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.