One Man Mormon Blues Band: Journal

"Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God
and the permissible delights of the soul."
Johannes Sebastian Bach

Let’s try to play together today. How about we try this number from a few months ago. You take the lead, I’ll play accompaniment.

That was good. Isn’t it interesting how easily a number is played when you haven’t played it for awhile? And isn’t it fun to play together? Two people making music together is one of the joys in life that only a select few experience. But there is something more to be learned in playing this duet.

Those who nurture music must learn to provide background music. Just as an accompanist must play to the soloist and provide the background without being obtrusive. The soloist doesn’t sound interesting alone. But if the accompanist stands out too much, it distracts from the performance as a whole. How does one accomplish this? The background volume must not be too loud. But if it is played too softly, the soloist's notes will not have a pleasing harmony. If the accompaniment comes in too early, it will harm the soloist's sound. All the skills of the musician must be called into play when playing accompaniment, but they must be directed towards making someone else look good. The ego must be gone. The trick is to play so that the performance is pleasing and the soloist receives the credit. Of course, the soloist, and other musicians, know the importance of the accompanist's contribution.

I have a friend who is a painter. I watched him working once and watched as he laid down a solid canvas of blue. That was to be the sky, and the painting was going to be mostly about sky. The sky filling the upper two thirds of the painting. Then he began to fill in the other colors of the sky and rough out the shapes of the foreground with the colors reflected from the sky. The colors in the sky influenced the colors and hues of the foreground. Slowly the scene took shape as he used broad brush strokes with heavy oil on the foreground, and smooth, seamless brush strokes for the sky . . . .

In the same way, the accompanist lays down the background color that is to dominate the song. The soloist adds the detail. One of the things the background artist must consider is how the sound is heard when it is played next to another note because every sound has a different color depending on the sound next to it. Sometimes coming in early or late can change the whole color of the melody. Sometimes when the melody is choppy and the background must remain seamless. The parts go together to make the whole, and the nuances of change the accompanist makes are an integral part of the whole.

You see, when you become the teacher and the parent, it is your job to make the student look good. It becomes your turn to arrange the background and the support so that the child can succeed. Now the child is the one struggling with the lessons you have mastered: tune, melody, discipline, taste and collaboration. This is very serious art! For you are no longer just making music. Now you are making a person! Can you see why learning the music was so important these many lessons ago?

Love and marriage, love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage.
Dad was told by Mother,
You can't have one without the other.
Sammy Cahn

The mature artists stride onto the stage, erect, bold, and with confidence. They play through, even when mistakes are made. They acknowledge applause with grace and sincere dignity, giving credit to those who accompany them. Though carriage may be misconstrued as arrogance the audience quickly comes to the realization that these are masters of music

But what should a teacher look like? Remember, this is someone who now wishes to nurture the next generation. Of course, the teacher must be confident and sure of self. But the teacher needs to move with economy of motion, a sureness that comes from long experience. All must be accomplished in a gentler manner, one that will not intimidate the student. The teacher no longer needs to prove his expertise. It is now his role to inspire confidence in others.

By the time a musician has become a teacher, he will have become what he will become. Anyone who cares to look closely will see the grace and bearing of the musicians training. His carriage will inspire trust and confidence in others, not just as a musician, but as a person. The musician's ego has been satisfied as to who they are. He is no longer concerned with categories, styles, pigeonholes or rank. It is time for you to realize what you are. Those with eyes to see, let them see.

Soft as some song divine, thy story flows.
Homer

"Once upon a time . . . ." These may be the most powerful words in the English language. They compel the listener to be involved in a story, and stories fulfill our dreams while teaching us how the world works. Through stories we can know the meaning of events. In living life, we are always in the middle of events and cannot know their final meaning until later. But in stories, we can see the end, determine a moral, and glimpse the meaning. There can be closure. Stories compel us through time and space in a way that's similar to life, but yet very different. The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner begins, “There was a ship . . . .”, and the men on the way to the wedding can do nothing but stop and listen to the old man.

What has this to do with music? As you turn your attention to teaching and composing, you need to realize that you are telling stories, and your stories have meaning that perhaps you never even intended. That is because stories mean different things to every listener. What is heard depends as much on the listener's experience as on what the teller has to say. Each listener hears a different story. Now, the same is true of your music and your lessons. Every student learns different lessons, and they are often not even the lessons that you thought you'd taught. Every song you write will mean something different to every listener because communications requires a sender and a receiver. The process is not complete until both sender and receiver come together to complete the story.

The living of your life tells a story. Your story, set to music, becomes an opera.

"People create their own questions because they are afraid to
look straight. All you have to do is look straight and see
the road, and when you see it, don't sit looking at it - walk."
Ayn Rand

Today, let’s begin by hearing you play your assignment.

That was well done, and you got the difficult part in the middle much better this week. Maybe we should put this music aside for awhile and start a new piece. But, tell me, where do you practice and when?

Why do I ask? I guess I ask because I believe that we all play the way we practice. You sound very soft, tentative, and unsure of yourself even though you are doing very well. I would guess that you practice in your room, with the door closed, and very softly so no one will hear. Let me tell you about something that was hard for me to learn.

When I first started teaching music, I wanted to be a good teacher. I worked long hours in preparation and thought carefully about what I was doing so that I could help my students. I tried all kinds of new things in the classroom thinking it would help my students learn. But it became obvious to me that some of my students didn’t like me and didn’t appreciate how I was teaching. I worked even harder. I questioned my techniques and abilities. I tried being nice and making things easier. To my surprise, some students actually acted even worse towards me. I became a bit defensive and unsure of myself. I even thought about quitting.

It has taken several years, but I eventually made a discovery that is obvious, yet obscure. Not everyone will like me and appreciate what I do. Most of the time their reasons have nothing to do with me personally. It may be that they are trying to achieve some kind of advantage. They may be having personal problems and I am their scapegoat. They may struggle with authority, or sense a weakness in me that they think they can exploit. In the case of a college classes, they are often doing poorly because of their own study habits, but they feel a need to focus blame elsewhere. It may even be that they sincerely disagree with me. Of course, there are many issues upon which reasonable people can disagree!

At the same time, I discovered that there were others in the class who appreciated what I did. They learned and made progress. Through experience with them I learned to have confidence in my ability, preparation, judgment, skill, and desire. I don’t suppose we are ever completely able to ignore criticism. It wouldn't even be wise if we could because so often we can learn from our mistakes. Making mistakes is a major avenue of learning. But when criticized, we come to the realization that much of it is based on other situations and is groundless.

You are wondering what all this has to do with your practice sessions. Let's bring it together. You have decided to play your instrument. You have decided to play a song. You have prepared the best you could in the time available. Now, no matter the instrument, the song, or the preparation, someone isn’t going to like what you do. They might even make fun of, or criticize, what you do. How they respond probably has nothing to do with you, your instrument, your song or preparation. It is simply them. The fact is that many of music’s greatest critics are people who cannot play an instrument or sing a song, and they have never even tried to stand in front of a group of people and do so. There is no reason for you to be timid!

Death is one of the things men fear most. As I have talked to older people, I find that many fear their own death less than they fear losing a loved one. The loss of another person who has been dear in your life is one of life’s main challenges. But the only way to avoid such pain and heartbreak is to never love. I believe most people wouldn't want that trade off. Without personal relationships, life would be far less fulfilling. Now, the same is true of our personal passions and activities. Would we give these up simply because we fear rejection or criticism? The only way to avoid criticism and rejection is to never play before others.

I love the bag pipes. Their sound can increase my heart rate and send funny feelings through my stomach. I know not everyone appreciates their wailing call and base drones. In my mind I have analyzed my attraction, and one of the things I believe attracts me to their sound is "boldness". When we hear the pipes, it's almost impossible to imagine anything other than a person standing erect, eyes straight forward, bold and brave. Whether in battle, sorrow, or joy, the piper plays with conviction. There may be cannon shells going off and men being hewn down by sword, claymore and pike. But the piper plays on.

