Grace Notes Music Studio

A series of four unrelated events came together this morning in a flash of inspiration. The end result being that I have a new practice which I’m calling Morning Notes.
Let me describe the four events and my process which led to the creation of Morning Notes. Perhaps you will take up the practice, too!

Event #1: Power Walk Football

Walking on Mt. Tabor this past weekend, I came across a group of boys and men playing football in a small open area under the trees. Well, it looked like football, but … oh, wait, they’re not running; they’re power walking! Hah!
I sat down to watch for a bit. One fellow told me that because the area was too small for long passes and full-tilt running, they got creative and changed the rules — no running or jumping. Power walk only. It looked like a lot of fun and since they were using two-handed tag instead of tackling one another, it was also fairly safe.
I appreciated their resourcefulness and took this memory with me on my walk home.

Event #2: Fifteen Minutes A Day

A fellow sax teacher emailed me about his new goal of practicing 15 minutes per day. He was doing so as a personal goal brought about by his not practicing much (we all struggle with this!) and he wanted to change that. I’ll let him explain.

Hi, my name is John E Brigante. I am a baritone saxophone player. This past January I graduated from Montclair State University (New Jersey) with a BA in Music Education and as you may have guessed my primary instrument was saxophone. Since my senior recital (4/27/08) I haven’t played my horn nearly as often as I’d like to. To put it bluntly, I’ve probably played it 25 times in the past year and actually sat down to practice only once or twice. It seems to me that my skills are fading away. As the old saying goes “Use it or Lose it!”

Well I plan to do something about it….

As of May 13th, 2009 I have pledged to myself that I will change all of this. I am going to practice my ax for 15 minutes a day everyday for the rest of my life. I’m currently on day 7. The purpose of this blog is to document my efforts, successes and struggles. Who knows what the future will bring for this idea but I’m in it to win it.

What a great idea! I am always on the lookout for ways to make being a musician fun, relaxing, and enjoyable. That’s the second idea that is part of today’s burst of inspiration.

Event #3: Band In A Box Rehearsal

My friend, Jon, and I got together to rehearse for an upcoming gig. Except we were only two of the four in the quartet. So how were we going to rehearse without the guitar and drums?
Jon suggested we use Band In A Box (BIAB). I have used the program very little since first acquiring it about four years ago. Jon brought over his super-duper computer speakers and a collection of song files on a portable drive.
We had a great time jamming with the BIAB rhythm section. BIAB lets you change tempo, key, and chords at a click of the mouse. And the BIAB rhythm section doesn’t get tired or slow down! Two hours went by in a flash.
In the days after this rehearsal, I found myself playing more and using BIAB to try out some new improvisation ideas. That’s the third experience contributing to today’s burst of inspiration.

Event #4: Morning Pages

The fourth event is my experience of writing Morning Pages. Morning Pages are a daily exercise promoted by Julia Cameron in her books, The Artist’s Way and The Vein of Gold. She suggests that upon rising each morning, you sit down and write out three pages of … words, writing, anything and everything. Julia writes, “Morning Pages will center you, steady you, empower you, enlighten you. They will comfort you, console you, stimulate you, intrigue you, challenge, irritate, and activate [emphasis mine] you. … Through them you will encounter the workings of your spirituality, the great Creator within, with all its grace, wisdom, and power.”
Julia’s suggested or strongly recommended guidelines are:

1. Write three longhand pages of whatever comes into your head, without stopping. When my friend Kate suggested I write freestyle – that is, leaving out punctuation – my morning pages really began to flow. (Thanks, Kate!)
2. Do them daily. Every day. Consistency is a big part of the practice.
3. Do them first thing in the morning. They’re not Evening Pages, eh?
4. Write by hand. pen and paper. Writing by hand provides a direct line to the source of inspiration, whereas typing on a computer or talking into a recorder, is at least one step removed from that source. The source does not flow through a computer or recorder in the same way it flows through you – a living human being.

