SEARCH THIS BLOG

Showing posts with label GPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GPS. Show all posts

Friday, August 16, 2013

Pathways

There is the desire to sound good.
The desire to control the expression
so the notes occur on an area that is
intellectually understood in advance.

Licks, grooves, scores, charts, notes etc.
Or as Milford Graves calls it
Standard Organized Music.

A conceptual framework somehow legitimizes
and proves knowledge of rhythm and melody,
an execution of a predetermined structure,
or an improvisation projected onto a predetermined structure.

It's like "Oh he is repeating himself therefore he knows."
It's safe. It's a form of GPS. It has its pleasure and limitations.
Groove. It's OK have structure sometimes but how deep are the roots?
If the roots are not deep "music" can become imprisonment.

The foundation is built upon breath and the feeling of the intention.
Fear and vanity keep people on the surface and afraid of violating the structure.
Conversely if you are at the center of the wheel you are omnipresent and timeless.
You are time, keeping it or not keeping it is redundant.
You can't reach the center without breath and relaxation.

Control without balance is FASCISM
Letting Go without balance is NIHILISM
and both together are TAOISM or SURFING

Lose Control in the name of gaining it.
Weave these domains together.
Sure practice MASTER Studies and Stick CONTROL
but then also get out the machete and do some bushwhacking.
How are we going to become strong and fearless if we only mow the lawns
and don't forge new neural pathways.

These new pathways come about by making music
at the level of silent intuition and openhearted innocence.
By stumbling into methods and sounds that are unknown
and possibly uncomfortable and awkward.

Falling and flying and failing.

The axiom in creative writing
"no surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader"
Lovemaking requires no GPS.













Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Paradiddle New York: A Pilgrimage

A Paradiddle is one of the primary rudiments of the drum set. 
It is usually notated | R L R R | L R L L |
That got me thinking about driving directions. 
 So I decided to make a Macro Paradiddle Pilgrimage 
through one of my favorite cities in the world; New York City.

The Paradiddle Pilgrimage starts at Blue Note Jazz Club. The midpoint is Birdland Jazz Club. The destination is the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

It took some tweaking at maps.google.com but this is what I finally came up with. Below the directions are listed for anyone who wants to actually make the trip :) I also took screen shots for your viewing pleasure. The manifestation of the Macro Paradiddle!!!! Check it out!!







Blue Note Jazz Club

131 West 3rd Street
New York, NY 10012

1. Head northwest on W 3rd St toward 6th
2. Turn RIGHT at 6th Ave
3. Turn LEFT at W 23rd St
4. Turn RIGHT at 10th Ave
5. Turn RIGHT at W 44th St

Destination will be on the left
Birdland Jazz Club
315 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036

6. Head southeast on W 44th St toward 8th Ave
7. Take the 1st LEFT onto 8th Ave
8. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto W 59 St/Central Park S
9. Slight RIGHT at Grand Army Plaza
10. Turn LEFT at Park Ave
11. Turn LEFT at E 125 St/Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd

Destination will be on the right
Apollo Theater
253 W 125 St
New York, NY 10027