the whole argument, doesn't it?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Visual Magic
When performers don outrageous costumes, we see some kind of story being portrayed on stage. In the case of some popular singers, what we may be looking at is so dazzling that we may not even be aware of what they are singing because our visual sense is in overload. No doubt, that is the intention in some cases.
Extend this consciousness to other areas of our life. When we dress in costumes we project a persona. When we wear a suit and tie we project a different persona than if we wear a brightly colored shirt and shorts. What happens?
Our visuals are communicating a message, no matter what we say. When we wear a mask, it is difficult for a person to see our face and our true expressions, so as long as we are looking at that mask, we find ourselves trying to relate to that persona.
So today, Lady Gaga becomes popular for her outrageous costumes, but it is clearly within the tradition of stagecraft. Back when Alice Cooper started dressing in makeup and costumes and using outlandish props in his shows, and then other bands like Kiss made costumes and makeup as noteworthy as the music, it was visually arresting, given that most other bands at the time consisted of guys in T-shirts and jeans standing onstage with their guitars and amplifiers.
Jesters and fools were doing the same things in the Medieval and Renaissance times, using costumes as tools, which could either enhance or disguise messages that they were communicating.
Visuals create a magic of their own. Look at what happens when you put up pictures on a wall to illustrate what you want to manifest in your life. Help you keep focused? Help things happen faster?
Is there anything that you are trying to do that can be helped with a visual component? Try a little visual magic.
Extend this consciousness to other areas of our life. When we dress in costumes we project a persona. When we wear a suit and tie we project a different persona than if we wear a brightly colored shirt and shorts. What happens?
Our visuals are communicating a message, no matter what we say. When we wear a mask, it is difficult for a person to see our face and our true expressions, so as long as we are looking at that mask, we find ourselves trying to relate to that persona.
So today, Lady Gaga becomes popular for her outrageous costumes, but it is clearly within the tradition of stagecraft. Back when Alice Cooper started dressing in makeup and costumes and using outlandish props in his shows, and then other bands like Kiss made costumes and makeup as noteworthy as the music, it was visually arresting, given that most other bands at the time consisted of guys in T-shirts and jeans standing onstage with their guitars and amplifiers.
Jesters and fools were doing the same things in the Medieval and Renaissance times, using costumes as tools, which could either enhance or disguise messages that they were communicating.
Visuals create a magic of their own. Look at what happens when you put up pictures on a wall to illustrate what you want to manifest in your life. Help you keep focused? Help things happen faster?
Is there anything that you are trying to do that can be helped with a visual component? Try a little visual magic.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Melodies, Mind and Body
When we are young, music speaks to us of the life before us, where there are many possibilities. Many older people may summon nostalgic memories. Since many people are now living longer, hearing some inspiring music or seeing some great live performances may still spark ideas of things yet to come.
Music communicates in many ways, on many levels. It encourages us to dance, engaging the senses, and it also sets our mind off in different directions. It keeps both mind and body limber.
Just as lyrics in music are stored in a different part of the brain than spoken words, it would seem that the memories triggered by songs can bring up associations from our subconscious in seemingly random patterns.
Music has its own history. It may have been created in a certain time or place and it can evoke memories, although the people who heard it when it was new may have very different memories associated with it than those who hear it a long time later.
Interestingly, the composer's intentions mean a lot to them when they are creating the music, but most listeners might enjoy it without ever knowing anything about those intentions. Quite amazing when you think about it, but it points to one simple truth. Just as we have no idea what a painter was thinking when they painted a picture, although we might enjoy looking at it and find ourselves appreciating it and being inspired by the finished product, the same thing happens when we hear a song we like the sound of. We may not ever know what the composer had in mind during the creation process, but we savor, and may be inspired by, the finished product.
So that gives music a unique power. Say, for example, hearing a popular piece of music reminds one person of an old lover from years ago, while another person hearing the same piece of music might have a memory of a career transition, or a summer vacation. Yet, hearing a piece of popular music can massage these emotional touchstones for millions of people at the same time in different ways.
