Silence

So I've finally finished all things Uni but unfortunately for only another 3 weeks and then we're back on - so i'm trying to make the most of it. You should see my new original up soon which you might find quite different to other things I've put up but who knows you might like it. As some of you know I like to keep the variety fresh so hopefully this next one is. I'm also still in the midst of practising for this upcoming dinner show which is only 2 weeks away now. I find it's amazing how many pieces you can learn when you have a deadline, goes to show a little pressure doesn't hurt here and there.

I've often, when trying to compose music, and arrange other pieces always tried to fill the song up as much as I could being a soloist and all. I've always felt that the more there is to hear, the more interesting the piece will be to my audience. Lately though my perspective has changed a little. And it is kind of like (though not exactly) the 'if there was no suffering, there would be no joy' argument. Silence in piece of music is essentially the other half of the story. If there was no silence, all we would hear would be a continuous sound and it would cease to be to music. I think i remember John Williams saying that the 'spaces between the notes are just as important as the notes themselves.' I see this to be very true, in fact now when I practice I am paying even more attention to the voids in the work. To the silence between the sounds. And those two things in summation is what creates the beautiful thing we call music.

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is Music  - Aldous Huxley

Visual Music

Architecture is the frozen music, music is the flowing architecture.

I actually found this quote on my other friend’s blog and thought there was something to it. When we listen to music we mainly listen to the melody, or perhaps the phrasing and harmonies. We spend little time concentrating on individual notes (unless we are learning a piece) and just let the melody flow. At the end of the song we generally have a good idea of the main tune and it kind of sticks in our heads, especially if we have enjoyed it. I’ve read somewhere in my studies that architecture, or a city (architecture on a larger scale) should invoke a similar kind of experience. As we walk, drive, or cycle through the city it shouldn’t resemble a bunch of fragmented buildings/structures, rather it should generate a kind of ‘melody’. A visual one. One that once you’ve left that area, you have a clear memory of that phrasing of architecture. It’s as if the buildings were connected together, flowing like musical notes. Just some food for thought.

Last exam approaching next week. Finally starting to get the ‘Romance Flamenco‘ tabsheets done and will be able to start recording my next original soon. Also got another one of these Dinner Shows coming up on the 16th at the same winery. Looking to be a good night so far. Not much else besides that but I shall be back on top of things next week!

JL

Old Habits

After playing a certain way for 7 years to try and change your technique even only slightly is a real pain. I never realized how difficult it would be to change old habits. At times I feel like a beginner again, having to go back and play basic pieces just to get this wrist positioning and finger attack right. I know its worth it in the long run but for now its not the most enjoyable playing I have to do. 

I did say I would upload the video of my duet at the guitar makers festival however it is taking me longer than I thought to the get the video footage and I’ve been told it will take 3 or so months to get the audio. I don’t know why, but I think i’ll wait anyway just so the quality is as good as I can get it. This means my next video will be an original, so i hope to get that up in a couple of weeks. It will be a little different to my last one. I’ll have an electric and classical guitar in it to change things up a bit so keep checking back for that one.

Like I’ve been studying in uni, in order to fully understand something, why it exists, or why it is the way it is; it is often necessary to go back to it’s origins. To understand urban development we go to Ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Catal Huyuk etc. Lately I’ve been exploring the origins of the guitar which has brought me back to the Lute and Theobo. These instruments never really appealed to me until I started listening to Baroque music that I was playing on the guitar, on the Lute. Somehow the music comes alive in a completely more authentic way. Well a lot of Bach’s music for guitar was originally written for the Lute so it’s no wonder there is this feeling of authenticity. But I think there is just so much to learn from hearing the music being played on it’s original instrument. Context is everything, and as far I see it, there is no greater context than listening to the music in the original form it would have been played. 

If I could get my hands on a cheap Lute in Australia I would, but it seems the cheapest you’ll get here is a custom made one, and don’t think I’m really in a position to pay $10,000 to just try something. If you know of any cheap lutes let me know. I’d be very interesting.

JL