There are things in life worth dying for, but consider this; there are things in life worth living for. Play your instrument. Practice with boldness. Sing out your song. Some will laugh or criticize, but it will never be those who have attempted it themselves. Those that love you never will. Let yours be the music of conviction! Many others will take heart and courage, and will follow your piping into battle.

"Like nuclear energy, which can be used to destroy an entire
city, or to furnish all the energy requirements of that same city,
music too is a neutral force - and its ultimate effects, for good
or evil, may not be at all dissimilar in their potency
to those of nuclear energy."
David Tame

Have you ever wondered why people want to pay money to watch another person stand on stage and wiggle their fingers? That is what people do when they pay to watch what most musicians do. Why would people come to listen to you play? Maybe they come because some musicians sing or dance to make it more visually exciting. But many people seem willing to watch musicians play when there is nothing else to see. What makes the difference between the ones that we will pay to see and the ones we won’t?

Often it's those who care about us personally who are willing to come and sit through our recitals, helping us, and supporting us to improve simply because they care about us. But some musicians have developed a sense of energy that comes from their sound that is truly compelling! Though they may not move much physically, there is a kind of motion, and emotion, about their music that attracts us and the truth is, if the energy isn’t there, we don’t enjoy the music. We say such music has life, soul, or feeling.

Probably one of the earliest lessons of life discovered by man was that dead things don’t breath. The ancient Latin term spiritus referred to the breath of life that presumable leaves when an organism dies. The Latin root animus, which later became animal and animation, referred to the absence of motion by the dead. In a more recent concept taken from the space fairy tale Star Wars, we talk about the “force” being with us. How do these concepts relate to music? Just as it is hard to define the essence of life, it is also very hard to explain what it is about some music that makes it forcefully come alive. What is this elusive, mystical energy that attracts and excites?

When you are able to capture some of that energy in your music, you reach a new stage of musicianship. Then finally, at that higher level of teacher or parent, you have a new challenge. How can you harness your energy and transmit it to your students? How can you excite them to want what you know? How do you inspire them to practice, think, analyze, create, and play their music with energy? How do you teach with the force of your music?

Each musician must find his own energy source. Each student must learn to do the same. And, would you believe that even energy comes with practice? The trick might be in knowing what to practice. I don't always remember to do the things I should to have energy. But when I do, the energy is more likely to be there. And what is it that I do? One tangible tool is to rehearse my lessons before I give them. I even imagine myself giving the lessons with energy, excitement and enthusiasm!

I imagine myself, not giving a lecture, but spewing my ideas, thoughts and skills rapidly and with excitement. Somewhere I once read that an orator should “spray paint” his speech, like a vandal would apply graffiti. He should know beforehand exactly what the message is, and work quickly, maybe looking over one's shoulder, with the adrenalin rushing. Surely, if what we have to say or play is worthwhile, it must challenge authority just a little.

As I watch my children become parents and wonder how they can meet the demands of their little families, I have become convinced that the first pre-requisite for parenthood is energy. Children arrive with many facets of their personalities in place, and many abilities somewhat preconceived. If a young parent makes a few mistakes and lacks a little long term wisdom , it seems to cause no permanent damage to the normal child. But the amount of energy it takes to nurture and care for a child is enormous.

Parents often seem to spray their energy around like cans of spray paint: changing a diaper, caring for a bruised knee, reading a story, laughing at a funny story, and preparing meal. When these activities are done in love and the joy of the family, out of all the frantic mess, in the happy loving home, comes a wildly-exciting kind of energy. This energy attracts and compels, fascinates and exhausts. It is a dance of busy fingers that I would gladly pay money to see.

"When I use the word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone,
"it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
Lewis Carroll

When I was learning, like you, my teacher was always concerned about my “tone”. To tell the truth, at the time I wasn’t always sure what that meant. But now, as I try to teach others, I can hear them play with different tones. Listen. On the guitar you get different tones depending upon where you pluck the strings. See how it sounds more like a harp when I strum above the sound hole, and more metallic when I strum below the sound hole? If you use a pick the tone is different than if you use your fingers. Even the stiffness of the pick you use changes your tone and two people achieve different tones depending on the way they hold the pick.

With each instrument tone is achieved through subtle efforts by the musician. Violins, cellos and other bowed instruments all require a lot of bow practice to achieve good tone. For piano, a percussion instrument, good tone depends on subtle skills developed in striking the keys. I always thought as a youngster that if I plucked the right string and pushed down at the right fret, that was I needed to do. But now I hear tones, and recognize how they are achieved.

Tone is to sound what hue is to color. There is more than one hue of red. But tone is even more subtle than shades of a color. It is like the same shades of red, but one is warm and the other is cold, so intensities are involved. I don't know much about the techniques used by visual artists. But I have examined paintings and can tell you when they are warm, accepting, and inviting; or when they are cold and distant. The artist is able to choose the correct “tone” for the subject.

Tone is to sound what feelings are to life. Just as one can play music correctly, but without emotion, one can live correctly, but without emotion. As a teacher listening to someone's music, it is obvious when this occurs. When a student is just plucking a string, I can't hear or feel an emotion. Just the mechanics come through. When the note evokes feelings, that is tone.

A lot of life is about emotion. We often agonize over good and bad judgment, right and wrong, when what matters most is the way we feel about something. Lacking all the information we need to make an important decision, we often base our decisions on gut feelings. Our decisions are often not based on the facts of the matter. They are based on how things are perceived. Perceptions are colored by emotions. For example, someone says something that hurts our feelings. It doesn't matter what the facts are. What matters is what we think we heard.

So it becomes important that as you become the teacher, you are aware of the range of emotions experienced by humans and are sensitive to how your students feel. When they feel accepted, good and successful, they will play with pure tone. You will be able to hear their joy. When the tone is not good look at their lives, not their technique and skills. Beginners are unable to pay attention to detailed nuances when they do not have good feelings inside. By contrast, experienced musicians may be able to play a pure tone from habit. But in this case a curious thing happens. The playing of pure tone can create in the musician a feeling of purity and peace that otherwise not have been there.

Do you see? First you must have the feelings to learn good tone. But once you have learned the skill to produce that sound, then your skill allows you to make the sound which produces the feelings. What is even better, you will be able to produce the emotion, not only in yourself, but in the lives of others. Then you become the teacher. Do you understand that all this applies to being a Father or Mother?

"Evermore in the world is this marvelous balance of beauty
and disgust, magnificence and rats."
Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Today I would like to play a recording for you. Listen closely. Can you hear where the base is on the stereo? The voice seems to be in front of the guitar, but they are both center. The mandolin is on the right. Notice how the sounds blend together. It is very hard to achieve that kind of balance. In the case of a recording, the balance was mixed down after the performance. But on stage you must achieve that balance yourself, just you and your fellow musicians. You have to listen and be able to tell when you are too loud and when you are too soft, and the perfect balance is very hard to achieve.

There is opposition in all things. Philosophers do not agree on whether that is a real thing or simply the way our minds perceive the world. Opposition seems real to me; and if we all perceive it that way, then perhaps that makes it real. But consider with me for a minute. There are low notes and high. There are sharps and flats. There is melody and harmony. And when they are not in balance, the music is not pleasing. I once attended a concert and because I had purchased inexpensive seats, I was seated in front of a large bass speaker. Not only did I not hear the concert, I did not even hear the music. In fact I went home with a tremendous headache.

One problem musician's face is that we seldom play the same venue twice in a row. One night we're playing in an auditorium with great acoustics but the next performance may be in a crowded hall with low ceilings. Or, the gig is outdoors, and the sound disappears into the night sky. Sometimes you cannot hear your band members over your own sound. Wherever we go our circumstances change. You will probably play some bad concerts. Maybe you will drown out the others and they will be mad at you. Then on another occasion, you will play too softly and the audience will complain that they cannot hear the melody. But if you keep trying, you will become ever better at playing in balance with the other musicians.

