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PERFECT
INTENTION
By Jamie Andreas (www.guitarprinciples.com)
In my last newsletter,
I spoke about the necessity of recording yourself if you want to be
all that you can be as a musician. It was all true enough, but there
is more to the story. I feel I should give you a bit more guidance in
going about meeting the demands of doing this, and they are considerable.
I have myself been ruminating on the subject, as I am in the process
of much recording right now, including a new CD of all original work.
I have always seen the process of playing, whether alone, performing,
or recording, as the great goal, the great teacher, and the great crucible.
It is in actual playing that we enter the "holy of holies", just as
for the music listener, it is in listening that they have the transcendent
experience that it seems only music gives.
But players are even more special than listeners. To actually be the
source of the music, to actually be responsible for calling it forth
and giving it birth, is a most delicious experience. I am not sure of
all the reasons, but I am sure that not only do I feel that way, but
many millions of people do (not that I have heard from all of them,
but I do get stories from enough representatives of the playing population
to know that great numbers of people are intensely drawn to being the
instrument that plays the instrument).
To play music gives you an opportunity listeners don't have. We have
the opportunity to become the music in a way listeners cannot. By virtue
of the relationship to music that we have chosen, pursued, and earned,
we have access to a dimension of involvement simply not available unless
one were actually willing the music into existence, and giving it physical
manifestation with their physical selves. Of course, we also get to
give the music a vital part of our own selfhood, the stamp of our own
individual personality (at least, if the involvement is intense enough,
and is what it should be).
The only thing I can compare it to is the difference between being the
mother of a child, and someone who just knows that child, and perhaps,
enjoys that child. There is simply a feeling that the mother can have
(and hopefully, does), that anyone else cannot. When the music is the
product or your own thought, and your own emotion, and comes out of
your own body, that is when we unify the two opposite aspects of our
personhood: the animal and the angel, the physical self and the spiritual
self which is its source.
When we play, we are birthing every note. Like having a child, or raising
a child, it requires great energy, and is a great responsibility. We
can do it well, or we can be irresponsible. We can be there, or not
be there, we can have great desire and will for each note to exist and
be there, or we can be thinking of something else when we play. We can
be greatly involved with the sound and the satisfaction of our desire
for the sound, or we can be somewhere else, thinking of something else,
or feeling something else.
There is a great confrontation that takes place when we play. That confrontation
is intensified when we record ourselves, and intensified even further
when we perform. It is a humbling confrontation between us and our real
selves, between who we think we are, and who we really are. It is also
a potentially instructive and illuminating confrontation between what
we think we are doing, and what we are really doing, and between what
we think we want, and what we really want.
I read a number of comments in the forum recently, related to achieving
the proper relationship to the act of playing, and the proper relationship
to the whole idea of playing the guitar as well. These are matters of
fundamental importance, and I am glad our community has people who recognize
that importance.
One person writes,
"Being simply "aware" of the present moment while doing anything
sounds simple, but is not. While playing the guitar, I am now aware
of my mind rushing into at least 10 million (when I last counted) directions
- I am thinking about the song, whether I am playing it right or not,
feelings of dejection and frustration because what I am playing is not
what the song sounds like on the CD or in my memory, fantasies of playing
the solo at twice the speed just to hear my friends say, "whoa, that
was some solo" etc etc etc. And don't laugh -I will also admit to mulling
over some work-related issues and thinking about dinner while practicing.
No wonder I am unable to pay attention to the details."
Ah yes, the confrontation with our real selves! What is this person
really doing? Well, we can see they are not playing! And what does this
person really want? Not the notes, that is clear. This person wants
validation, adulation, and someone to do the housework!
Now, don't think I am putting this person down, I am just telling it
like it is. They are merely confronting what most of us will confront,
especially if we are rather new to it all. I myself have battled all
that, and far more. I am as neurotic as anyone else. Probably, the tendency
will always be there, to weakly fall prey to the vagaries and vanities
of the self, the "ego", instead of serving the great God Of Music, who
is depending on us to bring into being that true and great voice that
speaks to all mankind.
The secret of transcending this inherent and incorrigible tendency of
the mind is not to somehow defeat it. It is to not do battle in the
first place. And the only way we will reach the place where these things
do not arise, and no battle is required, is when we become incredibly
sensitive to what is really going on; sensitive to what music really
is, the Divine Doorway. We players are the ones who open that door,
so everyone can enter. You either recognize and accept that responsibility,
you either recognize the reasons for doing so, and the joy of doing
so, or you don't.
When we know this, when we really know it, we will act like we know
it. And that means we will be capable of the great sacrifice when practicing
and playing, the sacrifice of our "self-concerns". We will know that
the magic does not happen unless we release those concerns, and we release
them by merely placing our attention where it should be: on the music
and the making of the music.
I will tell you this: when you hear the music that makes YOU feel that
magic, it is not being played by someone who is "somewhere else", or
who is doing "something else". It is being played by someone who is
investing every particle of themselves into every note, the totality
of their physical, mental, and emotional selves.
