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Forget all those reality TV shows, here, online, you can gaze into the life of musicians...
Learning to fly.............. Shaman of Sound 3.... March 8, 2010, 8:41 am ---- you might be curious in this series why i don't mention at all technique. technique is for you to find my friend.there are thousands of websites devoted to learning how to play-that many more books devoted to this topic.in many ways technique is the easiest. like in martial arts,you can learn a strike,a throw,but do you know the underlying principles of the system?so our examination in this series is more about the principles that MIGHT lead to a Shaman of Sound.i say this because i know many players that are so caught up on the latest new technique they forget something quite obvious but vitally important-their voice.Miles Davis could not play as fast of as Wynton but for the love of life i would hang on each of his notes like like a rare gift-treasured forever! Wynton-just doesn't have the same feeling with his music.so our topic today and i am so glad Miles sort of sprung up-is silence.to be a Shaman of Sound you must relish and be comfortable with silence.the safest way to do this is meditation. find two brief times(initially)in your day to meditate.why? Miles really understood that it was the silence between the notes that made the music.a well-measured phrase has space and silence to juxtapose notes that spring from a mind that is not afraid to be still.it takes courage my friends!many want to fill their solos with as many notes as possible-kind of like a close out sale where you can buy all you want in a certain amount of time for a certain amount of money.thinking this way will only busy up your music.it will feel like a solid brick traveling in space as opposed to a melodic line that drifts in and out of the different levels of consciousness. so today-find time to be still and learn gradually to be comfortable in stillness.there are many techniques for meditation here on this site over the years or search your own.what you do in life will have meaning if it comes from you my friend.so your meditation must be your practice,more on this series tomorrow-have a great day! peace,T Shaman of Sound 2.... March 7, 2010, 8:12 am ---- so how does one approach this aspect of music?how does one become a Shaman of Sound?at the bare minimum one must first stop talking so much and listen.listen to barely audible noises like water retracting from mud.an insect walking.a hummingbird from twenty paces.incorporate into your instrument this very soft sound.listen to the very audible-trucks passing highways,shaking windows.bombs exploding,etc...incorporate this into your instrument.listen very carefully to your own emotions,incorporate a broken heart,sadness,anger,etc...into your play on your instrument.listen,listen,until you one day become....a listener-more on this multiple part series,tomorrow.peace,T Shaman of Sound.... March 6, 2010, 9:55 am ---- there was a lively debate on youtube under Jimi's version of Johnny B. Good at Berkeley which in my estimation is the greatest version of all time and arguably one of the greatest r&b live performances ever.now the debate was weather Hendrix played the way he did just because of the acid(i know age old argument)? Michael 1 I believe is closer to the issue in calling Jimi a Shaman of music with his genetic makeup and his ability to touch upon the un-knowable within those Wonderful Traditions.the other thing to consider ontop of this almost Shaman approach to playing is that Jimi was very sensitive in an incredibly sensitive time period in U.S history.when he did machine gun at the fillmore for instance(arguably the greatest performance on any instrument of all time)Chicago,Detroit were in trouble as people went to the street against the vast injustices this country opperated under for so long.The vietnam war and protests were peeking in intensity.so what makes Jimi's performance stellar and how does it relate to this.he was doing a sort of auditory protest.the sounds of bombs exploding,machine guns,people screaming and crying as well as his potent lyrics(which are always under-rated,don't know why).maybe Michael 1 is correct as I have long suspected the same things weather you want to call it musical shamanism or whatever-Jimi had the ability to touch on the times and express it directly on his guitar and through sound.this auditory protest is usually given over to the trite and demeaning aspect of drug use at the time.what is forgotten is the copious hours of practice,Jimi's playing on the Chitlin circuit with the likes of Little Richard and the Isley Brothers,etc...he used to even sleep with his guitar at times.this unusal connectedness with an instrument,his sensitivity and his ability to part the veil to the ,'beyond' made