We will experience excesses in our lives. Do we talk too much, act overbearing, not talk enough, talk too loud, stay home too much, go out too much, work too hard, act lazy, or sleep too long? It is very hard to live in balance, and especially hard to achieve balance in our music. Therefore, most musicians' employee a sound man. He is right up front waving a baton and telling the various sections when to come in, fade out, and when to play louder or softer. But he could also be sitting in the balcony or back of the room at a mixing board, dialing microphones up and down as he thinks it requires. I have been to shows where an entire bank of people sits controlling the sound, the lighting and the cues.

In our personal lives we sometimes need a "sound man" to signal us when we are too soft, too loud or too excessive in anything. Often this is a family members who loves us and wants us to look good. Then, in accepting criticism we should understand that our friends are sitting in front and hear us differently from the way we hear ourselves. Our sound men want us to sound good. When they turn our microphone down or signal with a baton, we should not take it personally and become defensive. We need to let them help us balance the parts we play in life’s orchestra. In proper balance.

Can you hear where the instruments are coming in from in this recording?

The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking
"Is there a meaning to music?" My answer would be "Yes".
And "Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?"
My answer would be "No."
Aaron Copland

Sometimes you can sense a thing that cannot be described in the usual way. I don’t understand how this happens. When it has happened to me, I usually cannot explain in words what I know or how I know it. It is not intellect that informs this experience. It is not skill or knowledge. It is something that you know intuitively. When playing music, it isn’t something written down on the page, and it may not be the way you experienced it the first time. But something tells you that "this" is the way it must be played, and that understanding turns out to be right.

This “knowing” of something is not restricted to music. Even in the sciences, which are sometimes thought, erroneously, to be unimaginative, this kind of understanding comes into play. The discovery of the Benzene Ring in chemistry and the structure of DNA in biology occurred as much out of inspiration and intuition as from study. Both of these realizations came to their discoverers when they were in a semi-dreamlike state. But, of course, both men had given their lives to their studies and their minds had been prepared. When we read about break-through's in science, the arts or other fields we see common patterns in how things come about.

In almost every case of discovery, the person who makes the discovery or advance has been involved in the project for a long, intense period of time. The involvement has usually been extremely time consuming, almost to the point of fanaticism, occupying every waking hour of that person. Then, usually in a moment of quiet reverie, the solution or discovery has presented itself. Frequently the breakthrough occurs when the person is in an almost dream-like condition. These kinds of experiences have been described by scientists, artists, statesmen, and most often parents. In fact, the experience may be most common among caring, nurturing parents in response to the needs of their children.

It is my belief that this extra way of knowing and learning is a result of the light of Christ working in our life. I believe that when we pursue something that is good and right, and we have given all our energy and all that we can do, that God will step in and help us discover the things we need to know. Of course, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also know that they are given the special gift of the Holy Ghost whose light and influence in our lives can work in exactly the same way. The gift of inspiration is available to the musician as much as to the scientist, but it comes at the same price or cost. There must be intense personal involvement, extended practice and skill development, a burning desire, and divine help.

In your desire to make music, if you are approaching the problem in the wrong way, or have unrighteous desires, or have not devoted yourself sufficiently, you will yourself in a stupor of thought. Let's say that you have come to a decision regarding your music, but for whatever reason you are not at peace about it. When you find yourself still worrying, feeling a lack of confidence, are unable to leave the problem or question alone, or feel a lack of enthusiasm for your decision, you are having a stupor of thought.

By now you have put in much time and energy on your instrument. This is where you shift gears and perhaps try a different role. What can you say about the experiences you have had? How can you help others learn to play their own music? You can find answers to the what and how through inspiration.

"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly
disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre
and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that
this has already happened."
Douglas Adams

Well, you have learned by now that reading music is not the same as making music. You learned to read the notes easily. Sometimes you are able to play the changes or sounds you can imagine or have heard before. But now, at some point you may want to teach else what you have learned. Or you may become interested in writing down what you do so others can try it. Then that written word would allow you to communicate with other people who may be far away in either space or time. You may also want to compose, play something new of your own creation. For all these reasons you may develop a greater desire to understand the theory behind the music.

Music theory encompasses the nature and mechanics of music. It often involves identifying patterns that govern composers' techniques. Why do certain chords follow others? What key is a passage in, even though there is no key signature change indicated? Why do certain guitar chord fingerings and patterns work anywhere on the neck? You might notice in these examples and questions the central element is in the working with other people in a new way, not as a collaborator in performing, but as teacher, conductor or creator. You have been picking up the theory behind your music all along. You have used and applied music theory on numerous occasions. But now you need to be able to explain the reason behind what you are doing, or in other words, communicate the intent of the poem.

Interestingly, life mimics music. Or is the other way around? These same thing happens as one grows older. For example, our Mother’s taught us that "If you can’t say something nice, don't say anything at all”. Then when you have your own children, you begin to see what kindness means in a family. You have had experiences and know first hand how it feels to have your feelings hurt by something someone said. Maybe you have even had experience with how it feels to have hurt someone with a careless remark. You now want very much for your children to learn the skills they need to live happier lives. You realize that specific rules don't always work. You realize that you won’t always be there to explain things to them. You begin to feel the necessity of passing along some wisdom. You begin seeing wisdom in old adages, in the laws, in the sacred writings of your culture.

So as you enter this phase of your life, you become more interested in general rules and theory. You seek for things that will help you achieve what you want more consistently. Bing able to teach others takes on a new significance. You have perfected the practice of your instrument, and now it is time for understanding the theory.

"What I always try to do is to respond to the song;
I've always rebelled against theory."
Mark Knopfler

You have formed your band. You have rehearsed. You have gone on the road and played in the dives and the concert halls. You have perfected your skill on an instrument and learned to play harmony, to lead and follow, to play the changes. Some of the things you do can be done without much thought now, even though you may still not understand it all. You are now a creative force in the world and your ability to interpret the works of other and to create your own symphonies can be recognized and appreciated. Perhaps your work is even in demand.

In other words, you are now grown up. You are married, have children, and are suddenly the owner of many keys and responsibilities. Now other people want something from you and they are coming to you. Suddenly you are being called upon to create new arrangements. You are being asked to explain the basic skills you have spent your life developing to others who are younger and less experienced. Sometimes this is frustrating because you know how you do certain things, but you have forgotten the reason for doing them that way. You try to demonstrate the "how", but learners sometimes have difficulties following. Too, if you can’t explain yourself with confidence, some learners question you and doubt what you say. You seek to understand your own skills, at a deeper level, so that you can explain things better to others. Suddenly you find that you have to pay attention to details that before didn’t seem that important.

It didn’t seem all that urgent to play with proper posture when you were learning, though you could see that it did make a difference when you played. But now, if you play with poor posture, younger musicians will see what you are doing and think it is alright. Your life begins to take on meaning that you never knew it had. Small things like energy, timing, the meaning behind the stories, and the colors of delicate sounds suddenly seem to have a place in your life. Before they were just words and things old people talked about.

But there are satisfactions, at this musical age, that you never even thought about in your days on the road. It is easy to be a hero to the beginning musicians. All you need to do is pay attention when they play, praise them a little here and there, and correct lightly. Playing with these same people over time develops rich relationships. You find yourself wanting to relax more and just enjoy these friendships that can only be developed through shared music. You and your sideman now play so well together that you play without having to think about it. You can’t imagine playing with anyone else and enjoying it as much. These kinds of joys only come to the lucky few people who have been successful in making music together.