This is Perfect Intention. It is an exalted state that every player
should seek, even from the beginning. The more you give yourself to
it, the more it reveals itself to you. You will know it when you find
it, and you will know it when you don't. Carlos Santana has said "it
is never good unless it makes me cry". That is one example of someone
recognizing when it happens, and when it doesn't.
We must confront our mediocre selves, not to condemn ourselves or make
ourselves feel bad, rather, to get to know ourselves, and accept ourselves,
and become more than we are. We must embrace our mediocre (undeveloped)
self, put our arm around it like a wise and good older brother or sister,
or perhaps mother or father, and simply educate and enlighten. We must
understand that these indulgences of the mind and ego are in reality
preventing us from having a much higher joy than receiving approval
from other people, or being able to say "gee, I'm a great guitar player".
Big deal, that and twenty cents will get you nothing!
The mind has correctly been likened to a team of powerful but wild horses.
The mind has great energy, and it is the nature of mind to expend that
energy in an uncontrolled manner. The power of the mind must be controlled
and focused, there must be a master holding the reins and giving the
horses direction. That master is called the Will. The Will is another
word for Intention. The Will is "what we desire to come into being,
and have committed ourselves to". It is the force of that desire that
gives us the power to bring our will, our desire, into being. When we
play with Perfect Intention, we pour all of ourselves into every note;
we don't invest any part of ourselves somewhere else, or in something
else.
When our involvement reaches this white hot level of intensity, we will
be in our state of Perfect Intention. Every note is touched with love,
which is the desire to "be with". We should never settle for anything
less. If a part of ourselves is not there, we must find out where it
is, and put it in the service of the music. "We", meaning our attention,
is always somewhere. Not being with the music is a decision we make,
on some level of ourselves. We are just not aware of that level. We
must become aware of that "level of volition" within ourselves where
that decision is being made, and make a different decision.
I don't think there has ever been a more perfect example of Perfect
Intention than Beethoven, that most supreme of supreme artists. As far
as music was concerned, Beethoven lived constantly in a state of perfect
intention. Beethoven would go so deeply through the Divine
Doorway that there was not a trace of any part of him that was not
given to the music. Of course, what he found on the other side, and
brought back, has been considered by so many people to be the greatest
and most profound music ever written (okay, I'm one of those people!).
To hear Beethoven improvise was an experience that no one lucky enough
to have ever forgot. When an idea possessed him he lost all awareness
of anything or anyone outside himself, as he gave himself in total surrender
to the music.
Beethoven was a teacher too, teaching piano. I always found it interesting
and instructive that when teaching, he never got upset at random mistakes
a student might make, if they were due to technical problems or lack
of development. However, if they were due to not paying attention, well,
that was another matter! When he saw that the students mind was wandering,
he could become violent! Now, why do you think that is? It is for the
same reason the Christian would get upset at irreverence toward Christ,
or the Muslim to Allah or Muhammad, the Jew to Moses or the Torah (you
get the point).
Beethoven, more than anyone else, knew the power and beauty of music,
because if totally possessed him. And so, he had the highest reverence
for it. He was sickened by the insanity of the world, and felt privileged
to have access to a higher reality. He accepted his responsibility to
bring others to that reality, and so looked for and demanded the proper
attitude of respect from others that would lead them to receive what
he had received. Probably, he felt this was the greatest thing he could
teach.
Everyone has a native capacity for focusing the mind, which is how we
describe the process of taking control of the reins of the horses, thereby
becoming able to use the power of the mind. Everyone can become stronger
in their power to focus. The best way to become stronger is to understand
why you must do so. There is no growth without this ability, especially
growth as a guitarist.
After understanding the importance of focus, and seeking after Perfect
Intention, we must understand what to look for, what to focus on. We
have discussed what NOT to focus on, the self and its concerns. I have
described much of what TO focus on in my essay on "Memorizing".
There are 3 areas of concern when we practice, 3 areas of awareness
we must cultivate: the sound of the music itself, the physical feeling
of the creation of each note, and the mental conception of each note
composing the music. When we play, all of this is tied together by the
intensity of our desire for the music itself, for each note.
Pepe Romero, that supreme master of our instrument, has given one of
the best descriptions of the state of Perfect Intention for the guitarist.
He describes the inner experience we should be having when we practice
as a "triangle". Of the two bottom points of the triangle are the separate
awareness of each side of the body, each hand/arm, left and right, before
its creation of the note. The top of the triangle is the "desire for
the note" that acts as an igniting spark, giving life and direction
to the body as it proceeds to create the note, and fulfill the desire
for the note.
Pepe tells us: "Divide your energy equally between the three points
exclusively, not allowing any other thought to enter your mind. Then,
the desire for the sound will serve as electricity to illuminate the
center of the triangle, which will become a perfect circumference from
where the materialized sound appears." This is Perfect Intention in
the act of practicing. If that is what we are doing, there really isn't
anything left over to be meditating on "gee, how do I look" or "I wonder
what they think of me?"