The Sparkle

All of these events and experiences came together this morning while writing my Morning Pages. It takes me about 15 minutes, sometimes 20, to write. After completing my pages, I went downstairs into my studio, got out my alto sax and played for 15 minutes. Non-stop. Continuous. Whatever notes, sounds, rhythms came, I did not think or plan. I just played. Much like writing my Morning Pages, only on my sax.
Wow!
Wow! It was beautiful. In fifteen minutes I played many different styles, rhythms, and tonalities. I paused twice to catch my breath. This was totally fun!
Morning Notes. Every morning, after my Morning Pages, I will play Morning Notes. And in the same way that Morning Pages are not intended as literary material, Morning Notes are not intended as compositional material. In describing Morning Pages, Julia says, “Our lines are a musical composition of our and the Universe’s devising. Morning Pages teach us to hear our cues, follow our promptings, enter and exit with grace, play our songs with heart.” The same can be said about Morning Notes. At least, I hope. I’ll let you know.
A daily practice of Morning Notes will impact future compositions and improvisations in that:

• I am open to inspiration.
• I am practicing the act of improvisation.
• Doing it daily is like fueling up at the Inspiration Station. The more you do it, the more ideas are generated.

In the next issue of Musician’s Motivator, due out on July 9, 2009, I will report on what happens over these these next two weeks as I continue a daily practice of Morning Notes.
Have you experimented with a new musical practice recently? Share your record with me and my readers: email me or comment on my blog.

Live Free Music All Summer

Now that Summer is officially here, I want to remind those of you living in the Portland Metro area (Oregon) that there are live free performances in many of Portland’s neighborhood parks. Check this resource for a schedule of performers and parks for the Summer of 2009.
Get out to the parks and be inspired!

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Attending a recent concert, I struck up a conversation with some other concert-goers. They told me how much they love music and were enjoying the concert. Their faces lit up with joy as they spoke about their love of music. But then they both said something that burst their joy bubbles; as much as they love music, they don’t consider themselves musical. “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” “I’ve got no sense of rhythm.”

When someone says that they aren’t music, I don’t believe it. We are all musical beings. It’s part of our human nature. Music is powerful and inspirational and we all can participate in making music on some level.

I was inspired by these “non-musical” folks to share some playful exercises with you. These are designed to help you get in touch with your musical self. Whether you are an active playing musician or someone who loves music but doesn’t feel musical, these activities will awaken or broaden your innate musical genius. So take a tip from the previous issue of Musician’s Motivator and dive in!

1. Open Your Ears
2. Natural Drumming
3. Singing With Machines
4. Create A Playlist
5. Write A Musical Story

Open Your Ears

To get more in touch with your musical self, first create a catalog of sounds. Take out some paper and a pen and write a list of all the sounds you hear in a five-minute period.

Sit silently with pen and paper and record all the sounds you hear. The hum of the refrigerator, pen scratching, swallowing, car driving up the street, bird twittering, faucet dripping, creaking chair, shuffling papers, a cat meowing. That is what I heard in just one minute as I sat at the dining room table to write this article.

Don’t worry so much about describing the sounds at this point. Just listen – loud and soft sounds; short and long sounds; high and low sounds; fast and slow sounds. That’s another way of saying you are hearing dynamics, rhythm, pitch, and tempo.

Now that your ears are awake, move on to Natural Drumming and Singing With Machines to explore rhythm and pitch in a bit more detail.

Natural Drumming

In this bit of musical play, listen for sounds in your environment that have rhythm. It might be the call of a bird, “diggadigga diggadigga dweeeet”, the rumbling of the washing machine, “chuggachugga chuggachugga”, or the flip flop pit pat of a passing jogger.

Clap your hands, tap on your leg or pat on a tabletop – the rhythm of the sound. Recreate it. Repeat it back to the bird, jogger and washer.

On a walk a few days ago, I was surprised at the variety in bird calls that I heard. I had not noticed the medley of rhythms until I did this exercise. Keep in mind to only focus on rhythm in this activity. When you’re ready, move on to pitch in the next exercise.