This section is about that time in your life when you become a mature musician and person. Your responsibilities and opportunities are greater than ever before. Much of what you do at this time in your life will be done towards perfecting the details of your musicianship and learning how to pass your knowledge and skills on to the next generation of musicians. You will likely become more interested in the theory behind what you do. You will realize more than ever the role of inspiration and the role of the spirit in your life. You will learn to balance your life better, and be able to tell interesting stories which create nuances that your students will want to emulate. You will be preparing to write your symphonies and create your masterpiece.

"People do not do good because they feel good. They feel good because they do good."
William Glasser

The Flaming Moth Studio is different from other studios. Here we want you to know why you do something, not just how. Building something is not hard. I am building my studio, and I am building this book a little bit at a time. We all build "a life" just little by little, moment by moment, decision by decision, act by act. We learn to make music the same way. And if we stay with it, we will some day be able to make good music. We will be able to play with others, almost anytime we want, and almost any kind of music we choose. None of this is particularly unique. The real question is why we do what we do.

God created the world. He planned how to do it, he gathered his materials, and then one day at a time he assembled the parts into a coherent whole. Why? I believe he created this world so that humans could be born into a physical body and have a place to experience the three-dimensional-existence of mortality. I believe it is important for our eternal development to learn about ideas such as up and down, right and left, forward and back. Whether my beliefs are correct or not, they at least give a purpose to what God does and why.

Doing things aren’t as important as the reason for doing them. Now that you can play with other musicians, you need to ask yourself carefully, "Why have I done this? What will I do with these talents now?" Knowing “why” will change everything. Knowing why you play will dictate how you begin, how you close, the songs you choose, and the style you use. If you play to make money, there may be no limits on the styles you use. You may decide to play in certain establishments, but not in others. If you play religious music, you will probably choose different venues for performance. If you rent out a studio, you may even limit your clientele based upon why you make music. For example, I do not do "hip hop" or "rap" in the Flaming Moth studio. Too much of that kind of music is violent and not conducive to peace of mind, or pleasing to my mind and ear. I've chosen not to make music to promote personal license, violence, disrespect or other such things that are often a part of these styles. I also don't record bands. That is because I do not have the equipment and space to do that kind of music justice. I learned music because I enjoy sharing it with individuals and small audiences. I do music because it is fun to do. I make music to entertain and encourage my family and friends. That intimacy is part of WHY I do music.

As a musician, you are a creator. Just as God must have had a reason for his creations, you should think carefully about your reasons for creating music. What do you want to accomplish? How can you begin to be true to your purpose, the why of your being a musician. What songs will you select? How will you close your act now that you know why you play? The people around you, from band members to family to fans, will all respond better when they can see that you know why you play.

"Jazz is a mental attitude rather than a style. It uses a certain
process of the mind expressed spontaneously through some
musical instrument. I'm concerned with retaining that process."
Bill Evans

I remember the first time I played music with my instructor. It was after nearly a year of instruction. Don’t misunderstand. He had accompanied me on one number or another almost weekly. But this was the first time I felt like we were playing music together. My confidence and preparation were good enough that week that I could listen to us, not just concentrate on reading the notes. The mistakes made were few and small enough that we didn't have to endlessly start over. For the first time the two of use were making music.
You might think that from then on we played well together. I wish it were so. Many weeks I did not prepare well enough to be successful. At other times when I did prepare, I wasn't able to relax and just let the music come. I was stiff and too busy concentrating on my notes, on my fingers, or on avoiding mistakes. Only on rare occasions am I really able to relax and enjoy the process. My instructor assures me that the longer I play, the more often I will be able to achieve that satisfaction.
I have since observed this same phenomenon in other facets of living. I am sometimes so busy worrying about what others are thinking or doing that I can’t enjoy what I am doing. Why do we sometimes worry so much about how to do something that we can't just enjoying doing it? I watch students worry more about grades than whether they learn anything or not. I watch people worry about making money, but then never consider how they spend it. I watch people who worry about all aspects of choosing a career except whether or not they would actually like doing that activity all day every day. There are musicians who worry more about getting a recording contract than they worry about making good music.
Learners almost always find new skills and activities challenging. But consider this, they can choose to enjoy the concentration and excitement of new activities, or they can resent the frustration and difficulties. Either way, they experience the same process. In the same manner, when we have been doing something a long time and it comes easily to us, we can resent the sameness of the activity and call it boring, or we can relish the ease and skill with which we can now operate. Again, it is the same process. The difference is in our ability to enjoy the process.
It doesn’t matter whether this idea is applied to music, a career, a hobby, or housework. We can only find joy in making music when we enjoy the process. In today's culture people are not used to enjoying the process. They feel things need to get done and don't enjoy the process of doing. If we are not immediately “productive”, we feel guilty. “To do” lists are ubiquitous. If a person is seen sitting and thinking, it is assumed he is doing nothing and can be interrupted. But I'm saying that if you want to make beautiful music (or live a good life), you must enjoy the time spent getting there.

"In the midst of creating, a person is raised to another level of consciousness that doesn't have much to do with everyday thinking. It's as if you could imagine life before there were words." Charlie Haden

There are 12 tones in the western music scale, and you may play them in any order you wish. Then each tone can be played at several pitches: high, low, middle. This is overwhelming to many new musicians. How in the world does a musician know which note to play at which pitch?

Well, there are many ways for you to find the answer to that question. Beginning players often memorize the songs they play, or at least portions of them. They learn which notes to play in a given phrase, and then pause ever so slightly before beginning the next phrase as they make the mental shift to it in their memory bank. However, even the brightest person cannot remember all of the notes of all the songs they may want to play. So many songs are written down. That means that if you have developed the ability to read music, you can follow the score. This greatly increases the range of songs you can participate in playing. But there are other cues that can help us know what to do next.

Because music is arranged in the same sequence of tones, we know that those tones will always adhere to the following sequence: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. This is true for most of the music with which we are involved. The steps referred to are the regular intervals of wavelengths I have referred to in other parts of this book. This means that any given set of tones follows some simple rules. We refer to these various sets of rules or sequences as “keys”, and each tone of the 12 has it’s sequence of tones. That means that we don’t usually play any of the 12 tones randomly. Our selections are limited most often to about 8 tones, and sometimes only a few of these. If we are familiar with the music at all, we can generally narrow our guess down to one of a couple of possibilities, only one of which would really sound good.

There are other guidelines as well. If we move through the various keys advancing five tones each time, we will find keys that sound good together. We call these keys the "circle of fifths". For example, if I play a C chord, I know that the fifth tone on up the scale from it, the G chord, will sound alright. Many songs simply follow the fifth tones around in circles until they get back to where they started. Another variation will use the first tone, fourth, and fifth with a seventh tone added, before turning back to the one.

The point of all this is that there are conventional ways of writing music. If you are familiar with these conventions, you often don't need to know the whole script. In fact, in some forms of music, there is no script. In Jazz, the beginning few bars set the key and establish the kind of chord changes to be used. From there, the lead musician improvises the melody, and the others follow his changes until it is someone elses turn to lead. You often hear musicians talk about “playing the changes”. This is sort of musician talk for remaining flexible through these kinds of exchanges.

We all must learn to play the changes. Our lives are not set pieces, scripted and scored down to the last crescendo and bar. Circumstances vary over time. Temporary jobs turn out to be careers. Permanent careers are subject to change. Friendships change. People move, grow, become busy with families, or have falling outs. Those who were friends become acquaintances. Children grow and move away. Parents die. Church positions change. Service club involvement ends. The car wears out. There are infinitely more tones to life than any musician can dream of.

In review, we can survive the changes going on around us in several different ways. First, we can rely on set pieces, or memorized responses that have worked for us in the past. But, remember, there will be more changes than you can prepare for in this way, and memorized responses may not be appropriate in new situations. Second, many responses have been written down, and you can choose to read and follow any of these. But perhaps most freeing of all is knowing the conventions, rules and guidelines, that that enable us to play the changes. What can be more creative than knowing that we don’t always have to follow the score? If we are familiar enough with our craft, we can improvise and make our own music!

