coming from silence

How can we make the most of our musical solos?

There can be a natural tendency when playing anything soloistic, to rush in, or be otherwise unprepared to make the very most of our "spots".  Whether they be in jazz, classical or any other type of music, having a mind that is overly concerned or over- active when these moments come along can make the biggest of differences. A musician I know whose mastery of this is very evident is drummer/percussionist Asaf Sirkis.

"Silence will always be the underline of every sound you make. It can be very powerful if you know how to use it. It will always give you all and everything you need to know to learn quickly and to adjust to different situations. For instance, when I play a piece of music for the first time and I'm not really sure what to play or how to approach it, I'll come back to silence by relaxing the body. When you're physically relaxed you might find that you don't need to play as many notes and when you play less everything becomes much clearer to you and your fellow musicians (and listeners too). It might not sound perfect at that stage but you'll be able to connect to the music much more and get a sense of direction. If there's anything that needs to be practiced it'll become clear to you immediately. "

It is easy to understand how something as physical as playing drums would lead you to a healthy mind/body connection, but these are sound tips for anyone who wants to truly connect to what they are doing. Asaf again....

"In my practice and my teaching I use simple meditation techniques to help me/the student to relax first before playing any exercise. Usually, I'd start by doing a short breathing meditation before the exercise. Focused and relaxed, I'd usually play the exercise much slower than I would have otherwise. I let my body dictate the pace - it knows what to do, all you need is to simply follow it. Relax, play slower, more silence, learn quicker. This process is also much more enjoyable then the kind of 'got to get this done this week' kind of attitude. "

This is going to be helpful for calming nerves in general. We must all stop thinking of our bodies as just the thing that carries our heads around, and start taking them into our awareness as we perform. The music we play deserves this of us surely: that we be present when it is played. There is nothing mystical here; coming from a place of silence will give you the opportunity to deliver the very best you have, even if the piece itself is highly energetic (especially if the piece is such).

"Personally I try to use every opportunity to come back to meditation and silence. When I play a concert and one of the musicians takes a long intro/outro on his own I'll use this opportunity to meditate and when I come back to playing the drums it always feels a bit 'sweeter'. Or when I play with a band that plays together for a long time and we all know the material very well, its nice to be able to drop out sometimes or just playing very little - then everybody experiences silence. It is very powerful. "

Thank you Asaf!

everyone, please check out Asafsirkis.co.uk

Blog 3:Interview with Geoffrey Keezer

Folks! As I promised, here is the first of several interviews with musicians that EVERYONE should know about.
 Califormia-based piano star Geoffrey Keezer has twice been nominated for a Grammy. His early career included touring the world with Art Blakey and playing Rhapsody In Blue at the Hollywood Bowl. He is popular as an accompanist and arranger (aside from being a fine composer) with the likes of Diana Krall. He has been part of the Storms/Nocturnes Trio for ten years.
Students at RNCM can be at a workshop with Geoffrey on April 7th.

Question 1)

Was there a period in your youth when you were glued to the piano ( of your own volition), and what spurred you on?

I was basically glued to the piano from age 4 on. I became serious about learning Jazz in high school, when I was about 15. At that time I was practicing 6-8 hours a day.

2)

What did you learn most from Art Blakey?, you were no doubt a pretty junior member of that band?!

I learned a lot about pacing, how to present a coherent and exciting set of music tailored to a specific audience. Art was very aware of his audiences and knew instinctively what they would respond to. I also got some kind of download of deep groove from playing with him... it's an uplifting "feeling-memory" of his big cymbal beat.
3)

How do you feel about the different approaches of electric and acoustic ensembles? Is it effortlessly interchangeable?

My first instrument (other than piano) was an Arp 2600 synthesizer, in 1975. I was fascinated by science fiction (Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind had just come out), and I loved the soundtracks, both the musical scores and space-age sound effects. I still love electronic sounds and it's a big part of what I do. So for me it is interchangeable, because sound is sound. I like to mix them up, like using synths on "swing" tunes and acoustic instruments on "funk" tunes. I think any acoustic vs. electric argument in music is a dead issue and needs to be "sent back to the light"!

4) 

What non jazz music are you into, any computer/electronica stuff? - many creatives in their 20s are, and it'd be great to know some music of yours or others, that you feel is truly creative/successful in this area.

I'm into some electronica, a lot of classical (I lean towards late-Romantic or 20th century composers), rock, singer-songwriter stuff, Indian music, Balinese/Javanese gamelan, Sufi singers like Abida Parveen, some country/folk, bluegrass.... pretty much everything. I try to listen to the Lady Gaga/Justin Beiber-type pop, and while I can appreciate the craft and production, I HATE auto-tune! I can't stand auto-tuned vocals.

5)

Tell us about how you wrote "Tiger Lily..." was it at the piano?

I started writing Tiger Lily's DIY Paradise on my friend Ingrid Jensen's piano in Astoria, NY. It was just the first few bars, and then the last 8 bars of the tune. I filled in the rest about 3 months later... so I kind of had a beginning and ending, but no idea how I would get it from point A to Z.

Were there bits you went back and changed after earlier drafts? 

Probably.... I don't know for sure. I remember the form got shortened by 2 bars on the D.S... after playing through it a few times, it didn't seem necessary to replay those particular 2 bars, so we cut them out.