I recommend using the conception of Pepe's triangle in your practice,
especially at the bottom of your practice, your most intense no tempo
practice. As you play every note, from the beginning of its conception
in the mind, to the emotional desire to hear the note, to the hearing
of it in the inner ear, to the thinking of the note itself, its name
(and for readers, its look on the page of music), to conscious knowledge
of each finger to be used, to the awareness of the body as it commences
to create the note, to the hearing of the actual note played, that is
the intensity of the Perfect Intention of a master musician.
I find in playing (as opposed to practicing), it is most useful to me
to keep my attention on two things simultaneously, my breath, and my
desire for the notes. While playing, I am "aerating and intending",
breathing and inwardly desiring and conceiving the music (which is a
mental AND emotional action). As soon as we leave the state of Perfect
Intention we will notice that our breath has become disturbed or constricted,
and we have begun to lose our mental/emotional connection to the music.
We have stopped wanting it, and so it has stopped appearing. Bodily
tensions will follow.
When playing, Pepe counsels us to "withdraw your consciousness from
your body and place it in the crown of your head, view your hands as
though they were those of another player; allow your tactual memory
to guide your fingers with confidence over the fretboard and strings
and balance the sound that comes out of the guitar with that which you
hear in your head."
It should also be understood that there is a level of Perfect Intention
where the music is "heard in silence", and "intended in silence". It
is like speaking. When we speak, we do not necessarily know the words
we will utter beforehand, but if we are strongly enough focused on the
essence of the meaning we wish to convey, the words appear magically
by themselves. If we are perfectly focused, the perfect words appear.
We can conceive and intend the music in this silent manner as well.
The meaning behind all sound proceeds, ultimately and essentially, from
silence, just as the meaning behind the words exists in silence first.
One additional thought of great value to keep in mind when playing comes
from Celedonio Romero, Pepe's father and lifelong teacher. He believed
that every note we play travels and vibrates through the universe eternally.
Now, THAT ought to make us a little bit careful about what we do when
we touch a guitar!
Now, how do you compare to this incredibly high standard. Probably,
like me, when I first had these insights presented to me, you are saying
"what are you, out of your mind! First of all, I don't think it is possible
to focus so intensely on all of that (at least for me), and second,
who says you really have to do that to play well. I mean, is everybody
doing that?"
Yes, to whatever degree, some more and some less, but anyone who is
any good is doing this, in the way appropriate for them and the style
they play. Pepe is a classical player, and classical guitar is the least
forgiving, and probably most demanding style. Improvising musicians
know that to play with Perfect Intention certainly involves hearing
the music first, that is why all the greats sing what they play (classical
players do this too, except not when they perform, unless you are Glenn
Gould, who can always be heard pleasantly humming along with the Bach
fugue he is playing!). The classical player makes sure he or she can
sing all the parts being played, this means the music has been properly
internalized (bass lines usually receive less Intention than melodies).
Singing the music while playing unifies the mind, emotions, and body
in Perfect Intention.
Music is conceived with the mind and the emotions, and is delivered
to the body through and with the breath. The music should be breathed
in before being given birth, and singing makes sure this happens.
In the state of Perfect Intention, we are certainly in our Alone
Place, but that doesn't mean we can't let others in if we choose,
as we do when we perform for others. It is just like Frank Sinatra used
to say "this is my world, your just livin' in it". We can let others
in, and of course should, but as creators of the music, from our point
of view, they are guests in our world. We are making the show happen,
and we make it the way we want it. It is our dream, and we should be
free to dream our own, beautiful dream, not a neurotic nightmare!
Yes, it is the nature of music to want to be shared. It is like humor.
What is the first thing you do when you hear a great joke? You want
to tell it to somebody of course. There is an energy inherent in the
joke, and it wants to be circulated and communicated. To do so intensifies
the energy. It is the nature of the thing (humor) itself, and why the
thing is a part of the human creation and experience. Music is like
that, we just need to get out of the way sometimes!
Perfect Intention requires Perfect Attention. Attention is Presence.
Paradoxically, when our Attention is perfect, "we" disappear. This state
of total absorption in which the "self" is lost, has been known to all
great musicians from Beethoven to Bird. Perhaps Li Po, the great Chinese
poet, described it best, when he said:
"I gaze at the mountain Until only the mountain remains"
Let us play with Perfect Intention, listening to the music, until
only the music remains.
Copyright 2003 Jamie Andreas. www.guitarprinciples.com
Jamie Andreas
Jamie's provocative
writings examine all aspects of becoming a true musician…the technical/physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Guitar virtuoso, recording
artist, composer, and teacher of 30 years, Jamie is recognized by music
experts around the globe for her major contribution to the advancement
of guitar education. Her method book, "The Principles Of Correct Practice
For Guitar" (1999) continues to bring the highest acclaim, world renowned
as "The International Bible For Guitarists", and the "Holy Grail Of
Guitar Books." With a straight forward writing style, her tried and
true, result-oriented guitar book powerfully reveals the correct practice
methods that no other book has revealed…taking the student from the
beginning stages all the way to the highest levels of virtuosity. Jamie
is already familiar to aspiring guitar players, as her wisdom is present
throughout the Web on all major guitar sites, including her own.
Visit: www.guitarprinciples.com
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