Generative Music
When you find yourself swept up in the challenges of life, it can be difficult to find space for creation. This is where I am at the moment, dealing with the unknown of a stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis, vision problems, and being there for my 96-yr old mom while taking care of myself and launching the beginning of the teaching semester.
I can definitely justify why I may not have time for making music, but then I lose the whole point of it. My outlet of expression is singing and improvisation, and when I don’t do it, I feel something is missing in my day. A word came to me this morning in my meditation: generative. My body/mind/spirit is my energy source and what am I generating with it? What I generate has a powerful impact on me and those around me. When I teach, play music and sing, my intention is to generate inspiration and confidence. There are days when I am alone in my studio and I am not feeling inspired and confident. Part of my practice is acknowledging that sometimes I have nothing to say. That is when I sit in silence and accept the void that I feel inside knowing that my empty well will once again be replenished.
I begin every practice, lesson and group session with time for centering. That is taking the time to notice what is going on inside of you, the energy source, because that is what you will generate in your sound and presence. I see students get restless, they generate a feeling of “ok let’s just get on with it…” but I persist because I know how vital it is to ground oneself before making music.
Try this before you begin a rehearsal, class, lesson, jam or show:
Take a moment for yourself
Close your eyes
Notice your breath
Release clenching in your abdominal muscles so you can start to breathe without constriction
Notice the air coming in and out of your nostrils
If you need to, exhale through your mouth
Place your left hand on your right shoulder and breathe for about 30 seconds
Release your left hand and let it fall
Notice how your right shoulder feels
Place your right hand on your left shoulder and breathe for about 30 seconds
Release your right hand
Notice how your shoulders feel
Breathe
Ask yourself: what do I want to generate at this moment?
If you are playing an instrument, hold it or place your hands on it
Ask yourself: what do I want to generate at this moment?
Breathe and begin on any note generating the sound from deep inside of you
Repeat that note until another note comes to your imagination
Allow your improvisation to unfold
A short and meaningful centering followed by free improvisation before you launch into your regular practice will bring you into an inspired generative state.
