In this Flashback post (originally posted at RockOm in October of 2008) we look at composition and improvisation as a life metaphor. Is the full, happy and successful life about "creating yourself" (composition)? Or is it more of an improvisation - playing off other people's "riffs," ducking and dodging melodies and reacting to the chord progressions that are supporting you?
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Composition vs. Improvisation
Musical Perception
"It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception." [Albert Einstein, when asked about his Theory of Relativity]What have you discovered through "musical perception" or seen more clearly because of music's influence?
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Both Sides Now
Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use a creative technique called divergent thinking, and also use both the left and the right sides of their frontal cortex more heavily than the average person.
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New Podcast feat. Sarah Hart
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Artist:
We've got a brand new episode of the RockOm Podcast out today. Sarah Hart is a gifted and talented singer-songwriter whose new album SaintSong merges the ancient wisdom of saints past with a modern, folksy pop sound. Don't miss this special podcast to hear Sarah reflect on how she was inspired to breathe new life [...]
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Actually One
"Sometimes you would feel this presence together with the audience and the band, which was just such a mindblower. It felt better than the other gigs. You felt some sort of connection, where there was a whole wave of five or ten thousand people coming at you. You felt that you and the audience were [...]
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The Sounds of Learning
What's more "spiritual" than helping and serving others with compassion? Take a look at this UCLA music education program designed to help children with autism better understand emotions and learn to recognize emotions in others.
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No Boundaries
"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art."[Charlie Parker, Source: "Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground"]
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Saintly Words
In tandem with RockOm's featured artist Sarah Hart and her CD SaintSong, here are a few thoughts and quotes from some of the church saints whose words she features on her album. The bold text is the original text or prayer title and the italicized text are the titles of Sarah's songs.
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What’s Rockin @ RockOm: 7/21
This week we're proud to introduce you to Sarah Hart, an excellent singer-songwriter whose new album merges the ancient wisdom of saints past with a modern, folksy pop sound. Here's some more information about Sarah and her album, SaintSong.
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“Is there a meaning to music?”
"The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that would be, 'No.'"[Aaron Copland]
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Mandela Turns 91
Nelson Mandela, one of the world's most inspiring and influential men, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the first President of post-apartheid South Africa turned 91 on Saturday. In this article RockOm not only celebrates Mandela but recognizes how music became Mandela's voice for 27 years at a time his voice was seemingly silenced.
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“Hear a little music…”
"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]
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Flashback: A tempo
In this Flashback post from the RockOm blog [originally posted on September 20th, 2008], we take the musical term a tempo - which is "a directive written on sheet music to return to the original tempo after a deliberate deviation" - and compare it to the spiritual concept of repentance.
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Contest Is Over… Thanks!
The RockOm "Spread the Word" contest is over. Thank you to everyone who participated -- and of course if you still would like to invite your friends and neighbors to check out RockOm.net, that would be fantastic! Congratulations to all the winners and thanks again to Mantralogy for providing copies of this fantastic album.
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“Spread the Word” Contest
This Friday afternoon we're announcing a very simple contest: help spread the word about RockOm and get a completely free copy of one of the year's best spiritual music CDs, Ten Million Moons by Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits (courtesy of Mantralogy). Here's how...
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“The first duty of music…”
"Whether you are playing in the bar, the church, the strip joint, or the Himalayas, the first duty of music is to complement and enhance life."[Carlos Santana, source: Zen Guitar]
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Sting: In His Own Words
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Artist:
Sting is set to release a new "winter" themed CD on October 27 entitled If On a Winter's Night... As we await the release of the new album, let us take a moment and allow Sting to speak for himself on the subject of spirituality through these various interview excerpts we've compiled.
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“In the present moment…”
"Music is one of the best ways to enjoy the present. It's not much fun to look forward to hearing music or to remember what a song sounded like last week, but music right now absorbs you and places you in the present moment."[Sonnett Branche, source unkown]
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New Podcast, 7/16 feat. Gaura Vani
On this week's podcast episode, out today:Gaura Vani, leader of the kirtan band As Kindred Spirits, shares about Chant4Change (a sold-out chant event during Obama's Inauguration), songs from their new album Ten Million Moons, the essence and meaning of kirtan and more.
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