Wednesday is Hospital Day and the Art of Playing for an Empty Room.

We love playing in the hospital. It's become a set part of our week. I love the going there, the walk and then the time we have. For many in the small audience we draw this is the last music they will be listening to. And it has taught us the Art of Playing for an Empty Room



Often we sit alone and play to the hallway bells, alarms and rushing footfall. They're too tired but they still hear, still experience the vibration of Sean the Harp and my hands' intention. It's important to never forget that this is about what needs to be done but it's challenging having no one to 'directly' play to.



Today is such a day.



And on days like this I remind myself: 'Always play the best you can,You never know who's listening.'

Cause the world is like a big ear, everything is heard and how do you want your contribution to this to be like? Do you want it to sound like it had your full attention or are you okay with a half attempt?



It means: Doing the best I can always under any circumstances. It means playing stuff we love with the stuff that needs my full attention. It means making sure there's no jarring in the flow; we don't jump from F to D in one felt swoop but travel neatly over C and G before arriving, or use the relative minor so: C major A minor end in A major and then go to D. But I'm aware that too much harmonic movement at once in an empty hallway can be too much. Above all it means: to be present and attentive so that whoever is listening/hearing me will know I'm playing my truth.



Playing in the hospital has made me a more caring and humane musician. It has helped me let go of ego and preconceptions about audiences. It has made me hone my craft and develop my voice. It has taught me about the power of sound and magic we weave with it, the support relief and respite it can give,



An empty room never is just that. I listen to the French Horn player practising as I walk back up the hill. He's pretty good and getting better I know cause he practises with open windows every day. It's familiar and good. He touches me like we get touch others. It's a miracle!



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In the evening when I look back over the footage of the day I'm struck by the beauty of 'Carolan's Farewell to Music'...I sit and listen and drift and hear and feel and...when it's over it's like a spell has been broken.



'That's pretty stunning,' the Gardener says after a while.



'I agree,' I say.



We love playing in the hospital

On collaborations and what's the message. Notes on: 'I got a new phone Video 2 'The Flauting Harper''

I've been talking and thinking a lot about taking more control of what it is that I do and the message I'm putting out there. Or better what message I'm not putting out there.

I've always been first and foremost been ,interested in the creative process. As in the creative process of life itself, the daily practise of a practice or to be better at anything and everything specifically: becoming better at the things that make me a better person, in my case music, writing, walking, living.

In the artistic endeavours it often ends up being about ego's which is really unfortunate. I have my moments, being of an artistic temperament so when it hurts it really hurts and when I'm convinced I can be cruel. This is something I have to continually work on, be aware of. The best way to deal with this kind of behaviour for me is not to hang too much importance on the outcome but to focus on the process, the ebb and flow, cyclic nature of the work that I do.

Some days are good. Some days are bad. But all days are something and every day there's something that can be learned, created, experienced or seen and therefor can be celebrated.

My experience in working with second parties doesn't have a great track record. Don't get me wrong some collaborations have been and are very successful for example 'Gifted Eccentrics' which is my collaboration with the writer/poet/novelist Christina Pisco. But mostly the collaborations in the world of music for me have nearly all been tragic. 

For me the process of music seems to be a solo endeavour. I work on it every day. Every day I engage with the process of being a musician and I try and get the best out of who I am and what I'm working on. And it looks like that is what I'm good at or just haven't done enough of yet. But I do have times where I feel that something is finished and when that happens I want to be able to put it to bed.

This is where so far collaborations seems difficult. Cause of course sound engineers and studio runners are engaged in their own creative process, they hear things that they would like to develop or they think they want their audiences to hear. But that is not what I'm interested in. I'm just interested in logging the work that I've done. All I want is what I do at that moment because it's finished as it is. If it is going to ever have another lease of life I still want this version, the one I'm doing right now, to be recorded for posterity so I, me as the person doing it can move on. 

And so the visions end up clashing and the work ends up never exactly the way I want it and so I remain unsatisfied, sometimes unable to move on or put things to bed.