Now consider a book of scripture and the many bits and pieces of advice and understanding the reader is given in them. As we choose to implement these teachings in our lives, we change. In fact we create our own lives! Things like loyalty, love, honesty, and kindness circle in and around our beings. They keep us making good guesses about our lives - helping us to hit good sounding notes, even when we aren't sure just what we'll be playing next.

Playing with others, there will be changes. We must stay flexible and follow the changes.

"People often called us perfectionists, but we were not looking for
perfection. We were looking for some kind of magic in the music."
Paul Simon

You are getting pretty good. How would you like to try this new duet? Ready? One, two, three, begin. . . . . Well, that was a little rough, wasn’t it? You did well sight reading though. What made it hard? That’s right. Playing with accompaniment is difficult. Ignoring all those other notes is very hard to do when concentrating on the notes you are supposed to be playing. It takes an incredible amount of concentration at first. You probably didn’t notice, but I was trying to make it hard for you by putting in a few extra notes to add to the confusion. Let’s try it again and this time I will play a much simpler accompaniment. . . . . There that was easier, wasn’t it? That's partly because you have played it once and are familiar with it, and partly because the other part was less obtrusive or dominating. There are some important things to learn from this exercise.

When people play together, it can be distracting. It is hard to tell if something didn’t sound right because of your mistake, or theirs. But I want you to notice that whenever you take your mind off of what you are doing to check on someone else, you almost invariably loose your own place and make your own mistakes. Therefore, the only real thing to do when something doesn't sound right is to concentrate on what you are doing and ignore the rest.

This is a powerful lesson. Almost always, when we are checking on others to see if they are acting correctly, we find that it isn’t long until we are acting incorrectly. The best way to play together is to concentrate upon one’s own playing. The best way to live together is for each person to concentrate on how he or she is living. This requires a great deal of faith in other people. There may be some who will prove that they do not deserve our faith and then we learn it may be best to not play music with them. On the other hand, once you have accepted someone into your band, it is important that you trust them, to play their part the best they can. They probably are.

Equally important is to learn to play in context. When the person playing tries to show off and play loudly or with extra frills, it makes it harder to play together. Worse, those listening may not be able to follow the melody, and as a result loose track of the music. When it is a person's turn to play lead, he should play boldly; but when it is his turn to play accompaniment, he should follow and understate the lead.

As you live life, you will find other analogies to this lesson. When someone else should be lead, it is time for you to play a supporting role and understate what you say or do. In this way clear messages are sent and received by all. At times you may think that the wrong message is being sent, or that you disagree with the way it is being played, but messages can be changed. Decisions can be revisited. At one moment it is your role to play the melody, and at another it is your time to follow. Both will depend on the context. Do not play out of context.

Let me give you some examples. In the class room, Sunday School or just public school, there will be times when the subject is one about which you are familiar. It is tempting to share what you know that might instruct to enlighten, but the teacher is the one assigned the lead. Be very careful that your statements are no more than accompaniment. Your friend may have lost a loved one, or suffered some other sad event. It is tempting to tell them about your loss, thinking they will profit from hearing how you coped. But this is their sad song. They need to sing their own blues. It is the singing of the blues that makes them go away. Be sure your harmony is tasteful and understated. Listen and draw attention to their sorrow. To those facing hardship, do not tell them how hard it will be, nor trivialize what they face as inconsequential. Listen to their fears and play an appropriate accompaniment. Trust them to play their part well.

Practice your part of this duet during the week. Next week I will play the assigned accompaniment, and we will make beautiful music together.

"I mean, there are only so many notes. What makes something original is how you put it together."
Lenny Kravitz

Let me show you something. The notes on a guitar go up in half steps. That means the 12 tones of the scale (counting all the tones, even the half steps we call sharps and flats) are completed by the 12th fret. The top string on a guitar is an E. The bottom string is also an E, but two octaves higher. If you start playing whole steps with the open-bottom E-string, you will be playing an A by the time you get to the fifth fret. But the second lowest string is also an A, so we can play a scale by playing across the neck, or down the neck. It is a little like playing a spreadsheet with each cell representing a different note both down the page and across the page. Notice that there are a lot of places where one could play an E. There are many different places and ways to play any given chord.

But now, listen to how different the same note sounds when I strike the string with my right thumb or with a pick. listen when I play the right hand close to the neck, over the sound hole, or close to the bridge. Many guitar players haven't discovered these things; or if they have they don't take advantage of these different sounds. Some may know about them, but don’t think the differences are very important. But it is these details of how you play that make your sound different than anyone else's. These details add color and emotion to your music. They become your unique sound. Of course, there are times when it is important for two players to sound almost alike. Then you must know how someone else achieves his or her sound.

People don't always understand the meaning of their own actions. Some never consider what it means to do the things they choose to do. They live unexamined lives, remaining unaware of the details of how they live or how others live. Still others may want to behave like someone else, but not know how to do so. They may question when is it appropriate to take a stand against certain actions? They may not realize that sometimes it is good to be an "enriching counterpoint". People tend to think that "different" is always wrong. Many have not thought about what it means to disobey a law, cheat on their taxes, accept free awards or discounts from a business. People who have not paid attention to details may insist on costly and cumbersome laws to protect the public from contamination of fruit juice by pollutants so their children will be safe, but fail to insist that their children fasten their safety belts.

Where you rest your pick or thumb has an effect on how you play. Where you strike the strings has an influence on your band members and on your listeners. The choices you make and the way you live have effects on your life just as surely as these little details have effects on your music. Do you put your guitar away in it’s case every time? It is not a matter of right or wrong. It is a question of how you deal with details. Are you fussy about the type of strings you use? Do you always lay your drumsticks on the drum in the same way? Do you read your scriptures every day? Do you seek time for contemplation regularly? Differences in the music you play are in the details.

I would advise you to keep your overhead down; . . . ; play everyday, and take it in front of other people. They need to hear it and you need them to hear it.
James Taylor

Jamming with other players requires preparation, but a different kind of preparation than when you were a child and playing alone. To jam, you not only need to keep your skill level high, but you need to know, and practice in advance what you are going to be playing together. You need to practice your specific parts, and think about how you are going to play them. You need to imagine what the final arrangement might sound like so you can hear your part in your mind. The physical arrangement of bands and orchestras are similar so that the musicians can envision where they will be sitting and what will be going on. It is always good to rehearse events in your mind.

Before dealing with others, decide in your mind what you will and won’t do. If you are a guitarist, but are asked to play the drums, are you willing to try that? Will you play until two in the morning? Three? Will you drink alcohol while you play? There are many things that must be decided in advance. Your decisions will make the gigs go so much easier. Others will know your limits, and will not continually test them. If you don’t want to drink alcohol, simply say, “Thanks, but I don’t drink alcohol.” Some people might respond curiously with a question like, “Really?”, or, “Never?” But after that they won’t ask again, and you won’t have to decide again.

Likewise, you may want to rehearse what you are going to say, or how you are going to act, at a social event. Having a plan before a date keeps the evening from being a flop with continuous comments like, “I don’t care, what do you want to do?” Knowing what questions you want answered before a job interview will make you look informed and eager. Planning how and when to broach a difficult subject with your boss or co-worker will keep the conversation positive and helpful.

This kind of planning requires you to put yourself in another’s shoes, to see things from a different perspective than yours. Playing music together means that more than two people play the same notes simultaneously. Usually they are playing different parts or harmonizing. In harmony their part doesn’t sound like your part, but that doesn’t mean they are making mistakes. Their notes may, in fact, be the counterpoints that draw attention to your strong melody. Or your partners may provide the harmony that makes your rather plain melody seem enchanting. Being able to hear other people's parts while playing your own confidently, only happens if you have imagined, planned, and practiced your music.

