Patience is Everything!

"I learn it daily, learn it with pain to which I am grateful: patience is everything!” - Rainer Rilke


   I'm not sure what instilled in me an abundant respect for the value of patience, but somewhere between the "millions of years" talk of science, and the evidence of slow, inexorable processes that give rise to the wonders of our world, I have to to believe that almost anything is possible with patience.  


   Armed with a grasp (and acceptance of) musical theory as well as Alfred's "Teach yourself Chords and Progressions":

   I am in the market for a cheapie keyboard to begin the piano-playing portion of my musical life - I'm lookin' at you, craigslist.  While I respect the value of patience for self-teaching, I know learning is much more efficient with a guide, so I am also in the market for a piano player willing to trade piano lessons for drum lessons.

   In the drum world, I've been working up speed, strength, and endurance by practicing on a pillow along to an aforementioned mix of thirty-six songs I have learned to play since I started drums and which best represent the upper boundaries of my skills.  I started working on feet paradiddles, playing RLRR LRLL on my feet with assorted hand rhythms on top of that.  I love finding something new to tackle, that I can slowly whittle away at until it fits in my pocket and I can pull it out when the inspiration demands.

   Also brimming with patient energy and self-taught passion is my Candice Chetta, who recently finished the seventh and last in a series of Chakra paintings.  For a person who never went to an art class, I am more proud than I can describe of my pretty lady.  Amazing samples of the series:

Sing Out

   Also seen at her blog are some great photos of last week's Blizzageddon from our apartment window.  Three feet of snow never looked so good!

   More to come, stay posted!

Woodshedding

   The snow pelts the outside world and I am one of the few blessed enough not forced to brave the bitter cold right away.  The white-branched trees and grey sky are the perfect backdrop to talk about Woodshedding.
   Woodshedding is sometimes defined simply as "practice", but a more accurate definition would involve the "locking away" of a musician for the purposes of growing his or her skills in solitude and without distraction.

   One Summer in Sacramento, after I had been playing drums for a few years I asked my mom and brother, both of whom had learned guitar earlier in life, to show me some chords.  Mom showed me the shapes of G, E minor, C, and D chords on the fretboard.  My brother showed me how to read tabs, a simplified guitar music, and with these tools I effectively locked myself into the room of where our internet lived, not leaving save for food, bathroom and sleep.

   Sadly, it didn't last the whole Summer but the experience of working hard alone - patiently, calmly, grabbing every small gain - and to walk out of that room with a completely new set of cemented skills I won't soon forget.  Nor will I forget the joy of showing off my new skills.  These were skills I had worked for; These were skills for the first time worth sacrificing for, and I realized the payoff is only proportional to the sacrifice.

   I imagine that for most, finding something worth sacrificing for would be the hardest part.  Though I also have a feeling that a good number of people know deep down what is worth sacrificing for but lack the self-esteem to try it out, even just once.  I would call on people everywhere to give themselves a chance to do one creative thing "they've always wanted to do", just once.  For a gold star.  Take a beginner's dance class.  Try your hand at watercolor, writing, singing, just for the experience of trying.  You might find something worth woodshedding.

   For more info on info, check out eHow.com, just in case you were curious about how to do or learn ANYTHING.

Happy New Years, you Millennium Tween, you.

Boy, Vincent D'Onofrio sure does look like Vince Vaughn.  That's confusing.  Sorry, Criminal Intent is on.
Hey, it's the New Year!  Go Gregorian Number Change!  Time for new beginnings and projects!  And I'm feeling it this year.