There's no blame or faults it's just a learning curve. And what I've learned is:

My vision and understanding of what it is that I want to achieve no matter how well worded is often not felt or understood by others. And their passion for my work can 'never' equal mine.

And the solution to this problem is to stop trying to explain and get other people to do the work and start doing it yourself. 

And that is where I am now. Added to my practise of my practice (music, harp, song, sound meditations etc) is the work to create regular documents of the process so I can put my work to bed and move on do new things.

For now the message is: take control, if you're not happy with what others are hearing and seeing in your work, go do it yourself.

And on that note here's another one of these documents...

I have
I have a new phone
I put it on my stand
and I play to it
talk to it
then smile and
forget about it
again

Shy
I don't like anyone
to know
not yet
I hide
in shadows and evenings
warm ups and daily practise
I stare
roll my eyes
unaware
uneasy
unready
shrug

Stolen moments with sheep
butterfly
and either the 4th or 5th Coote
they were both called Charles
become eater memory card
I'm no listening
I'm just playing
learning
playing
with my toys...

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Sooooo chuffed, here is the second video in the Flauting Harper Series...it was shot with the first ever footage on my SamsungS5. Lots and lots to learn still for sure and the dialogue definitely needs some work but... hey here is what I made.

Video 1: Listening to Sean the Harp Tune

Whenever we get unpacked there's a bit of tuning that needs to be done. Sometimes it's more than other times. Some days it is different every time, some days he's happy and stable. How we travel, temperature and humidity, where we are all have their say in his temperament.


Tuning is all about listening and hearing.


I tune in fifths downwards and octaves up and down, followed by a scale and a chord sequence up and down to hear if there's anything that I didn't hear. Doing it daily makes me pretty adapt at it. But some days are better than others. Ears are far from reliable when you take into account invisibles like air- and blood-pressure.


This afternoon I was playing my last ward for the afternoon and had just unpacked Sean the Harp. He'd just been brought from a warm office, outside through the halls into a warm dining room.
Listening back to this tuning sequence, there's a problem or two three in the lowest octave. It stems from the relationship of the a'  (440 Hz) b' and c' (the a b and c above middle c).
The upper half of the harp (notably the highest e and g) has been giving me trouble. So the lower half doesn't always get the attention it deserves.


My ears hear all, multi-tracking distractions, while my eyes lead on the fingers patterning chords around red and blue strings.
By the time we come to a' the ears are tuning in, waiting, reaching, for that minor third at the top, the unfulfilled disappointment of a sunken g plummeting from the top of the root position C major.


The top turns out to be fine.


If I were my teacher I would say:


Relax the fifth, pinkies, more. Especially in the improvisation  the more energy goes into digits that aren't playing the more tension sits in the hand.

Support the left wrist more: relax the wrist more inwards and have a strong frame so the underarm can be more horizontal.


In general try and sit better. So on the front of the sitting bones, with a strong core  and long spine. Relax the neck upwards.


Everyday practise makes us learn something every day. Also some things we need to be reminded of every day, sometimes even as often as we can be reminded of them.




Live and learn. :)

Alfredo Ortiz: From Daily Pactice February 2015

Look what I found. My warped and wonderful Alfredo Ortiz (I hope he agrees) from my daily practice in February 2015.

Elly the harp didn't pick up as well as I had hoped she would which led to a long search for how to do it better only to figure out that clever positioning is half the work.

I live and learn.

Documentary on the Jerusalem Way

The Jerusalem Way,
Three Austrians walked for 7000 km and connected Finesterra with Jerusalem… Their inspiration: peace.

https://youtu.be/M1RRRCflBJI


Added comment 22 May 2016:

They are of course heroes but definitely not pioneers.

This is Where We Start

This is where we start. Right here on the hill in Clon, today.

Where to go from here?

This is my home. I love here, the energy, the familiarity, what we do …but… but… But I need to travel still.