The power of the melody has to be the unifying factor, even though lyrics are bound to send different people's minds off in different directions.
What is often suggested by music that we remember from when we were young is that there was a time when we looked at the world and saw a place where everything was possible. For many of us, good music still does.
Music communicates in many ways, on many levels. It encourages us to dance, engaging the senses, and it also sets our mind off in different directions. It keeps both mind and body limber.
Just as lyrics in music are stored in a different part of the brain than spoken words, it would seem that the memories triggered by songs can bring up associations from our subconscious in seemingly random patterns.
Music has its own history. It may have been created in a certain time or place and it can evoke memories, although the people who heard it when it was new may have very different memories associated with it than those who hear it a long time later.
Interestingly, the composer's intentions mean a lot to them when they are creating the music, but most listeners might enjoy it without ever knowing anything about those intentions. Quite amazing when you think about it, but it points to one simple truth. Just as we have no idea what a painter was thinking when they painted a picture, although we might enjoy looking at it and find ourselves appreciating it and being inspired by the finished product, the same thing happens when we hear a song we like the sound of. We may not ever know what the composer had in mind during the creation process, but we savor, and may be inspired by, the finished product.
So that gives music a unique power. Say, for example, hearing a popular piece of music reminds one person of an old lover from years ago, while another person hearing the same piece of music might have a memory of a career transition, or a summer vacation. Yet, hearing a piece of popular music can massage these emotional touchstones for millions of people at the same time in different ways.
The power of the melody has to be the unifying factor, even though lyrics are bound to send different people's minds off in different directions.
What is often suggested by music that we remember from when we were young is that there was a time when we looked at the world and saw a place where everything was possible. For many of us, good music still does.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Imagination's Importance
What would our life be without our imagination? A lot less, that's for sure. Think about the simple function that novels, and by extension, movies, play in our lives. It is our imagination that lets us travel to places where we have not been physically. It helps us experience what it must have been like to live in different times, as different people.
Imagination plays a vital role in providing stress relief. When we come home from work, and we set aside our personal business for a while, we enter into a more peaceful state of consciousness as we read a book or watch a movie, and imagine for a little while what it might be like to be someone else, be somewhere else and do something else. It is our waking dream state.
It is more than just entertainment. Think what our life would be like without our imagination? Probably at a much lower subsistence level, for one.
Many people tout the importance of positive thinking and creative visualization. These are simply other terms for using your imagination.
Our imagination can pave the pathway for the physical acts to follow. Cavemen imagined the hunt before they went on the hunt. Inventors imagined the bow and arrow, the wheel, the observatory, the vase and the sailboat before they invented them. Inventors still work this way, whether they are working on new aircraft, new computers or new phones.
Our imagination is also our gateway to psychic ability. The ability to see beyond the ordinary physical reality is how we open our second sight.
Our imagination has aided and enhanced our survival instincts and it has also contributed to our enjoyment of life and the development of everything from music and art to literature and games.
Exercise your imagination frequently to keep it fluid. It is a key to success in every aspect of life.
Imagination plays a vital role in providing stress relief. When we come home from work, and we set aside our personal business for a while, we enter into a more peaceful state of consciousness as we read a book or watch a movie, and imagine for a little while what it might be like to be someone else, be somewhere else and do something else. It is our waking dream state.
It is more than just entertainment. Think what our life would be like without our imagination? Probably at a much lower subsistence level, for one.
Many people tout the importance of positive thinking and creative visualization. These are simply other terms for using your imagination.
Our imagination can pave the pathway for the physical acts to follow. Cavemen imagined the hunt before they went on the hunt. Inventors imagined the bow and arrow, the wheel, the observatory, the vase and the sailboat before they invented them. Inventors still work this way, whether they are working on new aircraft, new computers or new phones.
Our imagination is also our gateway to psychic ability. The ability to see beyond the ordinary physical reality is how we open our second sight.
