Some contemplative music for a cool and rainy spring day here on Canada’s west coast. This is a “taqsim” which is an improvised solo piece, and it’s a common form for the oud, the Arabic lute. Taqsim are deliberately expressive, often being used to set the mood for a longer suite of music. They can go on for 20 minutes or more, as the musician weaves through an emotional territory and describes a varied and conversational musical landscape. This sample is typical of the genre, moving between slow and contemplative moments and points of high frenetic energy. It’s from a …
Share:
I’m reading a number of excellent books at the moment that have nothing to do with facilitation except that they are about seeing the natural in the world. TC McLuhan’s “The Way of the Earth” is fantastic and so is Thoreau’s classic Walden, from which comes this quote: “It is a surprising and memorable, as well as valuable experience, to be lost in the woods any time. Often in a snow-storm, even by day, one will come out upon a well-known road and yet find it impossible to tell which way leads to the village. Though he knows that he …
Share:
All these world leaders gathered at the Pope’s funeral, and a bout of handshaking and politeness breaks out causing the spin doctors to go into overdrive. Far from seeing this as a sad indictment on the state of international relations, I actually smiled broadly after reading this piece. It shows that when two humans meet, they tend toward the cordial. Even if they lead countries that are at war with one another or one denies the existence of the other, it’s impossible not to respond like a human to the presence of another.
Share:
My friend Jeff and I were talking yesterday about flow states, what they feel like, why they are important. As a musician I live for the flow state that we call “groove.” But it’s really heard to describe what that feels like. Saying that it’s a shared emotional space into which you let go and trust in the collective outcome doesn’t quite capture it. I think this video, which was posted up at MetaFilter, captures flow states exactly. Here are a bunch a young guys making incredible basketball shots which they could only make if they simply relaxed and let …
Share:
Lisa Gerrard makes music on her own and formerly with Dead Can Dance. “This music is probably the most un-mainstream work available, and it’s never going to be mainstream and it’s never going to be commercial. You give this work to MTV and they just look at it and say, ‘Thank you, no.’ It’s always going to be like that. This is the work I make. If I want to do something mainstream, darling, I know what to do. I have no interest in this. For me, the work process is humiliating enough without lying to myself. It’s not to …