Singing With Machines

Again, draw upon the sounds of your environment. This time listen for a steady droning sound. In this exercise, use your voice to match the pitch of machines in your surrounding area. It might be a lawnmower, weed wacker, blender, electric pencil sharpener, car engine or copy machine. Any of these will do. Your task is to sing or hum the pitch of the machine. You may need to play around with range by choosing a higher or lower octave. Also experiment with various syllables such as ta, ur, lee, and others.

My intention is for you to have a non-threatening experience with singing. No one will judge you for not being able to carry a tune! You can do this activity anywhere and doing so will allow you to get used to creating pitch with your voice.
My electric toothbrush emits a steady pitch for 2 minutes. I have had fun matching the pitch by humming while I brush my teeth. I also play with the pitch and hum a scale against the drone pitch, noting where it sounds harmonious and where the sounds are dissonant.

Create A Playlist

When you throw a party, one of the things you do to get ready is gather the music! Select some songs for background music and others for dancing. In doing so, you’ve put together a loose playlist. Your task here is to put together a list of songs that inspire a particular feeling in the listener.

A few years ago, I put together my “Beat The Blues” playlist. As its name implies, my intent was to collect pieces of music that would cheer me up if I felt down or get me moving if I felt stuck. It was fun to do. Sometimes just by reading the titles in my list, the songs start playing in my mind and a smile brightens my face.

It’s A Good Day by Peggy Lee, Something’s Coming from West Side Story, That’s How Young I Feel from Mame, and Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein — these are just a few from the twenty in my BTB playlist.

When doing this exercise, you will find yourself pulling out CDs or making selections from iTunes and listening to one or two tunes. “Hmmmm, that sounds happy. This one sounds nostalgic, and this energetic piece conjures a feeling of power and strength.”

You are developing discernment – an important gift that musical people have.

Create a Musical Story.

Select a piece of instrumental music. Have pen and paper at hand and give a listen. A film soundtrack is a good first choice because that music does indeed accompany a story. But don’t let the title of the movie influence your own creative story. If you listen to the Gattaca soundtrack, try not to write a story about genetic discrimination set in the future.

A movement from a symphony makes another good selection to write your musical story. Having a title which is non-descript like Symphony #4 keeps your story palette clear of any needless influences. You’ll be writing a story solely based on your hearing of the music.

On the first playing, make simple notes about what is happening during the music. Each subsequent time you play the piece, embellish your story. I listened to Handel’s Water Music, Bourree in F; a one minute and 32-second selection. Through three hearings, this is what I jotted down.

First hearing:

Cartoon. cats and mice. cats dancing. oboe/bassoon cues the mice. cats join the mice at end.

Second hearing:

In this story, cats are dressed in Baroque Period costume, dancing in pairs, coming together and stepping apart. The mice leave their mouse hole in the wall and dance over to the table and gracefully climb the table legs. The cats see the mice and join them for a feast.

Third hearing:

Cats are dancing. Some other cats are eating treats from handheld plates and drinking tea from cups and talking in small groups. At the soft part, they whisper and point at the dancing cats and then the table of food.

At the oboe and bassoon duet, the mice enter. When they are up on the table, they are dancing around the food, dipping their tails in the cream for a taste and nibbling on bread crusts. The violins return and this signals the cats to come over to the table and happily joining the feast with the mice. There is a slight ritardando on the final phrase signaling all the cats and mice to drink a toast to friendship.

You’ll find that in doing this exercise, you will thoroughly learn a piece of music. Repeated hearings of one piece will embed the melody in your head. Further, you have made your own visual associations with the music. The music is now yours!

For me, Handel’s Water Music, at least the Bourree in F, will forever conjure images of a Tom and Jerry cartoon feast and dance.

Your Innate Musical Genius

Pursuit of these playful exercises will stretch your musical self. If you are one of those folks who believes you are not musical, but you love music; make an effort with these exercises and see what happens to your level of musicality. My fervent desire is to hear you claim your innate musical genius.

Share your experiences with these activities and feedback on this article by email or comment on my blog.

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