6)

Do you have any tips for writing for,and accompanying singers ? The back catalogue is impressive...

Well I think the most important thing is to pay attention to what the singer wants. When it's an arrangement, it has to support the singer and still give them the freedom to phrase however they want. They don't like to be contained or be put in musical handcuffs. So you try to get your hip stuff in there where you can, but without your hipness or grand arranging ideas getting in the way.

7)

You meet some students from RNCM on the 7th April, would you like them to check something out in advance?

Sure! Everybody get the new Storms/Nocturnes record "VIA"!

8)

Can you remember any real Peak experiences that affirm the life you've chosen?

Yes, quite a few. They were all musical moments where there was SO much energy and everything just vibrating at such a high level. Certain moments playing with Art Blakey, Christian McBride, Wayne Shorter, Jim Hall, and Storms/Nocturnes... they might have lasted just a few seconds or an hour, I have no idea. It just felt like JOY. Those were times when I was certain I was connected to source, just feeling pure love through playing music. 

Blog 2: Know Your Music

Greetings once again. Now I have to play catch-up after a period of blog-oblivion!

I am going to start asking other great musicians to comment on both composition and improvisation in future blogs, by way of mini-interviews. 

Below is something I scribbled out whilst at an airport in Bangalore, it was about 5am and although I was dog tired I was thrilled to have been invited to play to a totally new audience. I had to learn a fair amount of pretty complex music, which prompted this below (written as much to myself as to other readers I confess!...):

KNOW YOUR MUSIC

It is not a detail, within small ensemble performance, as to your relationship with your music stand. At best you don’t need it, but part of good preparation means that you know the structure of your composition,  with its rhythmic, harmonic and melodic components.

 The more obviously you need a music stand, the less authority you will wield as a soloist. Moreover, its doubtful you will attain convincing freedom during improvisation if you are not playing “by heart”. You will find that you can maintain confidence on stage much easier when written music plays but a minor role. Prepare for this by rehearsing without reading, see how internalized the music has become. 

A lifetime of learning!

Hi folks
This is the very first of my monthly blogs designed for sharing what I'm learning with students of music
(especially those at the Royal Northern College Of Music where I am a Fellow).

I am a great advocate of eclectic listening as many would easily guess. A few nights ago I caught the LSO performing Elgars second symphony with Sir Colin Davis. Yes, enigmatic, nostalgic, dedicated to the late king it would have to be. I felt jolly English all the way home, but it reminded me of the peculiar way we English traditionally express  fundamental feelings of belonging.
Right now I'm listening to Bobby McFerin's "Vocabularies", - an absolute world away, but one I feel I belong to even more. If you like the human voice you will love the joy in this music.
I am excited to announce that my trio Storms/nocturnes is reforming after a gap of over seven years.
There will be video footage of us on tour and of creating this project, with various asides that students of the music might appreciate. Next year I record again with Chick Corea and I'll be keeping a little diary for you of this too.
My biggest concert appearance approaching in the UK is in London on 17th November:
www.timgarland.com has more.

Below is an article I have written for the latest edition of BASCA magazine, many future blogs I feel will be in response to the challenge of negotiating the labyrinth of global music by young creative musicians.

Chasing the Peak Experience  

What led us to risk our necks on the precarious tight-rope of professional music-making?  I’d take a guess that for all of us it was a few early listening experiences that touched something fundamental inside. 

With the vast proliferation of media and ready access to the entire planet’s musical output,  are we engendering a “breadth not depth”  approach to our musical consumption? If so, what is at risk?

 I was surprised to find myself one afternoon clicking through my play-list in search of a quick fix, and in so doing impatiently ignoring the musical development and the narrative at the core of each offering from the likes of Ravi Shankar, Benjamin Britten, John Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, Bach (lots more…).  Should they really be providing me with merely a soundtrack, “selling” a quick, on-the-go emotional underscore that I’m unlikely to hear through to the end?

Composers have always used the power of suggestion to help steer the listener’s mind, whether it be to inspire spiritual rapture, youthful abandon or cue comic innuendo. When a musical language becomes less familiar however, and the references less readily accessible to us
, it may shed its ability to function as a selling device, but it likely will be an invitation to really listen.

Most of us cherish peak experiences when this has happened. With me, it’s  been through classical and jazz music.  Jazz as a commodity has had success at selling everything from cars to food .  Jazz as an approach
is different; it’s a vital, visceral energy that can illuminate a broad range of subjects and doesn’t seek much else but the passion of the moment in which it is played. It probably won’t infer too many ready references, or fire off enough well-worn synapses to help sell that quick image.  At its best, it is all-absorbing, a peak experience like the ones I had as a kid, where in every instance, I had to make a genuine investment of my time.

The appreciating of the developmental, unfolding side of music can be celebrated through many genres. There is of course much worthy music that is not designed to be stand-alone with its own narrative, but if we allow ourselves to start looking to all music with a quick
-fix agenda, the peak experience we love may become lost due to impatience. My 13 year old self clutching his vinyl would hate that future vision.

We can value the industry of Music-as-Commodity all the more when we value its roots; the explorative, emotive celebration of self expression which takes time to perform and listen to and is surely the life-blood of our precious profession, and the surest guarantee of its perpetuation.