Technic and physical evolution

[green]

I have come to certain conclusions regarding technique:

1. Techinque will evolve according to a perfect equilibrium bewteen physical and spiritual development.

2. One can evolve faster or slower than the other. The musical mind can be light years ahead of physical development: because of inate, social, cultural considerations. In such cases, perhaps the most common of cases, a need to address the self through alternative practice may be necessary, ie: Yoga, chi kong, thai chi, meditation.

3. Technique should NOT be an issue. Playing piano with a perfect syncronisity between body, mind and spirit, will take care of itself.

4. Learning piano under such ideal circumstances, playing IS easy.

5. Under such circumstances, the issue is how to 'channel' energy. When energy is channeled, a perfect technique is the consequence. The body will automatically move to the the most accurate and efficient movements required to perform any movement.

6. Again, when energy is channelled, it 'over-rides' the physical body - that is to say, regardless of age, it is about learning how to 'control' and 'draw' upon those energy sources and channel them at will.

7. Many pianists, including myself, have experienced this, where the fingers become as light as air, the intensity of 'vision' is cystal clear. Technique then, is what is seen in retrospect, NOT the starting point.

8. I have come to the conclusion that many students would benefit from a systematic approach to a spiritual practice such as yoga etc.

9. At the age of 25, i experienced what is known as 'kundalini' in hunduism. It was a spontaneous awakening, unprovoked through any sort of sprirtual practice. It has been my curse and blessing.

I would like to hear from those who may be familiar with what i am talking about.   

[ChristmasCarol]

I am a psychic as well as a piano/voice teacher.  Yes, I agree that music is channeling.  I once did a reading for someone who was told to imagine the spirit in the hands of (whatever musician you choose) playing through you.  Imagine the advantage of having another pair of hands help you play.  When my spirit is down and needing fuel, my music stinks.  A good walk in the woods can do wonders for my music.  My spiritual source is rather pagan since my best place to think about such things is in the woods.  The spine tingling that one experiences when music is fabulous is kundalini and sound truly affects the spinal fluid.  I believe we are an instrument and as such the challenge in learning to express those ideas, creativity,  and light energy is a sacred process.  The music lessons I give are so much more than just music.  I'm in love with life and learning and music and get the biggest kick out of sharing that with others.  Some of my students insist on a hug before I leave.  There is also laughter there.  Joy = music = life.   Ain't it grande!

[Daniel_piano]

I practice meditation and relaxation response from Herbert Benson
I always reach the point of complete awareness, where my mind if so empty yet so full, where any voice, prejudices, fears, preconcepts indise my mind is turned dows and I can experience the wholeness with the present and the world

This is synonimous of your "energy-channeling" in fact the problem is always the same: we're constantly experiencing a fugue response where our mind if full of voices, fears and thought and we can't concetrate really on the wholeness and the energy of what we're doing
So channeling or awareness are similar in the context

It happens sometimes while I'm playing the piano as long as the music becomes my mantra to wipe all the blah-blah-blah of my mind

The problem is that this always happen when I'm not looking for it and with extra-schoolastic piece
The fact that I'm practicing for school and my grades full my mind garbage and it doesn't work anymore

I'm interested though in your experience and you did you apply the channeling to your piano practice and not only your piano playing

Daniel

[green]

I'm interested though in your experience and you did you apply the channeling to your piano practice and not only your piano playing

I take 'practice' and 'playing' to be the same thing. Playing being a form of practice. Practice being an act of worship.

Performance though is a different matter. Performing brings into play a different form of thinking...or rather, if we are TRULY performing, that thinking COMES to us. The force that comes from performing - playing for others to witness - is like a magnet, it is communion, a moment of sacrifice, it draws the spirit UP. We surrender ourselves in that moment.

At this stage in my playing I do not consciously 'channel'. In fact I don't believe we CAN channel, we can only prepare for it to happen (spontaneously). That preparation is our life blood - our 'practice' - from there we may see a meaning that can only be understood by our perseverence to practice. It is circular.

Kundalini rises and falls like the tides, we have no control OVER it. It is like an earthquake that can destroy a city. With such destruction there comes new life. Do not mistake the 'flow of 'energy' that i mentioned with what i mean by Kundalini. Kundalini is a very particular experience which precedes enlightenment. If it happenes, as it did with me, before we are 'ready', the effect will not last. It will come again in different forms.