Jimi who he was.to totally deflate the drug argument.there were many that did drugs in the 60's,many more than Jimi-CAN THEY PLAY LIKE JIMI-NO $%#^&*( WAY!!!!i will write more on this tomorrow-must run.i will say that of all the players out there today,my brother Jon is the only one that plays with the sensitivity i have yearned to hear since Jimi's passing!peace,T common ground March 5, 2010, 4:27 pm ---- Why can't we as a society seek common ground? Is the divide too far and wide to conquer, has ignorance and intolerance driven the dagger of immovability to deep? What is it about this curious species called humanity that sends us on a continual path of self destruction while we hold all the cards? Intelligence, imagination, love, speech, compassion, reason, tolerance, free will just to name a few........... Are we not the most intelligent life form on the planet ? do we not hold the keys to a better future in our hands? Nature rules and dictates the conditions that we live in yet with our help we are turning the natural balance against us. Why are we still in a slumber is there not a time when we can embrace the writing on the wall?????? Why is it that we are unable to and join together as we have so many times before and work towards a world where we all can enjoy the riches that lay waiting yet wasting away on the plane of common ground............Jon food.... March 5, 2010, 6:34 am ---- okay so i was listening to NPR yesterday and they had a speaker(will look up his name)talking about the worldwide agricultural crisis.it was so liberating hearing him speak and confirming the many things we have written about over the years;the 'hooking up' of the indigenous world to supposedly make their lives better when in actuality it has made it much,much worse(what i have been calling here-to steal a biology term-Monoculturalism).he also talked about the so called,'green revolution' which has actually hurt indigenous farmers and forced them out of business as huge agricultural farms have taken over.my pessimism of Bill Gates was again confirmed.he and the agricultural evil empire(del-santo)developed drought resistant corn supposedly for free-when actually both make profits out of the endeavor.these crops by the way-CANNOT WORK UNDER ALL CONDITIONS IN FACT THEY DON'T WORK AT ALL UNLESS THERE IS A DROUGHT! so imagine being a poor farmer receiving this seed and then a normal year happens-she/he will get no yield-thereby being dependent on big agriculture to provide food at four times the cost!he also spoke eloquently about another issue i have talked about for years.our seed deposits are molding and decaying.by relying on one or two varieties we put ourselves at signifigant risk of a disaster! we will and must turn to indeginous farmers for heirloom seeds.must run-but more on this later.WE MUST YELL FROM THE ENTIRE GLOBE TO CHANGE THE PICTURE.or we are in big,big trouble folks.peace,T Hey T Great entry below mine you are right on about the little white piggies and there self -indulgent party......... March 4, 2010, 9:33 pm ---- Hey T its good to get pissed off now and then with so much at stake and the bullshit that is being spewed........jon here we go again.... March 4, 2010, 6:38 am ---- That was wonderful Jon-great story and resolution.It made my day! Okay now onto something darker.Yesterday the Republicans have said they will try anything to stop this Health Care reform-calling it toxic.We talked the other day about forming your view.my view has been formed watching self interested fat white politicians-labeled Republicans destroy-yes destroy Democracy and this great country.They claim in the latest to speak for the people.Excuse me gentleman,even in my small world I have many,many contacts-with their subsequent contacts.soon the small develops into the large if you follow.Okay-everyone wants Health Care reform you fat bloated trogoladites!!!!hOW DARE YOU SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE WHEN YOU AS FAT-ASSED POLITICIANS WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HEALTH CARE! HOW MANY OF YOU WILL HAVE TO BRING CHANGE TO THE COUNTER AS ELDERLY AND MAKE A DECISION WHICH MEDICINE TO BUY THIS MONTH(AS I HAVE SEEN WITH MY OWN EYES).THE COUN TLESS POOR WITHOUT HEALTH CARE WORKING 1,2,3 DEAD END JOBS WITHOUT HEALTH CARE AND BARELY MAKING ENDS MEET.I AM SO TIRED OF THE HYPOCRACY AND BULLSHIT.now forming my view throughout my life i am fed up with rep.and dem's-so i veered to the green's but even they don't go far enough.i am looking for a party that looks at sustainability of this species-so we can actually make it.Social Democracy is the best bet in my mind-pissed off today at those dudes!!!!peace,T tolerance March 3, 2010, 2:14 pm ---- Well last night was interesting but not for the reasons I expected it to be. Bobby and me started out the first set after