T'ai Chi & Yoga for Musicians (& all others too) - One-Pointed Focus

"!Ama Sua, Ama Kjella, Ama Lllulla! - Don't lie, don't cheat, don't be lazy". Quechua greeting during Inca times.

I am going to be sharing some thoughts here during the next few blogs, about T'ai Chi (Tai Chi) & yoga for musicians. I have studied & practiced both T'ai Chi & yoga since the early nighties, as well as being a certified T'ai Chi instructor & teacher in a style called T'ai Chi Chih (loosely translated as "Knowledge of the Supreme Ultimate"). This style emphasizes the health & relaxation benefits of T'ai Chi, & not its traditional martial arts roots.

I am also a musician & classical guitar player. Over the years I have always paid attention to the right balance of warm up exercises, fitness as well as the correct technique & posture needed to play an instrument well. Musicians are athletes, in every sense of the word, & attention to our well-being at a physical, mental as well as emotional levels is necessary to play freely. I'd venture to also say that our spiritual well-being is very important, maybe the most essential level.

The first concept to be aware of when making music is that of focus. Call it concentration, one-pointed focus, being in the flow or the zone... All are describing the same focused performance level. Both T'ai Chi & yoga can be thought of as moving meditations. As a matter of fact, because of the element of movement in both, many practitioners have an easier time with them than, let's say, sit down meditation. And it is precisely why a movement practice can be very important to a musician in developing the level of focus & relaxed attention needed to play music.

Most of my mistakes when practicing & performing music, are mistakes of attention, or lack thereof. By being faithful in my daily T'ai Chi & yoga practice, I have found a direct correlation between my focus & my music playing.

I'll continue sharing more thoughts on this in the next installments.

Blessings,

Eduardo

Mother Earth, Father Sky

Mother Earth, Father Sky
You blessed me today
with the sounds & sights of your lovemaking...
The wind blowing amongst the trees & leaves
like a whisper in a lover's ear.
The sun warming the Earth,
like the slight touch on a lover's skin.
And I saw & heard the river
be moved by your lovemaking too,
flowing rapidly sometimes,
slowing down to a trickle at other times,
wanting your embrace to last forever...
I am your son...
And as I opened my eyes,
I felt the wind caressing my hair,
the sun warming my own skin,
& my heart feelings flowing just like the river...
I felt loved...

Blessings,

Eduardo Martinez

Self-Determination & the elections in El Salvador

"Love is ALL. ALL is Love. ALL is well." Eduardo Martinez

I've been reading about the civil disobedience movement & non-violence. Instead of non-violence I prefer the name peaceful-means, as it denotes a positive energy. It portrays more clearly what the objective is, versus what it is not.

As the elections in El Salvador happened this week, there was a campaign of mis-information in that country, as well as here in the USA. The media & right-wing party in El Salvador, & some of our senators & representatives here, were erroneously trying to convince people in El Salvador that the USA government would only approve of & work with that country if the people elected the right-wing party. To our credit, the USA State Department clarified that our government was committed to allowing self-determination for El Salvador, & that we would work with whomever won the elections there.

As I have been working with peaceful-means to conflict, I realized that one of the worst & most insidious forms of violence is not allowing a person, a community or a country to have their self-determination, the ability to choose freely, who they are & what they want. As in the case of the elections in El Salvador, maybe special & commercial interests pretend to hold people down with poverty (another insidious form of violence), or with their own government structure in place. But in the end, peaceful-means & truth have always won, paraphrasing Mahatma Gandhi...

Blessings,

Eduardo

Music: La Guitarra California Festival 2009

"La canción del piano - es un discurso. La canción del cello - es una elegía. La canción de la guitarra - es una canción..." ("The song of the piano - is a discourse. The song of the cello - is an elegy. The song of the guitar - is a song...") , from La Canción de la Guitarra (The Song of the Guitar), by Spanish poet Eugenio d'Ors (as featured in the DVD: Andres Segovia: In Portrait

... And speaking of classical guitar, there is a wonderful festival coming up: La Guitarra California 2009, September 25, 26 & 27, 2009. Featured performers are: Manuel Barrueco, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Berta Rojas, David Leisner, David Tanenbaum, Jérémy Jouve, Carlos Pérez, The Alturas Duo, Judicaël Perroy & Michael Partington. This promises to be a great festival, & renews my desire to visit California, where I used to live some years ago.