Now that you're are playing with others, you need to think more about what that means and how it is done. That is best thought about in advance.

"A loud voice cannot compete with a clear voice, even if it's a whisper."
Barry Kaufman

Let’s try this duet together. One, two, three, begin, .... There, we did it! A little rough, wasn’t it? But it was important that we keep playing, even though made mistakes. We needed to get a feel for what it sounds like. I like this song. Notice how the first 14 measures are expressive and peaceful. When you play them, they need to be played all at one time. Together they are an emotion that cannot be subdivided.

Sometimes when you listen to an orchestra or choir, the parts are out of balance, the piece sounds muddy, and it becomes hard to follow the melody or hear the words. We quickly become restless and upset as we strain to understand what we are hearing. Music is meaningless without clarity. Then, have you ever noticed how people often fiddle around with their music? They play a little of one piece and then another, never completing a song. Often they even stop in the middle of a phrase. If you are just testing instruments this is probably alright. But if you expect others to listen to you, you will leave them unsatisfied and restless because it is not clear what your intent is.

Sometimes people play music that isn’t even music they like or want to play, but they play it because they think others want to hear it, or they ought to like it, or their teacher assigned it. (Well I suppose it is alright to play music you don’t like if your teacher assigns it.) But you will seldom put sufficient energy into something that you do not like to make the music pleasing and the emotion clear.

But people around you want to know who you are. They need to know who you are. If they want to play one kind of music and you don't, they need to know that. The clearer you are about what and how you play, the more easily others can decide whether or not they want to play music with you. Consider that they may be looking for a leader, or they may be running from a leader. They need to know who and what you are. Your music needs to be clear. Things will fall into place when you are clear about who you are.

For example, pretend you are visiting a new friend, and he or she plays some music from their collection for you. There is a little classical, a little pop, a little country, and little rap. They stop the songs half-way through and change the music. They laugh at some of what they play and seem serious during other pieces. A song or two have inappropriate lyrics. By the end of the evening, what do you think about this person? Do you know what their favorite kind of music is? Do you know what they stand for, what they enjoy, or who they are? The real question becomes, do you have "clear" feelings about this person?

It will take some time, but one of the best things you can do for those around you is to be clear about who you are and what you believe in. Play appropriate music that expresses who you are. Make it simple, loud and clear. Be honest with your emotions. Do not play games. When you disapprove, say so gently and kindly and play elsewhere. When you like someone, tell them. Make that clear. Your comments do not need to be flamboyant or lengthy. In fact, simple declaration has great power. When those around you are unclear, playing a simple strong melody, loudly, can restore order. Saying to ourselves, “I know the Church is true. I know Jesus is the Christ. I know what music I will play,” leads to clarity in life.

"I'd rather be a could-be, if I cannot be an are;
Because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star.
I'd rather be a has-been, than a might-have-been, by far;
For a might-have-been has never been, but a has been was once and are."
Milton Berle

As a young musician, you may begin to make comparisons and notice pressures to play better. You want your music to sound better, smoother, with more feeling. You practice, but sometimes you still find yourself hesitating, not recognizing the next note, or making the wrong decision and playing the wrong note. You want to play with others, but doing so is distracting and difficult to stay together. You sometimes watch more experienced players and envy the way they can improvise and play together without music. They somehow seem to always know what comes next. When comparing yourself to them understand that they know the circle of fifths, and the keys, and they have developed the judgment that allows them to just know without thinking.

All people make the same things: decisions. We all have that in common, the need to make multiple decisions everyday, day after day. We all must decide what to play and when to play it, regardless of the form of our life's music. At this level, you may sometimes forget a note, though you have played it many times. You may need some guidance in knowing what comes next. You may still need the music, the written instructions.

But remember that all great art, and science of any kind, comes about through a series of decisions made by the artist and scientist. Sometimes those decisions need to be made in the instant of a sixteenth note or less. Sometimes they can be arrived at with leisure, like when you are deciding long before the concert which songs to perform. Some of the decisions will probably be poor. Some will be superb. But with enough care and preparation, the collective result of those decisions can become a thing of beauty and joy.

Know that it can be hard to play with others. The sounds they make can be distracting even when they are correct. When they make mistakes, you might not be confident enough in yourself to even recognize if the mistake is yours. You must then deal with the embarrassment and continue on with your music. When this happens you know that you are still trying to play using your mind. If you are busy thinking about each note: it’s pitch, volume, length, etc. you will not be able to think ahead to the whole of the piece we are playing. We are not only unable to anticipate the changes that are to come, we may not even be able to anticipate the next note.

The best thing you can do for those with whom you are playing is to play with authority and decision. Make your decisions and play. That way the other musicians will at least know where you are. If you've made a poor decision, it can be changed later. The sound only lasts for a moment. If you've made a good decision, others will be able to follow you and take confidence in their own playing. If they do not like your music, they will go away and make their own. If they like what you are doing, they will stay and you will make music together. On the other hand, if you wish to improve your own musicianship, you need to find those who makes music like you want to make, those who make good and strong decisions, and play with them. Then in time, you will become decisive yourself.

The need to make decisions faces us in every aspect of daily living. As our lives become richer in people and relationships, we find the complexity distracting. Sometimes the behavior of others distracts us. We might choose to follow others instead of the music, or we might become self-conscious if what we are playing sounds different from what they are playing. Their mistakes may lead us to make mistakes. They may criticize us for our mistakes and hurt our feelings. These things especially become problems when the other players are also young and just learning to play together. Hopefully, older players will be patient and understanding of our mistakes, and nurture us, and help us become comfortable. But sometimes they, too, will make incorrect decisions.

The important thing is that we stay close to the music and keep trying. The decision to stay close to the music only needs to be made once. It doesn't need to be constantly revisited. Be definitive in your goals. Then, with time, decisions will become better and better. Then music will lead you to better performances, greater beauty, joy in your life and more accomplishment and satisfaction. Like Joshua of old who made the one single decision, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.

"To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every
human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence."
Joseph Conrad

This week I want to show you four ways to play a simple "C" chord. Listen closely while I demonstrate. There, can you hear how they are all C chords? Did you hear that each one sounded different. Sometimes we call these different sounds of the same chord “voicings”. Each instrument has its own voice as compared to others, and within the instrument there can be many voicings. When I play the chord in different position, I change the root of the chord and the sequence in which the notes of the chord occur. They are recognizable as a "C" chord, but they all sound a little different.

By becoming familiar with the voices of your instrument you will learn how to make the most music with it, with many nuances and subtleties. But first you must know your own instrument extremely well.

The musician trained at the Flaming Moth Studio must also learn to know himself or herself. You must know your own voice, your own nuances and subtleties. This is not so you will become narcissistic or selfish, but so you will know how it all fits together. Thus, you will know what you have to contribute to the band, to the music, to those around you. You will know what parts of the symphony which will drown you out, and when you must carry the melody for all the others. You cannot play all the music. If you work hard, you will be able to play some. You will be able to play a lesser amount really well. If you choose to devote yourself, you may play some superbly. But you have to know what your voice is.

If you are trained at the Flaming Moth Studio you will learn your own abilities and talents. You will learn to know your own "voice", talents and "subtleties". You will know what your family depends on you for. You will know when to ask for help and allow others to serve you. You will know when to lead and when to follow. You will know how to be a better Father and a better Mother and a better child. You cannot do it all. If you try hard you will be able to do a lot. If you choose to, you might even become a superb person. But you have to have a passion for that.

All this is very demanding, and voicings can only be learned by much experience and practice. Sometimes you might think you are giving up too much for this knowledge. While you play your guitar or mandolin, others are bowling, swimming, watching movies, and sleeping. But you cannot miss what you do not want.