a two week layoff and picked up right where we left off. We blazed thru ten songs and judging by the crowd response we did a good job. It amazes me that Bobby can do the things he chooses to do yet we still are connected and his energy is right there. As we were playing Shawn who T knows was setting up his stuff for his performance so he was up and down off the stage doing his thing but it was not much of a distraction as he was scurrying about. Shawn has some issues I am not sure what but he definitely is struggling with some mental issues which is ok I have know him for a couple of years and he has a good core so what can you say. Last night though he seemed to be angry and he made some comments venting at me which is ok because again I understand he has issues however he started going off on another musician friend of mine to the point where I thought there was going to be punches thrown so I stepped in and got them to cool off. Unfortunately Shawn could never find peace he kept up with his negative comments and disruptive behavior. He ended up getting the act that was playing before we had our last set to say they could not deal with the negative energy so they packed up and called it a night. As bobby and me were getting up on stage Shawn announced that he was going to play lead guitar with us he is a good metal guitarist but not to good at sitting in on original music. I let him play with us he was only loud enough for us to hear and I did not want the night to end in another battle. We ripped into the set and after two songs Shawn realized that it was not working to put it mildly and if his intention was to fluster me or freak me out that was not working either so he stopped and left the stage. Meanwhile we ripped into another song and finished a scorching set. I say this with confidence because the audience at that point was several musicians and they took the time to thank us for the set and the performance this is the ultimate compliment for a fellow musician. In one more bizarre twist Shawn was recording the whole thing with his video recorder so maybe we will have some new video to put up on the site. He said he was going to check it out so I guess the moral of this tale is tolerance are we listening in Washington???????jon important to listen.... March 2, 2010, 6:17 am ---- the above needs to be re-iterated.many ask how we stay so well informed.simple,always listening.Jon has laid down the gauntlet for upcoming generations-it is very important to study multiple views before coming to your own conclusions.it doesn't just stop at politics,this is good advice for any endeavor! among my friends i have ultra liberals(like myself),moderates,ultra-conservatives,etc,etc....it is always good to hear their view and why they think the way they do.does it radically alter my view-sometimes.most of the time it is a respectful listening and understanding.on a different note entirely-i have a couple of tunes,that i would like to work on-Jon you want to work on it via e-mail?peace to you all,T can you feel time? February 28, 2010, 6:55 am ---- slow pendulum,heart beat vibration.can we feel time?what would it be like for an immortal to become mortal.there would probably be an instant where the time of this short travel would be felt,a time of great pain.can we feel time?we see this face in the mirror every day-not much change,yet those that have not seen us for years,see it so easily.time can we feel it,the slow pendulum that is a mere wink to a boulder.we move,we eat,we talk,we shit-what do we REALLY DO! that is one question everyone must answer.times crush is felt when your heart enjoys what you do and there is so little of it(time)peace,T.... your/my breath.... February 27, 2010, 12:23 pm ---- what is the difference between your breath and mine?a universe will set us apart in life,yet as we lay dying,the same out breath and noise will occur.your breath is moisture,creating clouds and weather systems.your breath is billowed thought across membranes in the ear.your breath is the coo of a mother to a child,and the rant of a murderer.what is the difference between your breath and mine?in the end we shall mimic the cosmos,breathing out,to create yet again!peace,T Open Apology.... February 26, 2010, 9:26 am ---- You may wonder why I have not posted as much as of late. For this I apologize to everyone and foremost my brother Jon.Most of the time,I would consider myself an optimist.There are times,however of late this has not been so.Though the great wheel has not changed much-I am seeing outside of this.After all who am I to be negative to be a pessimist? In doing so,I fight my own nature.This post today serves as a general apology.More posts of my traditional nature will be upcoming.I hope you enjoy them?peace,T solo.... February 25, 2010, 10:39 am ---- Jon that is fantastic! For those that