Please visit the festival's official web page for additional information, La Guitarra California 2009. Hope to see you there!

Blessings,

Eduardo

Music & Social Justice: Let Peace Expand CD

"As musicians/healers, it is our destiny to conduct an inward search, & to document it with our music so that others may benefit. As they listen to the music coming through us, they too are inspired to look within. Light is being transmitted & received from soul to soul..." pp. 13, from Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within, by Kenny Werner

I highly recommend a CD I have been listening to lately, called 'Let Peace Expand.' It is the beautiful work/play of two friends right here in New Hampshire, USA, Lisa Murray & Cynthia Schroer. These are their own words about the CD:

"The Let Peace Expand CD grew out of a desire to contribute to the expansion of peace consciousness throughout the world. Lisa Murray began writing the songs contained on Let Peace Expand at the onset of the Iraq war with "Calling Mothers." The title song, "Let Peace Expand," emerged after hearing about grass-roots efforts to establish a U.S. Department of Peace. "Just a Little Good" was inspired after seeing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

Along the way on this musical journey, Lisa teamed up with Cynthia Schroer to co-found a local "Peace Place" in New Hampshire. The Peace Place is a "start-where-you-are" peace action incubator where simple acts of peace building are discovered, encouraged, and promoted. Individuals and groups of all faiths and humanistic philosophies are welcome to use the Peace Place for personal and communal peace-making efforts, no matter how small they might appear. An example of Peace Place offerings is the monthly coffeehouses, which are hosted there to raise money through voluntary donations for various causes that support well-being around the world.

Cynthia's voice brings the songs on Let Peace Expand to life, with Lisa on acoustic piano. Cynthia views her vocal involvement with this CD as a continuation of her conscious use of voice for over twenty years to encourage others to connect with their own essence, a source of peace in the world.

The final track on the CD is simply "Peace." The hopeful words are set in a minor key, giving subtle reference to the fact that the work of peace is not always comfortable. "Peace" sums up Lisa and Cynthia's aspiration that the Let Peace Expand CD will move listeners to think, probe, heal, seek, and be inspired to create a landscape of peace within themselves, their communities, and the world.

To purchase a CD or to read more about Let Peace Expand, go to their website: Let Peace Expand.

Sound clips of the CD may be heard at:

Let Peace Expand @ CDBaby.com, where the CD may also be purchased."

Blessings,

Eduardo

What is a Sound Circle?

I am often asked what a sound circle is. To me, it is a gathering of beings (& why I call mine The Sound Gathering), to share sound, music-making & silence. We gather to share & learn from each other. It is more improvisational in nature than formal music-making, & the results are often beautiful & harmonious.

Some people may ask how does it differ from a drum circle. I started doing drum circles some years ago, incorporating Native-American as well as African drumming sequences. But my interest in combining drumming with all other sound modalities grew as my personal sound practice grew. I now also incorporate I Ching drumming (started by Melinda "Mo" Maxfield in California some years ago, as part of her Psychology Ph.D. dissertation), all percussion instruments (wooden drums, shakers, gongs, etc.), toning, chanting, crystal & Tibetan singing bowls (one of my favorites), chimes, Sanskrit Mantra chanting, acoustic & electronic instruments, spontaneous movement, breathing & vocalizing, & occasionally my laptop (to make sounds & also record the sessions). I am often "treated" by others when they bring their own instruments, & create amazing sounds I may not have heard before. Then I want one of those instruments too!

The key is also to make the sound circles enjoyable & fun for all. Everyone is welcome, from beginners to seasoned sound circle participants, from very young children to our beautiful senior citizens. I am a little "jealous" of those first-time participants, as they will often experience that night a completely new (to them) & wonderful "shower of sound & light" :-) Every time I make sound I get to experience this as well, but that first time is priceless...

Drop me a note to share what other things you add to your own sound circles, or would like to experience in one of them.

Blessings,

Eduardo

Music & Social Justice: Amandla! DVD

A wonderful documentary about the power of music as an agent of social change. Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is the story of the contribution of South African song & music in the anti-apartheid movement. There is plenty of music in this DVD, & surprisingly all of it is uplifting & moving. One of the producers commented that for some parts of the movie they were seeking more somber music, but could not find any! Vuyisile Mini (1920-1964) is one of the featured musicians, amongst many. He was executed by the South African government for expressing his dissent through his songs. I know of many musicians that give their lives to music, but few that would give their lives FOR their music, & freedom!

