before I get too deep

I'm reading The Inner Game of Tennis right now. I attended a jazz "band camp" (hee hee) when I was in high school and one of my teachers recommended it to me for it's philosophical approach that can be applied to playing music. It's only taken me 12 years to get around to it.

The book talks about avoiding negative judgments in your playing, and this can be applied to tennis, music, or any complicated task or hobby. (Hobbit? No.) Point being, one would be better served to observe then to criticize. The line judge in a tennis match doesn't say "that ball was out, and boy, your backhand sucks," or "that ball was in, and you are a much better player than your opponent." By avoiding these judgments we can avoid mental pratfalls, and the snowball effect that comes with beating yourself up (aren't the challenges of the game, and a willing and occasionally able opponent trying to beat you enough?).

I teach guitar and piano lessons. Applying the ideas of the Inner Game to teaching is really intriguing to me. The problem is, I feel that I need to learn how to get out of the way, and let the student teach themselves. No matter who your teacher is, the individual always teaches his or her own self best.

It seems to me that it's impossible to improve at a task without having positive and negative reinforcement. Without a sense of what quality is, and therefore "good" and "bad", there's nothing to teach. I suppose the trick of applying the ideas of the book as a teacher are to get the student to get past judgment and get to observation. I guess this means I'll have to stop saying things like "you messed up the fourth measure, and this means you are a very bad person."

My final pondering for the day is related, and one that I've wondered about for a while. It relates to the four truths of Buddhism. There's a more detailed explanation on that link, but it says the truths are:

Life is suffering.

The origin of suffering is attachment.

The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The path to the cessation of suffering.

This fourth truth seems to be a sentence fragment to me at first glance, but that's not the part that bothers me. What bothers me is what place do achievement and quality have in Buddhism? Without hard work and ambition would we have a cure for polio, Michael Jordan, or Apple MacBook computers? Doesn't the existence of excellence lessen the amount of suffering the rest of us experience? I imagine that many successful and ambitious artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs don't follow these four truths and have a hard time dealing with life when their heyday is in the past. Are the people who achieve excellence martyrs for humanity?

I try to approach my career from a Buddhist point of view. I don't crave fame or wealth (except for the necessary wealth to purchase a new saxophone, pay rent, get sushi from time to time, and see an occasional movie). I crave the ability to keep going, to write better music, to be inspired, and to communicate.

Does the Dalai Lama have a myspace page? What are the chances he checks his own mesages? What are the chances he'll read this blog and add me as a friend?

Until next time...

Go Lakers.

Om.

cheap hobbies and cheaper puns

Behold, oh internet. I hath added a couple shows up in this webspace.

Some shall be solo. One shall be a full-banded excursion.

Zoey's will be also be featuring the vocal and electric piano stylings of one Brandon C. Rogers. Brandon is doing his own set, but chances are high that there will be at least one duet.

I watched ye olde NBA All Star Game in New Orleans and was reminded that Branford Marsalis is a mighty fine saxophonist, or as I like to pronounce it "sacks-often-ist".

My alto saxophone (sacks-often?) was stolen (grrr). I now have an insurance check that is burning a whole in my bank account. I'm either going to buy a Yamaha saxophone for two g's, that is medium fancy, or this beautiful, highly fancy Selmer alto for the low, low price of $4000:



Maybe I should've taken up a cheaper hobby in high school, like spaghetti collecting or cross-stitching pocket lent. Perhaps I could've taken up a cheaper Hobbit, like Samwise.

As Krusty said, "puns are lazy writing!" But what else will I do with my spare time that doesn't cost $4000?

brick-o-fructose

Sorry neighbors. I wrote a new song yesterday. Whenever this happens the stereo goes on repeat so I can get into the meat of what the song is about and where it should go. I'm expecting a brick-o-gram through the window with a "stop playing that song!" post-it attached at any moment.

One of the new tricks I've learned from my TV scoring Yoda to my Luke (a.k.a. my boss) is that if you want your background vocals to sound like the Beach Boys, sing 'em loud! That's a primary feature of yesterday's new ditty. I've been listening to "Our Prayer" from Brian Wilson's Smile, and the a cappella break in "Sloop John B." The sound of that vocal wall is tasty like high fructose corn syrup, but much healthier for you. "Wall o' Vocals" are a new staple of my diet.

Other than my plans at juggling masonry, and high fructose similes it's a simple day over here. I'm off to play some yellow-ball in a moment.

Yesterday I was asked what candidate I'm supporting. I'm leaning Barack, but I've got a lot of love for Hillary. But instead of my opinions, let's think about yours for a moment. Click this link for a non-partisan survey that will help you figure out which candidate you line up with.

kang, kodos, and my life of crime

In case you missed a previous blog, I'm ghost writing music for a TV show these days. A friend who scores a couple of shows has a wee bit too much on his plate, so I'm doing half the music for a particular show (which shall remain nameless). Last week I was holed up in the studio, scoring early and often. This week I'm off, and back to the more important work of talking about myself.

Today I return to the world of the living. I'll be seeing sunlight firsthand (and not through the studio skylight), getting worked over on the tennis court, replying to myspace friend requests, finally updating the email list, and booking a show or two.

I've been reading a bit about how "superdelegates" will effect the outcome of the Democratic Presidential nomination. What with the record voter turnout that's being reported around the country, that personally makes me want to kick me heels up and shout "what the hizzle?!" That's got to be number two on the top ten ways to make people disenchanted with the democratic process, right above Kang and Kodos taking off their Barack and Hillary disguises at the eleventh hour and revealing their true policy goals of enslaving the human race.



Nevertheless, I shall carry on with my obsessive trolling of the news of the Presidential race, and my new found poli-crush on Hendrik Hertzberg.

This weekend I went to Vegas to visit friends and lost 100% of the seven dollars I invested in "jacks or better" video game poker. This is one of those experiences where early failure in the short term may be best for the long run. For example, coughing your brains out the first time you try a cigarette, or getting caught shoplifting baseball cards* on your first attempt doesn't feel great in the moment. Fortunately, when you're tallying up the plusses and minuses of the human condition down the road, these moments will lead to a relative karmic jackpot. On the other hand, maybe I'm missing my calling by not pulling a bank or stagecoach heist.

We'll never know. Instead I'll teach myself Joni's "Raised on Robbery" and ponder.



*It was fourth grade, and I blame my delinquent friend, Freddie, for talking me into it.

Blue Sting

Saturday was a good one. I played the Hotel Cafe. We sent Bill Shupp off to San Francisco with a bang.

I'm attempting to start a new tradition where the band does an "in the style of" cover at every gig. Saturday we did Radiohead's "Karma Police" in the style of The Police. No, not with donuts, but rather with stacked fifths on the guitars, lots of "eeh oh"s, and plenty of hi hat fills.

Two notes on the picture that will follow:

Is Sting doing Blue Steel?

Craig Kilborn said I look like Stewart Copeland, but I'm thinking I could be Andy Summers' stunt double.



Here's the setlist:

only a rehearsal
how many times
done him wrong
little city driver
beyond my means
what if I
2x2
hold on
karma police
open to close
one spin

Don't forget to be super tomorrow, Californians.