don't know,Jon easily does solo performances with the same fire,passion,and great playing and energy he does with other players.We had a humble start Jon and I,playing so many years ago for quarters in San.Fran. Jon on guitar,me on harmonica.The heart and soul of this band is my bro-Jon!peace,T we are who we choose to be February 24, 2010, 9:03 pm ---- I was on my way to pick up Bobbie last night for our Tuesday night gig at South Shores Tavern Bobby called me before I got to his house to tell me that he was not going to make the gig. Apparently he was in Orlando or Miami in other words he might as well have been on the moon he was not going to make the gig. Having known Bobbie for awhile now I was not surprised and really not even mad that he did not take the time to call me earlier in the day to let me know so that I could make other plans but That is who Bobby is he lives for the moment in his own world. I decided to do the gig by myself so I headed off to South Shores set up the P.A. and played a few tunes and it went really well I was even able to jam with some of the other musicians who were there for the open mike. In the end it turned out to be a great night and It gave me a boost of confidence to be able to play solo it had been awhile since my last solo gig. This will surely happen again with Bobby because that is who he chooses to be but Shadow Screamers is going to keep moving ahead and who knows maybe one day I will move on and not look back at who is left behind because that is who I will choose to be........jon time is wasted????? February 23, 2010, 4:00 pm ---- So who is gonna stand?????? who will fall????? These are the days of incredible potential laid before us in this most divided of countries the united states of amerika. How and why did we let it go this far???? We are to blame and we are responsible for the mess we have laid before our children's feet. Yet we can make things better we can meet on common ground yet we still don't know who will stand and who will fall........jno dreams February 22, 2010, 8:19 pm ---- gazing thru hazy windows as they shatter like my broken past I fly upon the wings of angels letting go of thoughts I cannot grasp. wisdom, insight, a peace in my heart evade me as I desperately try to make sense of this disconnected world I live in. Am I that far off the pace or did I never find the point where I should start. Time is a speck in my mind as yesterday crawls away and tomorrow slams into the creeping dawn full of endless possibilities, potential lies naked before my eyes tempting me with visions of grandeur and conquest fulfilling all the empty promise that I fabricate in my dreams over and over again............jon valid February 21, 2010, 3:09 pm ---- I am just a cog in the wheel of humanity but none the less I do exist and I do have a voice. I am a cog in the wheel of humanity but my opinion is valid in that I have taken the time to use my mind and voice it. Are you taking the time?????????noj times will be tougher,how do we prepare? February 21, 2010, 2:34 pm ---- can you withstand what is upon you?can you flow and not break with the dire times?times across this planet are tough.how do you prepare yourself for these fast moving times?there is much that you can do that we will examine here soon.by all means add,on the Fan Journal.things by all accounts will be tougher in the upcoming years,let us discuss this openly.more soon.peace,T great song Mayer February 20, 2010, 11:33 am ---- In the past on this web site I have trashed John Mayer the heartthrob pop singer for some of his songs but I just heard a tune of his for the first time I think it's called "Heartbreak Warfare". I think it is an excellent piece as a song writer myself it has all that you could ask for great lyrics, excellent melody and structure, good solo and it fits his voice perfectly. I am bringing this up because as boisterous and outspoken as I am on this site I always try to keep an open mind. I do listen to other perspectives and try not to judge completely for or against all the issues and people that I am confronted in this journey of exploration called life. I am far from perfect and a work in progress but as I said yesterday we all need to step back and loosen the reigns that hold us firmly to what shaped our lives and convictions. So many of the important issues we are facing as parents, workers, citizens are not nearly as black and white as those who have a self serving agenda will have us believe. if we take the time to step back and say I need to dig a little deeper while opening our incredible minds to other perspectives then maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle on many of the issues that so strongly divide this country. This is just my personal opinion what is yours?????????jon
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