Any practice with set external standards, eg a martial art, or playing a musical instrument, presents a standard against which we measure ourselves. When, suddenly, we slip through the invisible barrier between our practising and our practice, we find ourselves in a place where "this is what it is": not so much, we are playing well as we are the playing; or, we are the movement; or we are the gesture. This "taste" is now available to us as our own internal standard.
13.27
We are rehearsing beginning at 15.00. This is preparing us for a time change: from working in the day to working at night. In other fields this is referred to as anti-social hours.
Yesterday we began around 20.15: there is a frightening amount of technology whose assistance is to be encouraged. The perversity of material objects is not something we want right now. Pat particularly is operating in uncharted territory. Our ears are learning to accommodate the increase in schizophonia and sense of separation from the other members.
This morning, for my personal preparation, I've been listening to pieces from TCOL & "Dinosaur" from THRAK. The solo on "Dinosaur" was giving me difficulties: then my motor memory triggered another memory - the solo was played using different equipment, which enabled a swift shifting of octaves by simply throwing a guitar switch. I'd been trying to play this up an octave: no wonder my fingers didn't enjoin a visceral remembrance of the solo.
23.28
Incremental advances. And dinner with Vic Garbarini & Katie Dombroski during our break.
KC continues to discover new variables, aka mistakes. "FraKctured" is not only a minefield, each player functions as an encourager for the others to fall over. I'm not sure we are playing this any better, but we are getting much better at emerging from the cacophonous mess into which we regularly collapse.
"Cynicism is death to the artist."