I am still going through the “extras” in the movie, including the director’s comments. There is also an interview with Dave Matthews, founder of the Dave Matthews Band, being a native of South Africa. Synchronistically I just found out last night as I was writing this blog, that Nelson Mandela was freed on a day like today, February 11, 1990. He eventually became the first South African freely-elected, post-apartheid president. I cannot but feel deeply the contribution that music made to the changed history of this nation.

Some additional websites with related information:

- Vuyisile Mini in Wikipedia

- Amandla! Singing Down Apartheid

- BBC's 1990 Headline: Mandela Freed!

"Amandla" is a Xhosa and Zulu word meaning "power", as the documentary demonstrates. It won multiple awards, including some at the Sundance Festival in 2002.

And by the way, the letters in the word "amandla" also spell "mandala" (meaning circle in Sanskrit) ...

Let me know if the documentary "spoke" to you as well :-)

Blessings,

Eduardo

Music & Dance Events @ the Dana Center for the Humanities, Saint Anselm College

I recently discovered a great music & performance arts venue right here in New Hampshire, the Dana Center for the Humanities, at Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, NH. Last Friday night I attended the International Guitar Night event with founder Brian Gore, French steel string master Pierre Bensusan, renowned classical guitarist/composer Benjamin Verdery, & terrific guitarist, singer/songwriter Cecilia Zabala, from my father’s hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Great show, great venue! The Dana Center strives for excellence & cultural diversity through their scheduled performances.

There are many great upcoming performances, including:

- Classical Dance of India: Ragamala Music & Dance Theater with Taiko Drumming
This is a unique performance that combines classical Indian dance with Japanese Taiko drumming!

- St. Petersburg String Quartet

- Luna Negra Dance Theater

So check them out if you are looking for great & diverse performances. Drop me a note if you attend one of their events, & what you thought of it.

Blessings,

Eduardo

The Sound of Silence

I have been making an attempt to have & experience more silence lately. Maybe that is why I have not posted here in a few weeks ;-) It may seem strange for a musician, but someone once said very eloquently that music is contained in the space between the notes. How true!

Now, I enjoy my iPod as much as everyone else. It allows me to take with me not only my purchased music, but also my own compositions & drafts, so that I can listen to them in various environments. This generates many more musical ideas. While I enjoy silence, I am not talking here about an anechoic chamber (sound-deprivation chamber), even though I’d love to experience that sometime soon. If anyone knows how to get me some time in one, I’d be forever grateful.

What I am referring to here is more akin to listening to our surroundings. When I exercise outside, I listen to the immediate sounds around me, instead of my mp3 player. I quite honestly have never been able to exercise with one, not that there is anything wrong with using a music player. When I am out in nature though, or open a window at home early in the morning, I enjoy the seeming cacophony out there. The sunrise & sunset are the two busiest “sound” times in nature. Nocturnal animals go to sleep before or at sunrise, while diurnal animals, like most humans, get to start the day. The process reverses itself at sunset. Sometimes there is a deafening level of sound, & then quickly shifts as everyone goes about their business (or is it “busy-ness”?). Try it sometime!

An aspect seldom talked about in all the discussions regarding our disappearing ecological environments, is that our soundscape ecology is also disappearing with them. Once a natural environment is gone, its unique sounds are lost forever, as no two environments are exactly alike. This is similar to no two music performances ever being exactly alike, even when played by the same musicians, at the same venue. I have also been thinking more about what a healthy sound environment does to our own health. I cannot help but notice how my indoor cats glue themselves to the open windows at home, listening to & admiring everything outside. I have also noticed this effect, to a much lesser extent, when I play a nature recording inside of my home. It is a distant second choice for the cats, & for me, but better than no nature sounds at all, especially in the middle of the winter here in New England, when we remain mostly indoors.

I’ve long admired & listened to the work of Bernie Krause with his nature recordings. You can check them out at
Wild Sanctuary . He truly has made excellent nature recordings & is helping preserve a shifting soundscape.

Another area where silence plays a central role in my life is in my meditation practice, as well as in my mantra chanting practice. During meditation, the focus for me becomes my breathing. As my mind & breath quiet down, I can start to feel & eventually hear the pumping heart, & the blood rushing through my veins. When doing chanting, often we focus on the sounds of course, but there is an interesting experience of silence afterwards, while there seems to be the sound energy still floating around after we stop.

I welcome your thoughts & experiences with sound.

Blessings,

Eduardo