Being Music

 

 

Being Music: The Art of Open Improvisation

( A Very Concise Sampler )

Introduction - Page x

... in improvisation we can learn to recognize the difference between thinking about music and being music.

Chapter 1: Being Music - Page 1
Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actually only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are
— T.S.Eliot "Ash Wednesday" (1967)

Chapter 3: Sharing Your Story - Page 20 - First Thought, Best Thought
Art: I remember playing a free piece with a student and we got to a place where he just shut down. I asked what happened and he said, "I heard five different things, and I didn't know which one to choose. How do you do it?"

Mark: so, we are confronted with a paradox, which seems to happen a lot when we talk about improvisation. We play whatever comes up in the moment, but not always?

Chapter 4: Flow - Page 29 - Flow is the Underlying Stillness
Flow isn't the notes we play. Flow is the underlying stillness, the source of the music. We have to be careful to relate to source, and not fall in love with the activity of note making.

Mark: so, we can trust the silence. We can trust the nothing because it's moving somewhere.

Chapter 8: Pulling The Plug On Perfection - Page 74 - Wabi-Sabi
Mark: there's simplicity in not trying, not overdoing. Sometimes when people try to make something happen, it doesn't work so well.

Mark: that sense of innocence for "not trying" allows us to be curious and playful.

Chapter 10: Jazz Improvisation - Page 90
Mark: so, we are not just a collection of individuals fulfilling our traditional roles; the band is a creative organism working together with the soloist, exploring different ways of playing the music.

Art: I might decide to stop playing because the music doesn't need me, or I see that it would be nice to build energy, or come in on the bridge only.

Conclusion - Page 97
Improvisation is an investigation of what it means to be present and awake. This investigation is not about attaining a certain level of expertise or technical ability. Improvisation is about connection and community, and the path is available to everyone.

Art: When we create an atmosphere of friendliness, relaxed awareness, aliveness, equality, and naturalness, we enjoy having our individual experiences as a group, listening and at times synching up in the deep quiet of silence or ecstatic release. This isn't about conceptual understanding; this is about living, embodying, and being music.