“Let your light so shine”, we’re admonished to do.
But what color, red, yellow, blue?
That’s up to you.
Gary McCallister

Up until now we have studied only the melody and rhythm of music. But many notes can be sounded at once, and the sound can be either pleasing or discordant. When the sound together is pleasing we say that the music has harmony. In fact, sometimes it doesn’t even sound right unless there is harmony.

There are physical rules that govern which sounds are pleasing together under a given set of rules. These rules can vary from one culture to another, depending upon the musical rules that culture is accustomed to. Much of the time the musician knows what is in harmony simply by being immersed in the music and using their developed judgment, not rules. Sometimes rules can suggest unusual harmonies that a person might not think, and often a person uses harmonies that would not have been guessed at from the rules. You see, much of what sounds good together depends on the context, that which has gone before.

In this section we will study harmony, the making of sounds together that are pleasant. We will learn some rules perhaps and we will listen and play many harmonics so that you develop good judgment about what sounds good and what the possibilities are. But there is much to be learned about life through the study of harmony.

For example, musicians can make only a limited number of sounds by themselves. Most of them must play music with other people. All the rules of company and friends can be learned from harmony. When one wants to lead, step back and allow them to lead. When no one will lead, step forward and lead. Be courteous in your actions and timing and find consensus if there is conflict.

Love in the home and unity between family members must be planned and orchestrated and rehearsed. Much of what is harmony in human nature depends on the culture. Much depends on what has gone before.

But music can be unpredictable. It is a delight when a composer or musician suddenly does the unexpected, but it works and sounds beautiful. Sometimes people will do things you do not expect. We can concentrate on the fact that they didn’t do what we think should have been done, or we can rejoice in the refreshing change and beauty of difference. In some music, two lines of melody will develop in opposite directions but around the same theme. We call this counterpoint, and it is one of the richest musical experiences to perform or listen to. Appreciate those around you who may be revolving around the same themes as yourself, but developing in a different direction.

"One man gets nothing but discord out of a piano.
Another gets harmony. No one claims the piano is at fault."
anonymous

What an exciting time in life! I don’t know exactly what to call it: young adult? It begins somewhere in the teen years, and it extends, for some people, well into the late twenties. There is so much happening. There are educations to obtain, careers to start, spouses to meet and court and marry, houses to purchase and turn into homes, children to bear, citizen and family responsibilities to begin to shoulder.

But in all these endeavors there is one constant, the need to begin to live outside of oneself. Employers, employees, girl friends, wives, children, even creditors; no longer are you the central subject of the song. As you begin to play music with others, the music begins to be filled with harmony and counter point. New levels of skill are demanded. New understandings, timing, fingerings, rhythms, nuances, decisions, preparation, details, processes, contexts and reasons have to be considered.

Just as you began to think you were making progress, you are suddenly assailed with these new demands. It is exciting and terrifying all at once. Hopefully you have learned to know yourself in the Flaming Moth studio. This will make many of the decisions easier. And with the foundation skills you have developed you are ready to begin to make some statements about your life, what you are about and what your music will be.

The time preparation will be greatly compressed and sometimes you will be expected to learn your music very quickly. Details. Other people expect you to pay attention to detail. But your training has prepared you for that. You will gain greater appreciation for appropriate actions and words under different circumstances as you face, for the first time, real life problems. You will learn to be more flexible and to change rhythms as circumstance dictate. Hopefully you will enjoy the process, the making of music, more than the finished song.

But as you become adept playing in combos and making harmony, you may begin to wonder why certain chords work here and not there. You may begin to wonder, “why does the music work?” That’s when you will be ready for some theory.

The favorite joke of musicians concerns the new York City tourist who asks a passerby, “How do I get to Carnegie hall?” The helpful native replies, “Practice, practice, practice.” The richest music is yet to come if we can learn the lessons of harmony and put them into practice. Many young people cannot understand how there could be richer music than the small combos that they know so well. I don’t know how to convince you that it is out there except to tell you that if you learn these lessons well, and practice, practice, and practice, there are entire symphonies of life experiences awaiting you in Part IV and beyond.

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, And the less the artist does the better.
Andre Gide

Well, before beginning this week's lesson, do you have any questions? What? Ah, you are tired of playing alone. That is a good sign because when you are tired of playing alone, you are ready to play music with others.

Music is not single. Music is always plural. What would a single music look like? If it were just one sound we would call it a noise, or a note, but not music. And if one hears a noise that they did not make (musical or otherwise) then there had to be someone or something that made the noise. A maker of noise and a receiver of noise are always implied.

But even the maker of noise finds little joy in the making of notes, at least not for long. They almost always yearn for a hearer of sounds, and shortly after that, someone to share the feelings of sounds. But one quickly discovers that those that understand and share feeling the most are those who can also make the sounds. Eventually all players of notes come to desire, more or less, someone to make notes with them.

This is a little like I understand Salvation will be. We all wish to be forgiven and receive help as we live in this mortal life and suffer some of it’s difficulties. We all make a few of life’s mistakes. But we also must live a communal life. And that community, and the many relationships we are a part of, is also the source of our many mistakes and difficulties. We must live collectively, but we will be saved individually. The musician must play individually, but most often be judged by performance within a community.

We limit our music if we only play alone. We limit our soul if we never share with an audience.

But when we decide to play with others we become at least partly responsible for the results. Because of this responsibility it is important that you choose carefully who you associate with. There are four things to consider when you choose your collaborators: integrity, skills, goals, and magic.

Integrity. Do not play routinely with those who are dishonest. You may choose to play with such people on a limited basis because of some of the other considerations listed below, but beware of longer term commitments. You will learn the wrong things from them and your life (and music) will suffer. Dishonesty is expressed in so many ways. Are they faithful to their family? If they lie to their parents, spouse, or children why do you think they would not lie to you. Do they do what they say they will? If they don’t, you will be always frustrated and held back. Do they pay their bills? If they do not, they are thieves and you will surely experience their greed and perhaps be judged by their association. Do they give false praise? They will also give false criticism and you will never really have the feedback you need to improve.

Skills. Play with those who are better than you, or at least as committed as you are to becoming better. Obviously you must play with beginners when you are a beginner, and you will want to play with beginners when you are better to help them and for the joy of sharing music. But you must seek out those players who are better than you and attempt to match them. Good players are committed to excellence and will insist that you be also.

Goals. Know where you want to go and find those people who will help you get there. It is enriching and fun to play a variety of kinds of music. But not all kinds of music will fit who you are. When you are playing with someone and they know what sound they want, it is your job to allow them to lead and to support. When you feel like you know what the sound should be, then you should take the lead. Sometimes you may have to talk in the group and develop a common goal. If two people think they know what the music should be and they are not in agreement, it is probably better if one leaves. If you are very serious about your style of music, perhaps you would be better off trying to find others of a similar persuasion than persisting in playing material that does not advance your own musicianship.

Magic. Music differs from magic by only two similar letters. They are, and have always been, closely associated. The greatest magic of music comes when two or more players “connect” in some personal way. With most people and groups in our lives we do not “connect”. We are separate objects bouncing around the world in close proximity to each other for awhile. But occasionally, in our lives, we meet others with whom we share a “magic connection”. The best groups of musicians share such magic connections, regardless of the style or the level of musicianship. The Beatles from the sixties come to mind. They were just kids who played three chord symphonies of rock and roll. But they were more than four individuals, they were that magic thing, a band. There is no way to predict or manipulate these connections. But when they occur, play music.

Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water!
And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries
and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like
prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh, . . . .
-Groucho Marx-

I am afraid Flaming Moth Studio is not very popular. I don't have many students, and my songs are mostly unknown - except to those who are close to me. It is hard for me to know if I am a good teacher and if my songs have any quality, or if my teaching style and my songs simply do not speak to other people. Good judgment isn't an easy thing to judge. Do I have it? Who does?