My journey isn't done and my circumstances are changing. The child (my wonderful daughter) is no longer just the child. She's grown into her so she wants to do her things and I agree, life is for living. Now that she's getting ready for the next part of life, she needs to learn to fly. My role is one of support, I'm on standby. I regain my physical freedom.

So what does that mean? Does it mean I can go and do things I keep saying I can't do because… Does it mean I don't need to be anywhere really?

If I could go anywhere where would I go?

My wish is:

• To walk from here to Jerusalem, Rome and back to Santiago. To finish the journey I started in 2010 when I walked from here to Santiago.

*To walk through Asia, from here to Beijing or maybe Seoul?

There are more but I think these will do for now…

Both are more or less impossible and therefore qualify. Let's start with the Jerusalem journey. I have no money to do it with and I'll be bringing my harp Sean. I've calculated that walking to Jerusalem would take about 7 months. Realistically that means 8 to 12 months.

I've been thinking about this for a while and the Dream is to go up the Rhine down the Danube to Istanbul. Cross Turkey diagonally, Iraque, Jordan.

Too crazy! But this is it. I believe, I believe we can do anything. I believe I can achieve anything.
My dream is to inspire myself to fulfill as much of my potential as I can with what is left of my life. And I believe that everything we need to fulfill our potential is right there at any time. Now it may not always be obvious but the universe likes the shortest route. Yes, it does.

What does that believe mean? It means that I'm willing to not worry too much about what is going to happen next. I'm not going to worry about where the money is going to come from,where I'll be staying,what can go wrong… I'll be focusing on opportunities, on keeping it simple, getting it done, walking, music, gratitude and the people I meet cause they are the elements that will help me succeed…

I am aware that there are problems in the middle east, I'm aware of ISIS and I'm aware of the political fragility of the region.

All that is left now is to set a date and figure out what I can do between now and then to help myself increasing the odds of succeeding.

My gut is saying : 'Leave in February'… But I'd it February 2016 or 2017?

October Conclusion

Looking back over October how did I get on?

I loved the walking and playing in West Cork. It's hard to describe the feeling of putting my feet in front of the other, one after the other, after the other. The wind, the sound of the road, traffic, friendly and difficult... ...to find your balance on the tarmac, poured to always make you hips feel out of whack. 

So I was disappointed when I started dithering when the weather got bad. Part is that I don't really know how to walk in bad weather. And to say I have to go out on a day of wet and cold just doesn't work. I would never deliberately choose to do something that difficult (it goes directly against... ...everything... when it's cold I try and make sure to stay warm!). And another part is that I tend to make decisions as I go, with my gut: this feels right, lets do it... ...And my gut is always right.... I'm always being pointed in the right direction, so to plan so rigidly... ... ...this is going to be an issue.... A logistical issue for the the traveling on foot musician. How can I work on hard dates for destinations if I'm dependent on the weather?

Another thing I learned is that it is important to connect better with people. I found myself shy and uncomfortable. Unable to just chat, to share and to relax. The answer of course lies in being around people more, practice playing and talking to the audience more. Also it didn't always seem clear why I do what I do. 'I want to make money with my music,' is still an uncouth thought. 

I would however would like to try and do it again. Maybe start planning a walk through West Cork in Spring, from April onwards... ....maybe prepare a little bit more. Do less worrying and more actual organizing, more networking. 

The idea of playing harp for another audience besides the ones that want background music or entertainment resulted in me making contact with the local care homes. So far the response has been great. I've been visiting one home twice for an hour playing tunes and singing some songs. The next one I called have asked me to come and do an afternoon next month and the Community Hospital has a place for a Community Music opportunity. I've had my first interview and am waiting for an appointment for a try out. If I get through that I need to go through vetting and then I may or may not have a job on the other side of it. 

I'm looking forward to the try out and I'm looking forward to exploring music I wouldn't otherwise play. And I'm astonished and grateful for the 100% positive response to this offer of me playing for the elderly.

As for making money... ...that still seems to be elusive. Hopefully next month... ...

A positive month so... ...I'm grateful for all I have... ...