In the pipeline:
   A very talented group of guys with which to play music.  I spent the five-hour flights to and from California building a playlist of music that originally inspired me to play music, music that I actively practice to, and music that represents a sound I would be proud to make.  I am constraining myself to one song per band, straining my active listening skills for the aspects that speak to me.  
   The guys and I are planning a listening party to share our respective mix CDs, just like the old days.  I remember my mother (sorry, Mom) telling me stories about she and her friends getting together to sit around to listen to the newly dropped White Album as a shared experience.  I suppose the "sharing" of music, facilitated by the intarwebz has become an easier, but isolated experience.  Bringin' it back.
   Also brought back has been my interest in the piano.  Lucky enough to have an upright piano in my childhood house, I can remember plinking along, about seven or eight years old, mystified that certain combinatons of keys just sounded  better. 
   At this past trip to California I looked through my brother's Complete Beatles Songbook, calling on dusty music theory and logic to slowly piece together "Oh Darling!" and "Let It Be", run scales and attempt to coordinate my fingers (I'm in fact typing like Mavis Beacon taught me.  Again with the back-bringing).  So I'm Looking for an ivory tickler who would trade piano lessons for drum lessons.  If you know anybody, pass it on.  Theenks.


In the present:
   Call me a sucker, I can't help make a resolution for the New Year.  I know, I know, the true meaning of the New Year has been marred by the resolutionifying of the season - thanks, big Greeting Cards - but whataya gon'do?
   I'm staring inefficient time management, one of my nagging weaknesses down the barrel, and I want it "taken 
care of", if you know what I mean.  My work schedule for now allows for an early rise and early nights  except for possible shows, so I'm shooting for a blog per day, practice at least five days per week, eventually three meetings with The Guys per week.  


So them's the plans for the next few.  As for everything else:
   The kitties are great, as can be seen on display and for sale at Candice Chetta's Etsy:

Lokian Judas

Curious Benny

 

Also seen at The Candice Chetta is the growing "Chakra" series:

Grounded

Embraced Sensuality

Currently raising the property value of our walls - until they sell, that is - this beautiful series has been Chetta's work since the layoff, which I'm counting as a blessing in disguise.  I am very proud of all the hard work and long hours my lady has been putting in, in spite of the emotional tumult of losing a job that caused so much emotional tumult.

   

   Life has happened hard this past year.  We've survived so far and I'm ready to get my hands on the wheel and push the gas down.  I just hope the same for everybody else.

Knight to Rookie's six.

   My first time playing music with Hash Brown was about forty minutes long, in an apartment, I on a snare drum and slip-sliding Bass drum.  It went well enough, so we played again.  The second jam was shut down by an irate super in an apartment surrounded (almost) exclusively by fellow musicians.

   Finally we wised up and rented a practice space in Prospect Heights, at Complete Music Studios Inc.  It was a fantastic space, with plent of room and a full back line - very classy.

   The jam went very well.  Grabbed a few snippets for possible future tunes.  At least I got to stretch my limbs and rock for the first time in about a month and a half - I hadn't realized how antsy and irritable I get without some sort of workout, musical or otherwise.  Hash's advice was "play what you feel."

   Lessons are going very well.  The challenge posed by transcribing music is similar to the challenge posed by getting back on a skateboard after years of bipedal movement.  The flags on my eighth notes are a little wonky and the quarter rests seem big to me, but otherwise points seem to be getting across.  

   Concepts of muscle memory are hard for me to put in to words - in my mind, at least, the point of practicing music is to attain mastery without thought so performance comes as through the performer, as movement happening through a body.  A body creating movement takes so much energy - the force required to start a body moving is greater than the force required to keep a body in motion moving.  

   Steve Sweet's Breukelen Jest Comedy Night was a freakin' smash.  Shout out to all the comics who entertained - hilarity ensued, even when rim shots were not forthcoming.  Wine flowed freely and the back space of Breukelen Coffee House converted beautifully into an open space for a stage, PA, and lighting:  

   Possible prospects, as always, are on the horizon.  Keep eyes and ears open for booking possibilities in the area.  If you, your friends, your local coffeeperson or bartender is looking to play out solo or with a band, I may have a space available in the near future.  Loose lips make blips - spread the word and keep your feelers out.  We'll talk soon.