[lagin]

Well, here's my take on the matter.
  Music is referred to as a gift, right?  Every gift has to have a giver, and since God made everything, including music, He would be that Giver.  I don't mean a spirit, I mean the God of the Bible, the Creator.  Too often, I personally find myself caught up in practicing, being the best, getting my technique up to speed, ect., and I forget to enjoy the gift He's given me.  In the Bible it says something along the lines of seek God's will first, and He'll make sure everything else falls into place.  He just wants me to love Him, honor Him, and get to know him better, and as long as I keep my priorities strait, I don't get all caught up in temporary things.  It's not as solemn and ritualistic as it sounds.  God's my heavenly 'Father', and every good dad likes to see his kids having fun.  It was refreshing for me to remind myself of this again with all these festivals and exams coming up!   

[puma]

   Although I do not have all the experience with spiritualism that the above posters seem to posess, I do know this - It is important to remember the spirit
when playing, or composing, for that matter.  Remember that Mozart and Bach were both heavily influenced by religion as well (I can't speak for the other composers since my knowledge of musical history is a bit lacking.  Maybe someone else can shed some light on this).  Just something to keep in mind - it is technique and inspiration that form the basis for art.
    And yet, Einstein said genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.  It all comes down to how you think, your belief system, what belief system you were raised in.
    Great thread here.

[lostinidlewonder]

1. Techinque will evolve according to a perfect equilibrium bewteen physical and spiritual development.

So you are saying that someones technique will not undergo or have hindered improvement/change if they do not maintain a spiritual development? Perhaps you are relating to the emotional attachment to music, but some people do not care about the emotional side, but much more the actual production of the sound. It makes them feel good, and they like the sound, but they make no spiritual attachment to it, they sit back and only observe the sound but never look deeper than that. That doesn't hinder technical developement or even developments of a transcendentale technique imo. Although the majority of us have a spiritual side to ourselves there are some that just don't and they still do fine from my experiences.

2. One can evolve faster or slower than the other. The musical mind can be light years ahead of physical development: because of inate, social, cultural considerations. In such cases, perhaps the most common of cases, a need to address the self through alternative practice may be necessary, ie: Yoga, chi kong, thai chi, meditation.

This makes me think of one of my students who is so overly passionate and amazed with the sound of music (not the movie) that it overwhelms him when he has to go through the grueling hard work of reading/memorising. I find there is much more development if people maintain their physical improvement at the keyboard, the spiritual is just not a requirement, unless you want to move into greater expressive soulful playing, but again that is subjective. I find that life experience, bad and good, effect your emotional connection to your music much more than the "alternative practices" as you mentioned although I reckon good spirutal guidance can only benefit you.

3. Technique should NOT be an issue. Playing piano with a perfect syncronisity between body, mind and spirit, will take care of itself.

That is fine for people who has some control over the physical nature of playing the piano. Technique must be an issue for those without but of course taught and expressed through "musical" playing predominantly.

5. .......The body will automatically move to the the most accurate and efficient movements required to perform any movement.

I don't see how it would happen automatically, there has to be some conscious effort as a foundation.

7. Many pianists, including myself, have experienced this, where the fingers become as light as air, the intensity of 'vision' is cystal clear. Technique then, is what is seen in retrospect, NOT the starting point.

This point is where you are observing sound quality much more than the physical nature of playing. Which is what Chopin said good technique comes from. To be able to listen to yourself and let the music from within, what your ideal journey would be, come through. But the point is you need to use your ears. The ear is the guiding point and the brain listens to what is happening. If this all was absoluetly a spiritual insight process or an energy from a higher form of insight, then a deaf blind person could achieve perfection in piano.

Yes there needs to be a balance of mind, body and soul as you said, but if the soul is missing but the mind and body remains, then progress can still go. However if there is only mind and soul, but the body is deficient, you are in utter trouble. So this to me highlights the fact that the spiritual side of playing is much more an advanced part of music playing/appreciating.