I once learned about a man who created a system for the organization of mental abilities. This system allows us to judge the level of difficulty of mental tasks. He thinks that the most elementary type of mental ability is memory. He also thinks memory is essential to learning. But then he ranks abilities from low to high as follows: memory, comprehension, analysis, synthesis, and judgment. Notice that judgment is considered the most difficult of mental performances.

The only way I know to acquire good judgment is to be involved in making many judgment calls about a subject. It would seem to me that in order to become an art critic, one must have tried his hand at art, viewed many works of art, discussed art with others, and tried his hand at evaluating art works many, many times.

Consider the courts and our system of law. I would think a judge must have seen and discussed many cases in order to feel that he can fairly follow guidelines and apply the law in each unique case.

But in the matter of taste there will always be some variance between people. For one thing, tastes change with time and seldom do all people agree on anything. Don't be surprised that some people may not like what you play, but others will. Your soul may be great and your talent prodigious, but no matter your style, instrument or song, some people will respond to your music and others will not. If you try to follow the commercial changes and cultural swings with your music, your soul will shrink. Make your music you.
Of course, there is good taste and bad. I believe in judgment, and you will develop it as you play. Listen to other musicians that you like and think about what it is you value in their music. Then apply that to your music. Like what you play and let those who value your music find you. If they never come, at least you've been true to yourself.

Judgment is often learned through our relationships. People who influence us greatly usually follow their own compasses. Parents, grandparents, and family nurture us and teach us how they believe the world is. But often our judgments are a result of our own experiences. Gandhi, a great international leader, taught us to “be the change you want to see in the world”. Jesus Christ often exercised judgment in dealing with others, refusing to condemn some who were condemned by society, and condemning others who were of their own perfection.

Play the truth, even if you only know three chords.

In the morning sow thy seed. In the evening withhold not thine hand.
Ecclesiastes 11:6

I notice that when you finished each song today, that you immediately pulled your finger from the string and stop. You then looked at me for approval or for a suggestion. But, look at the music. You pulled your fingers from the neck even though the notation tells you to hold the end note for the count of four. Your song ended to suddenly. I was lost in your melody, but it ended so abruptly that it was uncomfortable. There is a connection to be learned from this.

You can be a successful musician; but if you do not continue your music, your success will mean nothing. Suppose you played a beautiful hymn for your local Church. Suppose it went well and you had many people tell you how beautifully you played. Someone even said that the meeting was more spiritual because of your music. Now suppose that before playing for your church, you'd chosen to set your instrument aside and never play it again. Not only would the beauty and inspiration of the moment be lost to those for whom you played, but your own growth and satisfaction would be permanently set aside.

Consider a small stream flowing in the desert. If it is only occasionally filled with water, plants and animals will benefit, but it will never produce a green valley of continual life and refuge. If the stream flows year around though, it becomes a reliable source of water, and many plants will grow there. Animals will come from great distances to drink. People will stay in the area and live there. The valley may seem insignificant in comparison to the water source, but for those who live by this stream the water literally means life. If the opportunity should come from climate change that more rains would feed this little stream and it were to become a large river, then the life and joy around it would only be magnified. So much depends on consistency.

Look around you. It's easy to see how important consistency is to our world. Parents cannot stop being parents before their children are grown without causing serious problems for their children. Perhaps parents can never stop being parents. The post man wouldn't be of much value if he only delivered the mail sometimes. The runner who slows down before reaching the finish line will almost certainly loose to the one who didn’t stop running for ten yards after crossing the finish line. Great world leaders must not stop leading until the have finished their tasks. Neither Joseph Smith not Brigham Young hesitated in their work. They continued playing their melodies until they had accomplished their missions and returned to their Father in heaven.

Goals are not an end point, but rather a means to an end. The setting of goals will always be followed by more goals. Goals are not the stream, but the pretty rocks and shady banks found along the stream. If you play a melody just right and capture the attention and spirit of your listeners, but then stop too suddenly, you have not been there to nourish them to the end. You must not stop playing until you are through playing the song. The river never stops running. In truth, the real musician never stops playing. He simply comes to the end of the song.

I wish that my room had a floor.
I don't so much care for a door.
But this crawling around
Without touching the ground
Is getting to be quite a bore.
-Gilett Burgess-

Welcome back to the Flaming Moth Studio. Go ahead and get your instrument ready. Oh, is that a new one? What a beautiful finish. Isn’t wood beautiful when it's shaped and finished by an expert? Have you ever thought about how much music comes from a tree? Undoubtedly, in the past, man's first instruments were made from wood. Still today there are more wooden instruments made than any other kind. There is something in the strength and flexibility of wood that allows the vibrations that are necessary to create tone, pitch and volume.

And yet, a tree is a very limited thing in its own way. Trees do not have minds and wills as we understand them. Fate determines where they will grow. Their size, shape, hardness and other attributes are determined by the types of trees they are and the trees genes. They cannot choose to go inside when it rains, or stand in the shade when it is too hot. They stand and tolerate whatever time and circumstance bring them, and they grow or die with equal patience. They must have the strength to hold their weight, but, at the same time, be flexible enough to survive the wind. They may grow quickly or slowly, and that growth is partly determined by their circumstances. Some, of course, grow very tall, but others must be content with a modest size. None of them grow all the way to the sky!

We too, are finite. That is to say that you and I also have our limits. Some of us are limited in strength, some in size, some in speed, appearance, health, circumstance, or judgment, or voice, or hearing, or .... But just as a tree provides beauty, shelter, food, and music within it's limits, so can we learn to give to the world within our limits. The beauty of a forest is not that all trees are alike. The beauty comes in the tremendous variety of the similar, but individual, trees. How like the trees we are!

Of course, the tree does not know it’s own characteristics. A craftsman with knowledge and ability must choose the wood and shape it and fit it so that the music can be heard. If we as people are to be "shaped" and "fitted", it requires self knowledge. When we are young we often do not know our own weaknesses, or our own strengths. Often, as we mature, we come to have exaggerated beliefs about both. Perhaps we believe the criticism we hear, or maybe the flattery and praise from encouraging adults. It can be very difficult to learn to recognize and accept both our weaknesses and our strengths. Weaknesses tend to make us feel inadequate and fearful. Strengths often comes with obligations that we inherently recognize, but may fear as well. There is one thing we can be sure of:, though, and that we all have both weaknesses and strengths.

Now, consider this. Craftsman bend, shape, and tune our lives. We are worked on by many craftsmen: parents, siblings, friends, and teachers. Ultimately, though, it is God who bends, shapes, and tunes our lives, through the experiences of mortality and the teachings of the Gospel. Just as wood must be aged, bent, clamped, glued, cut, shaved, sanded, filed, and lacquered to create beautiful instruments like the one you have here, so must we go through refining as we grow and become musicians.

There will be times when you play excessively: too loud, too soft, too fast, too slow, too ... many things. This happens more often with beginning players than experienced players. But it is through the experience of making mistakes mature players are created. Don't be embarrassed at your mistakes of excess. How can one learn "andante" if you haven't mistakenly played "allegro", realized the difference and thereby discovered the difference between the two. Through our mistakes, we arrive at self knowledge.

Then, interestingly enough, self-knowledge can bring its own dilemma. For example, do you address your natural weaknesses in an attempt to correct them and make them strengths? Or do you spend your time perfecting your strengths to their maximum accomplishment? Time and energy spent on one is time and energy not spent on the other. Remember the baseball dilemma? Well, I call this the mandolin dilemma. Time spent on left hand technique is time lost developing right hand technique. The dilemma is yours. You will have to decide.

A tree stops growing upward. But there is always at least as much root underground as there leaves and branches on top. The tree must never stop growing roots to nourish the beautiful and useful top foliage. In fact, when a tree stops growing roots below the ground, it dies.

Likewise, after learning what you can and cannot do, you need to make plans to improve your base. It is alright to be content with the limitations that you cannot change. But never stop nourishing the roots, the basics, of your instrument.