Rehearsal at the Wilsons

A Tuning the Air Journal

Monday November 9, 2009 – Rehearsal at the Wilsons

The primary task of the night was to discuss our observations from last week’s show; to look at what worked, what didn’t, and what, if any changes were to be made. We realized very late in the game that this was a meeting that really involved the entire company and not just the performance team, but with less than an hour before rehearsal time Jaxie and I agreed to acknowledge that we had made a mistake, and move ahead as planned. We will make sure that an open invitation to the entire team is made for next Monday.

Chris was running a little late, so the rest of us began with a look at the Charles Ives piece, Children’s Hour. In looking over the piano score, I had noticed a couple of things that were different from the way we had arranged it, primarily related to the octave in which the circulated part is played. We made the adjustments and ran it a bit, with pretty stunning effect. Chris arrived, and it was time to get down to business. But frankly, all I wanted to do was dive deeper into this piece.

Very good discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the improvisational strategy we adopted for last week’s show. Clear and direct observations, and remarkable unanimity in terms of our experience. We threw around a very wide range of possible adjustments that we could adopt, but in the end adopted an approach articulated by Howard: change nothing. That is, continue another week with this strategy, but… attend the flow, which we generally agreed was the stickiest part of our first experiment. So the decisions for this week were enumerated as:

• Change nothing
  
• Attention on the flow
  
• Trust the hat – only 2 this week: The Hat of Repertoire and the Hat of Mystery
  
• Joel to move a little more quickly when the hat is called for
  
• Igor will watch for possible opportunities for improv during the Hat
  
• We will not know in advance the themes of the improvs in the Hat of Mystery

At last Monday’s rehearsal I had rather cavalierly declared that La Rueda would be ready for this week. So after a short break we moved on to that. The circulators remained in the living room and worked with their flow and timing, while the rhythm section (me, Jaxie and Chris) went to the den to work out some details on our part. When we came together, it was very close. The final section, which include a couple bars of 4/4 in a piece that is otherwise entirely in 6/4, continued to be a stumbling block. We worked backwards from the final bar, and it began to come together. It is a tough one. Clarity began to come when we did some simplification on the rhythm section part. By the end, we were really playing the end (always a significant moment when we move from “getting through” a piece to actually playing the Music). It is in the mix for Thursday. Whether in the Hat or in the pocket is over to Jaxie, although I suspect running it in the Great Hall during warmup on Thursday may make that decision a bit clearer.

During the final run through of the piece, a solution to the puzzle of how to arrange the middle section of Children’s Hour came to me. I have no idea what I was doing thinking about Ives while playing Pietrafesa, but sometimes associative thinking works in your favor. I ran the idea by Jaxie as we were packing to leave, and it seemed to resonate for her as well. Not sure when we will have time to test this arrangement, as next Saturday will be dominated by the Sherman/Abel nuptials. Soon, I hope.

Fernie popped in after I got home, for a short visit and nightcap, as he is going home tomorrow afternoon. I’m sure Moni and Uma will be happy to see him. I know he has been missing them badly. But I am sorry to see him go.

Monthly Open Circle and Rehearsal

A Tuning the Air Journal

Saturday November 7, 2009 – Monthly Open Circle and Rehearsal

When people engage, with openness, Music happens. I know nothing is ever guaranteed, but this seems to come about as close as anything can. The Open Circle is an excellent example.

Rehearsal entirely devoted to two new pieces. We worked to get La Rueda on its feet; a slightly limping version, as Bob was AAD, but nevertheless it is now provisionally ready for prime time. Monday night will tell the tale. For the last hour we began working on an arrangement of a lovely Charles Ives piece.

First Post-Orchestra Tuning the Air

Thursday November 5, 2009 – First Post-Orchestra Tuning the Air

Jaxie’s setlist:

Set List:

• Cultivating the Beat (Opener)
  
• Kashmir (In the Middle)
  
• Thrak (Closer – with Eye of the Needle or Lament potentially called afterwards, if needed)

To be included in the three Hats:

• Improvisation - Here there be dragons
  
• Eye of the Needle
  
• Brazil
  
• Voices of Ancient Children
  
• Long Ago Today
  
• Little Gangsters
  
• Tuning the Air – call a key or not
  
• My Precious Dream
  
• Prelude XXII in G Minor
  
• In My Room
  
• Zither Improvisation
  
• Improvisation – Tell me your deepest secret
  
• Twilight
  
• Sigh and a Kiss
  
• Bus Artist
  
• Batrachomyomachy
  
• 49 Notes
  
• Lament
  
• Wig Maker
  
• Improvisation – Audience choice
  
• Circulation – D Major
  
• Circulation – Begin with: Plus 2 Minus 1
  
• Double Swirl Zither
  
• Improvisation – What is the sound of stars colliding?
  
• Circulation madness
  
• Music for a Found Harmonium
  
• Mevlevi Greeting – notes of your choice

First Post-Orchestra Rehearsal

A Tuning the Air Journal

Monday November 2, 2009 – First Post-Orchestra Rehearsal

Filling in… load out from Raft Island was entirely uneventful, which is to say it was a complete success. Everyone who needed to get to the airport got there. Everyone who needed to get to town got there. The camp was cleaned and restored in record time, and we were on the road well before noon.

A get-together at my place Saturday night, which happened to be Halloween. Fifteen or twenty of us, including several out-of-town guests, decompressing. The evening remained pretty low-key until about 11, when the registrar took charge of iTunes and pulled up some Prince, and suddenly dancing broke out, which continued until we were all falling down.

