Dwelling in Music

From Pythagoras to Bach and on finding new grounding in Music

Part 1 of 11

1. Today music is understood as an art form, an art form the place of which is designated as aesthetically conveying experiences and ideas using the sound medium. This current view of music is the result of an entire age's worth of change and evolution and while persuasive and true in a very concrete way it begs the question of whether there is more to music than merely expressing inner states and feelings with musical instruments. In this essay I would like to show how the evolution of music didn't deepen our understanding of it, but rather, removed music from the everyday reality of dwelling and confined it to only those characteristics which belong to it as aesthetics. This aspect, which is now perceived to be the whole of music, is the aspect in which music is art. It is the art-as-aesthetics that has its value measured by the intellect and is employed to invoke both contemplative sense of order and beauty as well as an emotional response, in popular music genres particularly, by calling upon sounds and harmonies which awaken particular psycho-somatic responses to music. These are now more and more subject to scientific research into the human psyche and while not part of the classical music tradition they still operate in the same spirit of striving to define and confine the scope of music to its preconceived man ordained role.

It has been more than just long since my last post, it was yesterday one year ago! A lot has happened in that time. I have become almost a native to London now and through seeing many things and experiencing various asspects of life discovered again very strongly how much music means to me, not just how much but what it means to me as well.
There is nothing quite like standing by the marimba and expressing through music your deepest sense of the world, expressing that which cannot be said or even conceived in any other way than through music, that which doesn't even exist without music.
When the abstract meaning of the words is removed then the way is given to pure perception or there is no understanding at all and therefore confusion. Music is not a universal language because everyone can understand it but because it speaks directly to us as humans, it doesn't appeal to thought because it is not similar to thought, it is wholesome, rounded like an absolute sense of something or intuition of the world. Music is harmony, cosmos, harmony is creation, it is harmonically and proportionately appointed matter and energy that constitutes the whole of creation around us and that's what music is. We are music. Human body, feelings and consciousness are a particular harmony of energies, what is unique about us though is that we are able to feel and understand other orders of harmony like the ones of trees and animals and that of the arts... It is absolutely vital to acknowledge and pay attention to that level of communication which is lost in our every day encoutners with the world and it will be most easily understood through music itself. Once we can hear the music for what it really is then perhaps we will be able to understand other people for what they are really saying, not what their words mean but what their intentions are, what their feelings are and how we should relate to them.

Snow.....and other stuff ( read Music )

We had snow in London. Yes we did. I know I shouldn`t be writing about that but I just can`t escape it. At least for the first line. Of course going anywhere on the day of snow is impossible in London. It is way better to walk for the whole day and get somwhere than waiting at the station for hourse before the announcement comes: All trains have been cancelled! Ahhh. Then you go back home make yourself a hot chocolate and start writing a blog:) So, here we are.

In December I`ve done a few really cool gigs. I particulary remember playing for school kids one morning and not being too happy about my performance ( read: feeling like shit!), however I didn`t have too much time to think about that because that same evening I played a formal reception for the press. Now, ironically this gig was probably one of the best I`ve ever done. I am serious, it was cool. And that`s how quicklly the bad things can be forgotten!! Just today when I was sort of sliping into a bad mood ( probably because of this relentless fog ) I remembered this gig and went "Ha" don`t get depressed to quickly....

What I am trying to say guys is this: Things change, they change unexpectedly and faster than you can imagine, so enjoy the ride and tighten your belt :)

Enough of talking. That`s a video from the reception ( obviously I am not showing the show gone bad that same morning ). It`s a completely improvised piece of music that I later named Catch the Beat.

Let the music snow.

