A deeper layer to the story – for believers only
Watching a great painting or a theatre play guides us to experiencing different ‘realities’ of one same object - ‘sunflowers’ become much more than ‘sunflowers’ - the transformation of an object into much more than the object, communicating the life in and around it. Similarly, 'looking through’ the subject of this research shows different, other layers of it than 'internalising harmony and the role of improvisation'.
A few moments that communicate the essence of the layers:
- During a ‘silent retreat’ – a few days of silence where ‘fellow-silent-retreaters’ exercise in ‘becoming more mindful’: sitting on a cushion early in the morning, the atmosphere being fresh, unloaded, quiet, warm, accepting, light. In the silence, ‘all of a sudden’ a bird singing so clearly, purely, beautifully, that the ‘clarity’ of the sound triggers in a ‘split-second’ an overwhelming amount of experiences, that 'I' could all ‘see’ at the same time – not possible in our linear perception of time, we can only perceive things happening after each other. Immense joy in the body because of the sound, gratefulness and love for the bird and for its existence. An experience that the tree it is sitting in, the forest, the room, my body are all ‘the same thing’. A sensation of how small the bird is, but how big it also is - the sound being everywhere. Sound being also matter. Sadness and regret that we do not take care of our natural environment well enough. Awareness – incredibly briefly – of how everything connects - almost ‘materialized’ sensation of ‘love’. A bodily sensation of immense intensity, sparkle, tingling, joyful and loving. Everything ‘just is’ and for one time ‘I’ have access to it.
- Snorkeling in a Greek sea - the non-loaded, easy, ‘completely logical’ sensation that the sea and the fish swimming in it and the water and the salty taste and the air above the water and the sand on the sea-floor and my body swimming in it and the movement of the water - never being still or fixed - are all one vast, moving thing. The actions ‘I’ undertake – swimming, watching, breathing – are simple, natural, happening in the ‘exact, right manner’, without me ‘steering them’.
- After an international violin competition abroad, where two of my students participated - in a bowling game that we play to finish off the project: energy, warmth and relaxation of students, parents and me. Three last rounds to go and the 'knowledge' just the moment before I throw the first ball that it will be a strike. The second ball, the 'knowledge' again, the split-second moment before I throw it, I will do this again and I do. The moment before the third ball - last ball in the game: an experience of humorous fun and a strong sense of naturalness – ‘ yes, it would be funny and actually not difficult at all’ – a sentiment of force and certainty beforehand - so clearly I 'know' I will throw the third strike and I do.
- Hiking in the Alps: being ‘taken in’ in the surroundings, becoming part of the mountains - also of the air, of the stone and of the deepness of the stone into the earth’s middle. Touching emotion that there is ‘knowledge’ there, in matter, stone and in time - or ‘no time at all’ - knowledge immensely many times larger than our tiny knowledge. It is possible – at very short moments - in certain circumstances – to connect to that ‘knowledge’, to that consciousness.
- The moment I say goodbye to my brother Paul playing Gluck’s Melody at his funeral: the complete unity – of love, sound, grief, physical unease, acceptance, gratitude, vibrations of air and matter, memories, a crowd of people being one body, that body also incorporating, being my brother, this also being the sound, the love - things being ‘good and bad’ at the same time in this one dynamic body in motion.
- Moments in playing music: ‘not playing the music, but ‘being played’. To hear, in one tone, in one sound a ‘whole world’. Individual players of an ensemble, a whole orchestra for a moment is not perceived as separated individuals, but is becoming one body, one sound. The ‘knowledge without doubt’ to do what is ‘not to be doubted’ - a color, a timing, a movement. Sometimes we ‘just know’ how to play.
Aspects that are essential players when it comes to music-making!
Yet, we do not specifically spend time and educational material to developing them. However, they host an immense, 'magical' potential - for development and growth.
Improvising music seems to be one of the many human activities that offers the possibility to joyfully exercise ourselves towards moments of raised awareness.
Gluck's Melody is based on the story of Orpheus and Euridice. The symbolism of 'not looking backwards' seems to be at the heart of improvising music. It is the paradox that only by 'letting go' - and daring to do so - we can truly connect.
It is my belief that we all possess the potential of ‘knowing’ that is ‘knowing in another way’. ‘Learning and acting’ that uses our instinct, intuition and ‘universal’ knowledge. We can exercise, educate ourselves to becoming always a little bit better in going along that path. It will incorporate a holistic way of learning instead of linear learning.
All this is what 'the other layers of the research' are about.
A deeper motivation to have undertaken the research is lying here.