While strolling down Market Street on Sunday afternoon, giving some of the folks still in town from the course the nickel tour of NW Seattle – Vera’s for breakfast, the Ballard Sunday Farmer’s Market, Ballard Locks (complete with at least one salmon in the fish ladder), Golden Gardens, and Fremont – Jaxie called. She had a pretty clear sense of a direction for this week’s show. Told her she should run with it.

All in, plus one, for tonight’s rehearsal, although Igor was going to be a little late. Tony sat in. We began with a bit of circulating in the “plus two minus one” form, which was surprisingly difficult. Don’t know if we were just all still a little hammered from the course, or what was going on.

Jax then laid out some of the things she was seeing for the show on Thursday. At first there was a lot of what I read as non-responsiveness, a kind of shoe gazing, but which turned out to be simply pondering. Once the discussion began to open up, it was very apparent that much of what she was describing was also on a lot of minds, not to mention a whole lot of other germs of ideas. All in all, a very fruitful discussion. After a short, and late, break, we kind of hammered out the general shape and strategy for Thursday, incorporating some of the myriad ideas that had been aired. It is going to be an interesting one. Suffice it to say, there will be no setlist insert in this week’s program (one joking suggestion was to print up an insert reading “this page intentionally left blank”).

Ran several small group pieces, and a couple of the large group pieces that are definitely going to be played, and called it a night.

Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists, Day 1 of whatever comes next

A Tuning the Air Journal

Saturday October 31, 2009 – Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists II, Day 1 of whatever comes next

8:44am

Packing, cleaning, restoring, with the plan to be out and on our way home by noon. I always enjoy the first morning sitting on the day after the course has been completed. No schedule. No sense of joining in as part of a course. Just what we do every day. A new beginning.

The sun is inexplicably out. Going to take as much advantage of that in the cleanup as possible.

Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists II, Day 7

A Tuning the Air Journal

Friday October 30, 2009 – Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists II, Day 7

5:19pm

My body is sore, as though I ran a marathon yesterday. Hmmm.

Largely a day of looking after details in order to complete the course with care. A little light at the sitting, which is not so uncommon on the morning after a gig when beginners are involved. Conservation of energy requires awareness and practice. I joked with Jaxie at breakfast that at an earlier time in the history of Guitar Craft, at breakfast an announcement might have been made that we had another gig that night, and would be loading out in 4 hours.

Good comments and even a few observations about last night’s gig shared over breakfast.

For myself, 2 (or 3, depending on how you look at it) back to back meetings with Robert and a rolling assortment of the usual characters. First, the TTA performance team+4, looking at and completing the work we had undertaken for the week. Then the NAFGC (aka, the nafgooses) to look at the support that the Office needs, and ways that we can/will effect that. With just a little personnel shifting, this morphed into a GC Histories meeting. Several things came clear to me through these meetings, almost as a side effect. I hadn’t gone into them asking for answers, or even particularly focused on the questions, but at several points there were very clear decisions that presented themselves. One was very directly related to one of my aims for this course. The other was more of a surprise.

I had just enough time to grab a shower before lunch. It occurred to me that the shower stall was not designed to be used by an actual human being.

Two of the team departed this morning. One was due to a commitment for tomorrow and we were aware of it from the beginning. The second was unforeseeable, involving an emergency at his job. Their absence, while unavoidable, is definitely noticeable.

Great lunch of leftover soups. A performance/demonstration from Those Who Fly At A Somewhat More Modest Altitude, of the circulation work they had undertaking in the morning. Another beauty from Patrick, and a poem from Erin as well. Office work and a bit of practice for me at the afternoon. Tea time was the course’s Merchandising Opportunity. Great bazaar-like atmosphere. I blew out all of the strings I had.

Met with Chris, Travis and Taylor on money matters after Tea, to wrap up the course finances, and get everyone paid. Barring a large surprise, it looks like we will not lose any money, and may even bank a buck or two.

House of Guitars at 6pm. Final meeting on the schedule for 9pm.

11:46pm

Substantial House of Guitars. One “when ready…” and from there it played itself. Three movements. Occasionally fell back on the reliable. But real moments of group movement. Ended with a whiz that didn’t quite reach last night’s altitude, but reached for it at least, and came close.

SSG on supper. Wonderful. The Blessing calling to be uttered, and then there it was. Silence with a capital.

Course complete. Just details now. But inattention to details can undo everything, so attention yet to be paid.

Looking forward to my own bed and my own shower, not to mention the monster.

Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists II, Day 6

A Tuning the Air Journal

Thursday October 29, 2009 – Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists II, Day 6

2:03pm

It’s gig day. Personal work for the morning. Not really much to do beyond that. Everything is as “in place” as it can be. Robert spoke a little at breakfast about the energy that is lost in unnecessary talking, and proposed that drives to and from the gig be quiet. We are taking up an exercise to keep us on and in touch with the course throughout the road trip. A travel meeting. I practiced for most of the morning, which was a treat. Very little hanging out going on. Not sure how others have been occupying themselves. Even gave myself permission to take a short nap (actually, Fernie convinced me it would be okay, and who am I to argue with Fernie?). Showered and ready to go. Just need to dress.

I depart with the advance team at about 2:45pm. What will be, will be.

Likelihood of journalizing beyond this, today, is very low. Obviously not carrying the laptop on the road, and we return at midnight.