I want to provide a little experience in estimating musical energy. I’ve given a taste of this sort of experience in my first SoundPost, and referenced the theory behind it in a couple of essays as well. The study here is very similar to something I’m carrying around to schools, where participants have the advantage… Continue reading SEAstudy
Return again
Things coalesce lately. Where to start? I could start from my father’s memorial service, my experiences at Yom Kippur, experience with posture and Qi Gong, things learned from gardening, things I remember my father saying, the formative experience that set me on the path of Just Listening… So many experiences all point to returning again… Continue reading Return again
Open Ears, Free Mind
As I have described elsewhere, this blog grows from my experiences with new music, teaching, and Zen meditation. These experiences and more have combined to spur the creation of Just Listening, which in fact derives its name from Shikantaza, or “just sitting”, the type of Zen meditation that I do. As I sat this morning,… Continue reading Open Ears, Free Mind
Resonance
Warning: this post will re-use an idea! Resonance is an incredible phenomenon: do it a little, the power of the action grows, do it again, do it again… a cycle of increase. Sound is a cycle, the same pattern of vibration thousands of times to hear even a short bit of it. And the idea of… Continue reading Resonance
Krishnamurti, SEA, Analysis
I have come across some quotes by J. Krishnamurti, on the subjects of listening and analysis. The thoughts push me to come up with a new word for the sort of holistic musical analysis enacted by my workshop, Just Listening, which I call by the rather technical name, the Sound-Energy Aggregate (SEA). I invite you… Continue reading Krishnamurti, SEA, Analysis
The Obvious
I have a saying that I inflict upon my students, mostly directed towards musical analysis, but widely applicable: “The obvious is in control… expose it!” The statement points toward a lot of important realities, and is at the very foundation of my workshop, Just Listening, which is in turn founded upon principles embedded in an… Continue reading The Obvious
My stove is teaching me lessons
It may seem strange, in a blog about music and contemplation, that I’d make such a statement as “my stove is teaching me lessons”… read on to find out why! We moved over the summer of 2021, to a house with no fireplace. We knew it meant we’d have a wood stove installed, and now… Continue reading My stove is teaching me lessons
Sounds that make me move my mouth
I’m very interested in the way sound affects us, especially in music. One way that sounds affect me is that I tend to move in relation to certain ones, especially those sounds that are filtered and in the vocal range. I wonder how many of you might share this reaction, so I want to take… Continue reading Sounds that make me move my mouth
Beginner’s Mind
Beginner’s Mind is a term widely known in the general population, but how much do we understand this phenomenon? My workshop, Just Listening, aims to provide a glimpse of beginner’s mind by engaging with new music, and it’s something I’ve thought a lot about. Here is a set of my thoughts on the topic, with… Continue reading Beginner’s Mind
the way we feel
What makes us feel the way we feel when we listen to music, or think what we think as a result of listening to music? It’s a longstanding question that has spawned all sorts of inquiries and theories. Much focus is on pitches — melody, harmony, and all related issues — and for good reason. … Continue reading the way we feel