Our imagination has aided and enhanced our survival instincts and it has also contributed to our enjoyment of life and the development of everything from music and art to literature and games.
Exercise your imagination frequently to keep it fluid. It is a key to success in every aspect of life.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Connection
Visual art, in addition to music and writing, is a third creative means of expression that is finding new outlets on the web. Just as writers have to find agents or publishers, artists traditionally seek galleries to represent their work.
Tarot artists have created decks that are only available from them on their own websites, and so have other artists. The obvious challenge with the Internet is that it is so massive that you can post marvelous things out there, but people still have to find their way to your site.
So although the web offers creative people an opportunity to express themselves with complete freedom and make a profit from their work, getting traffic to a site is a major marketing challenge.
And even though I appreciate these freedoms, I think that most of us who work creatively still dream of seeing hard copies of our work in people's hands, or on display in stores. I don't think that is just a vanity. I think that there is something that makes it real when you experience a tangible object. like sitting in your easy chair reading a book, seeing a painting hanging on the wall, looking at the cover of the CD as you put the disc on to play. These experiences take on a different level of reality when you come into contact with the physical object.
For these reasons, I feel that there will always be a demand for some hard copies, at least for hard copies of our favorites, and one of the ways that becomes possible is when creators develop a large enough following on the web, and then others will give them more consideration and perhaps create and market hard copies of their work.
Satisfaction for a creative person comes from the act of expressing themselves, and that is enhanced when they get feedback from others who enjoy their creations.
With the advent of these new technologies and all the changes in the way we work and play, challenges are different, but the essence remains the same, and that essence we all seek is connection.
Tarot artists have created decks that are only available from them on their own websites, and so have other artists. The obvious challenge with the Internet is that it is so massive that you can post marvelous things out there, but people still have to find their way to your site.
So although the web offers creative people an opportunity to express themselves with complete freedom and make a profit from their work, getting traffic to a site is a major marketing challenge.
And even though I appreciate these freedoms, I think that most of us who work creatively still dream of seeing hard copies of our work in people's hands, or on display in stores. I don't think that is just a vanity. I think that there is something that makes it real when you experience a tangible object. like sitting in your easy chair reading a book, seeing a painting hanging on the wall, looking at the cover of the CD as you put the disc on to play. These experiences take on a different level of reality when you come into contact with the physical object.
For these reasons, I feel that there will always be a demand for some hard copies, at least for hard copies of our favorites, and one of the ways that becomes possible is when creators develop a large enough following on the web, and then others will give them more consideration and perhaps create and market hard copies of their work.
Satisfaction for a creative person comes from the act of expressing themselves, and that is enhanced when they get feedback from others who enjoy their creations.
With the advent of these new technologies and all the changes in the way we work and play, challenges are different, but the essence remains the same, and that essence we all seek is connection.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Musical Chairs
My love for music is deep. That's why during my life, I have learned to play several different instruments, why I have enjoyed dancing and singing. Music moves me.
Back in the 90s, I was a music reviewer who wrote about new CDs and interviewed musicians. So as a result, I received thousands of recordings to listen to, and had wonderful opportunities to hear great musicians play in person.
When I began listening to music, everything was on records and single hits were made on 45s that had a song on each side. People just wanted to hear the hit songs they were familiar with. But then that form stretched out a bit and albums became more popular as creative individuals and bands put out albums that were more akin to a suite than a hit and the attention span of listeners extended to a half hour at a time or an hour, rather than the three minutes that singles usually lasted. It is kind of ironic that we have come full circle to a degree, where people now download just a hit song or two rather than a whole album of music by that musician.
Then they started making music on cassette tapes, which were really portable. You could put one in your pocket, play it in your car, or pop it into a tape player that was way smaller than a record player. When the Walkman was invented, that changed a lot about the way people listened to music. You could listen to whatever you wanted as loud or soft as you wanted, and it did not impose on anyone else. The sound quality was also different. It was more intimate, private.