It`s been a very, very long time since I was writing last. And there is no excuse for that. Well, maybe there is...
In December I`ve been performing a lot and at all sorts of diferent events, from art exhibitions and formal receptions to children in schools and small informal concerts. And in January I was preparing everything to move! to move where? London, of course. So, here I am now in London practising in a freezing garage and enjoying the grey town. But really, I am so excited to be here, if there is one place in the world, where a musician who plays such a strange instrument as myself, could make a career than it is surely London.
And by the way, I slightly changed my musical direction which is moving from classical to classical crossover.
It all started with my arrangement of Ain`t no Sunshine and now it came to a stage where it is an idea for a whole cd. However, I decided that this cd is going to be released by a label unlike my first two cd`s which were produced and released by me..... so it might take a while before this Marimba Classical Crossover music comes out but I promise you, it is worth a wait!!

Tech. VS Nature Part 2

This time the title isn`t over the top!

Why not? Last time I was only talking about music ( electronical vs acoustic )

But this time it`s about everything. Well, almost.

What is happening with our planet? How is it going to look like in 50 years?

Why do we so often misuse technology? And it seems nothing is learned from previous mistakes… ! Just remember the atomic bombs than were thrown at Japan. I am not quite convinced Einstain had that in mind when developing his Relativity theory !

Does techonology really makes our lives easier? Obviously for you to read this blog, God knows how many miles away from where I am, Internet is of rather crucial importance J

But what about all the dowsides of internet? Pornography, spying, etc…

It is plain enough that every sort of technology can be used or misused, now, what do we do with the human factor in the whole mixture of this big cake?;)

Are we even being educated about how internet is to be used or are we just presented with it when young and then someone says: »This is Google. You just type in whatever and you will find it.« In my case at least, that`s how it was and it is a dangerous game to play, isn`t it?

Why? Some people might say, but speaking of the atomic bomb earlier… one can find out all the instructions needed to make one on the web. For me this is serious.!

So what do you think we should do about it? For clearly something must be done about it.

This post is a call for you! to think about it and hopefully we can share some ideas together.

Tech VS. Nature

Well, maybe the title is a bit over top but today I will write about so called Acoustic and Electronic music....

To make this clear, I`ve never played an electronical instrument on stage or so but I`ve played with many musicians who played electronic instruments, to be honest I never liked electronic music too much ( until recently ). It was partly because it sounded to rough and metally to me and partly because I used to be a so called Musical Purist ( don`t recommend you to be that ) and hated everything that is electronic.

Now, keyboards ( synthesizers ) have changed the way most of the music sounds. Not just in pop and rock music but also in jazz and experimental music, even world music.

I am not here to judge if this was good or bad but it did have a profound effect on music.
If the landmark of jazz in the 60s was Kind of Blue; a slow, acoustic, jazzy recording
only a few years later Bitches Brew came along and electrified everyone:) the fans and the critics.

Lets remind ourselves how it sounds like

Obviously this was just the beggining of electronic music in jazz.

These days I can just open a computer program and make a track, sing autotune on top of it a sell millions of records. This Is Worrying!!
Electronic music is fun and entertaining but we shouldn`t mix it with artistry...

Do you think electronics made music better?

P.S
Just to end this post I would like to share with you my version of Ain`t no Sunshine!

Classical music is "COOL"

I have a thesis! Classical music is cool and interesting, inventive and modern.

Its only problem is that it doesn`t treat itself in that way. It thinks it has to be proper and traditional and dignified and the rest of bullshit and pretendance. It`s like Beyonce would be dressed the same way as an opera singer and spoke and acted like a queen. It is absurd. No one would listen to her music!

Lets face it. Mozart in his time was a popular musician, he didn`t have 3% of the audience (like classical music today )but 90%, his music was often played as a background for some fat lords and kings... when they had little receptions and birthdays...
he was inventive, daring, provocative; in his music and his lifestyle.

When I think of all that I ask myself, what kind of a person should a modern classical musician be and what relationship should he have with the music he creates.

This feels like a begining of a wholly New Blog which will explore what classical music is today and what it could be.

To begin I would like to share with you a person who might have just the right attitude to classical music :
It`s Benjamin Zander and if you care about the music around you, you should watch this video:

How do you think classical music should be like?