Spiritual energy is omnipresent by definition. Since music relies on sound (obervation of the ear) it is not a spiritual energy in this existance, but it instead can cause a spiritual effect if observed. I dunno if a deaf person feels anything spiritual by detecting the vibration of sound, I would have to ask.

[ted]

Well I thought religion was nonsense when I was eight and I still think it's all nonsense now I'm fifty-seven. I've never had anything to do with it and I've never had any trouble playing and creating anything I want to and feeling happier about it than most seem to. So either I'm experiencing the same mental effects without the mumbo-jumbo terminology or this theory's seriously up the pole somewhere.

If it were true I would expect to see all the grossly materialistic potty-minded, booze-guzzling blasphemers who wouldn't know a bible from a bunfight or a yoga from a yam produce and play nothing of significance. But they have and they do. Some of them were and are the finest pianists and composers who have ever lived.

For these reasons I completely disagree with the theory. I think music is a deeper invariant than religion.
 

[lostinidlewonder]

Well I thought religion was nonsense when I was eight and I still think it's all nonsense now I'm fifty-seven. I've never had anything to do with it

If you had nothing ever to do with it then your concept of how it is nonsense is nonsense.
Religion is different it is a community of people who believe. Spirituality is something you can do just by yourself, it is different. It evolves to religion when you start meeting with people who have similar ideas and you share/teach one another. It is a big topic, no one will die and know it all, so that is why religion is there so we can discuss the idea, it is sad some people believe religion is their basis for their spirituality. It starts with yourself and god, then it moves from there.

Your personal relationship with your God, you don't need a single other person. So to have nothing to with God, it is utterly saddening. But i know, my best friend is an atheist, and i understand that mind pretty well. I guess we all have our challenge to meet.

[ted]

Yes but the topic is not my irreligious views themselves, what you sanctimoniously think of them or what you think of me. The original poster asserted that religious practice, religious frame of mind and so on, makes for improved enjoyment of music both mentally and physically. I would tend to think the contrary - that there is no particular correlation between religious or non-religious outlooks and the quality of musical experience or product. The first poster made an assertion which seems to me to be very difficult to justify.

Maybe it can be. Perhaps a religious person really is ipso facto guaranteed to make better music than an irreligious one. It needs evidence though, and so far, considering all the musicians I have known or heard about, I haven't seen any. If there is evidence let's hear it and I shall be the first to acknowledge it.

[WOODZ_PIANOWAYS]

To get the right understanding on Technic and the NEED for SPIRITUAL and whatever you might want to call it....read.....https://www.harvardhouse.com/ . All of us seem to have a need or have a spiritual side to us, that will search out the seemingly right way, for our own needs in playing the piano. Many feel they have FOUND IT! When I play piano for people they ask me, "What was it that touched and moved my heart and soul?" AWE! If you want my personal witness to that question email me at miraclepianolessons@msn.com . and ask me. Bonnie Woodruff, Ph.D

[lagin]

I hate religion too.  That's why I'm a Christian.  Figure that one out!

[ChristmasCarol]

"I would like to hear from those who may be familiar with what i am talking about."  Does this sound familiar?  Oh yeah, that was in the original topic by "green".  Now hear this, if you have been brainwashed systematically by fundamentalist fanatics, then you are not, absolutely not, familiar with what is being talked about.  I am so incredibly weary of Christians looking for a little door to crack open so that they can "save another heathen".    It offends me really.  I have no need to convert you to my way of thinking, so kindly stay the heck out of my relationships.  We are all "spirits" and everything we experience comes from that.  The mind body connection is of course important.  Could we just have a civilized discussion about that and drop the religion topic... please.

[anja]

I believe the discussion was civilized until your last posting. There is no need whatsoever for name calling. There's apparently enough truth in Christianity for you to harbour anger towards it.  Ask yourself why being saved would be such a bad thing. Also ask yourself why you are attracted to new age spirituality. Could it be that it makes no demands on you whatsover and you can define "spirituality" any way you happen to fancy on a given day?

Ted's got the right idea in that the proofs were inadequate for the poster's thesis.

[lagin]

Was or is Christmas Carol referring to my post?    lagin

[loveboat9]

feeling is most important, morning and night should be different, technic in the field just combining the materials to show the moment feeling, and piano is the best instument to go with your imagenation.