I also remember how the transition happened. First you could buy your music on records or tapes, then eventually stores only carried tapes. Then after we got used to tapes, suddenly there were CDs. Then stores went from offering tapes and CDs to only carrying CDs, which of course, required different players.
The next transition brought MP3 players and iPods. And now if you need to replace your player, it will be easier to find a CD player that has a port for a digital player than a tape deck.
And some of us have not made that transition yet. Some maybe never will, just like there are some people who have stuck with records. I don't have the CD or tape collections that I used to have, but I still have quite a few and I can't see just dumping them to move to the new technology since they still work just fine.
But I can see the beauty of having a whole music library on one little gizmo. And it will be easier on the environment not creating zillions of pieces of plastic just so that people can enjoy listening to music.
However, an issue that is significant is how can the musicians make a living with their music. Album, tape or CD sales were at least a way of channeling some money back to the artist. Now if people pay for downloads, they will get some, but they make nothing off all the free downloads.
There was a time when some musicians made great recordings but hardly ever toured, compared to those who made relatively few recordings but played lots of live dates. So fees for live dates are now more important for them to make a living. Some will make good money creating scores and soundtracks. Funny thought. Not so long ago, musicians were hired to make original music for commercials, but now commercials are far more likely to play bits of a song that already is a hit.
Yes, the new players are more portable than anything we have had, and probably more green. I am one of slow adapters to technology. I will keep my TV until it quits working and then I will get a flat panel. And I will keep playing music on CD players and tape players until I cannot do that any more. I use my computers until they die. Then I get new ones. I don't just rush out to buy the new model of whatever just because it is available.
There is another metaphysical angle to all this. Music has taken on various physical forms, mutating from something that was heard in person to something that was recorded, now back to something that we just hear, rather than a collection of things we buy. Comparable in a way to what has happened with movies. I don't need to go to a video store any more to rent a tape or disc and then make another trip to the store to return it and rent something else. Now I can just watch a movie on my computer or TV without having to have any hard copies.
Essence takes form and then the form dissipates, and it is back to essence again.
Back in the 90s, I was a music reviewer who wrote about new CDs and interviewed musicians. So as a result, I received thousands of recordings to listen to, and had wonderful opportunities to hear great musicians play in person.
When I began listening to music, everything was on records and single hits were made on 45s that had a song on each side. People just wanted to hear the hit songs they were familiar with. But then that form stretched out a bit and albums became more popular as creative individuals and bands put out albums that were more akin to a suite than a hit and the attention span of listeners extended to a half hour at a time or an hour, rather than the three minutes that singles usually lasted. It is kind of ironic that we have come full circle to a degree, where people now download just a hit song or two rather than a whole album of music by that musician.
Then they started making music on cassette tapes, which were really portable. You could put one in your pocket, play it in your car, or pop it into a tape player that was way smaller than a record player. When the Walkman was invented, that changed a lot about the way people listened to music. You could listen to whatever you wanted as loud or soft as you wanted, and it did not impose on anyone else. The sound quality was also different. It was more intimate, private.
I also remember how the transition happened. First you could buy your music on records or tapes, then eventually stores only carried tapes. Then after we got used to tapes, suddenly there were CDs. Then stores went from offering tapes and CDs to only carrying CDs, which of course, required different players.
The next transition brought MP3 players and iPods. And now if you need to replace your player, it will be easier to find a CD player that has a port for a digital player than a tape deck.
And some of us have not made that transition yet. Some maybe never will, just like there are some people who have stuck with records. I don't have the CD or tape collections that I used to have, but I still have quite a few and I can't see just dumping them to move to the new technology since they still work just fine.
But I can see the beauty of having a whole music library on one little gizmo. And it will be easier on the environment not creating zillions of pieces of plastic just so that people can enjoy listening to music.
However, an issue that is significant is how can the musicians make a living with their music. Album, tape or CD sales were at least a way of channeling some money back to the artist. Now if people pay for downloads, they will get some, but they make nothing off all the free downloads.
There was a time when some musicians made great recordings but hardly ever toured, compared to those who made relatively few recordings but played lots of live dates. So fees for live dates are now more important for them to make a living. Some will make good money creating scores and soundtracks. Funny thought. Not so long ago, musicians were hired to make original music for commercials, but now commercials are far more likely to play bits of a song that already is a hit.
Yes, the new players are more portable than anything we have had, and probably more green. I am one of slow adapters to technology. I will keep my TV until it quits working and then I will get a flat panel. And I will keep playing music on CD players and tape players until I cannot do that any more. I use my computers until they die. Then I get new ones. I don't just rush out to buy the new model of whatever just because it is available.
There is another metaphysical angle to all this. Music has taken on various physical forms, mutating from something that was heard in person to something that was recorded, now back to something that we just hear, rather than a collection of things we buy. Comparable in a way to what has happened with movies. I don't need to go to a video store any more to rent a tape or disc and then make another trip to the store to return it and rent something else. Now I can just watch a movie on my computer or TV without having to have any hard copies.
Essence takes form and then the form dissipates, and it is back to essence again.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Coming Back to Life
Coming back to life has one resonance as the return of spring and the ancient fertility rituals that celebrate this fact of life. Pagans reawakened the earth with dancing singing and sexual pleasure to create sympathetic magic in the fields and gardens, imparting their energy to the reawakening of the earth and inspiring the growth of the spring planting.
The early church overlaid the story of Christ's Resurrection over the old Estara or Ostara rituals to celebrate the idea of his rising from the dead. Of course, for those who can entertain other perspectives and the quirky humor of author Tom Robbins, in Another Roadside Attraction, he spins a tale about how the early disciples snatched the body from the tomb and hid it and then told everyone he rose from the dead, in order to build up the religion around the Christ story. Robbins uses his wit to poke fun at all kinds of ideas in his books.
On another note, there is also a coming back to life that we often need to do after we face a serious setback. A death in the family, a loss of a job, end of a relationship, bankruptcy, or any number of other difficult developments that can set us back in life can sometimes send a person into a withdrawal or retreat from life. A person can get depressed over such things.
To rebound from such things, often a personal ritual is needed to signal to body, mind, spirit and emotions that you are back and ready to be back. Engaging in a symbolic act signals to your self and the universe that you are done with your period of mourning and are ready to spring back into action.
Spring Equinox is the tipping point and the Easter rituals reaffirm this message. Time to bounce back. Time to move from darkness into light. There are all kinds of ways to do this. Love, laughter, music, dance, all kinds of things can work. At this time of year, the symbols of coming back to life are all around us. We just have to activate them.
The early church overlaid the story of Christ's Resurrection over the old Estara or Ostara rituals to celebrate the idea of his rising from the dead. Of course, for those who can entertain other perspectives and the quirky humor of author Tom Robbins, in Another Roadside Attraction, he spins a tale about how the early disciples snatched the body from the tomb and hid it and then told everyone he rose from the dead, in order to build up the religion around the Christ story. Robbins uses his wit to poke fun at all kinds of ideas in his books.
On another note, there is also a coming back to life that we often need to do after we face a serious setback. A death in the family, a loss of a job, end of a relationship, bankruptcy, or any number of other difficult developments that can set us back in life can sometimes send a person into a withdrawal or retreat from life. A person can get depressed over such things.
To rebound from such things, often a personal ritual is needed to signal to body, mind, spirit and emotions that you are back and ready to be back. Engaging in a symbolic act signals to your self and the universe that you are done with your period of mourning and are ready to spring back into action.
Spring Equinox is the tipping point and the Easter rituals reaffirm this message. Time to bounce back. Time to move from darkness into light. There are all kinds of ways to do this. Love, laughter, music, dance, all kinds of things can work. At this time of year, the symbols of coming back to life are all around us. We just have to activate them.
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