Organic Time

[Guest guest]

I am a composer and musician.

 

While recording music, I've noticed something very strange on numerous

occasions.

 

I'll be working on a piece of music, and it may have a problem area right near

the end. Perhaps the 3rd vocal harmony on the last chorus is a little flat, and

not really working anyway; once it is cut, the ending is stronger. Or, the 2nd

violin doubling the clarinet in the quiet section right near the end seems too

heavy. When the clarinet is allowed to play it solo, it sounds much better and,

in fact, this section now corresponds/balances nicely with an earlier solo

clarinet section.

 

Once these changes are made, the problem section is fixed, and the overall

piece is (hopefully) improved.

 

Here's the strange part:

 

I'll rewind the tape to hear the piece in its entirety from the beginning, to

make

sure the new changes work in the context of the whole. Perhaps I'll make

some adjustments to the mixer (tone controls, effects, panning, etc.). I may

even take a phone call, or wonder if I really should go upstairs and brush my

teeth. The point is, I'm not really thinking about the piece or the changes

I've

made in it.

 

About this time, I'll roll the tape. Immediately, the piece will sound better

than

it ever has before, even though NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE

BEGINNING. In fact, no changes have been made to the first 5 minutes, yet

it all sounds undeniably better. Somehow, the changes at the end are

affecting the rest of the piece.

 

You may say that it's just because I know the piece is going to turn out better

at the end; that could be part of it. But the strange thing is, it's not like

I'm

expecting that or thinking about it when I start the tape (in fact, at this

point,

not having heard the changes in context, I won't have come to that conclusion

yet). It is a direct perception and it is immediate and unmistakable.

 

I've asked myself how this could be. How could the end affect the beginning?

It's as if the music is some kind of reverse time machine.

 

We have all been taught that the past affects the present, and the present in

turn affects the future; this is the law of karma. But could the future affect

the

present (and the past as well)? Who's to say it couldn't?

 

It's as if the music is an organic whole, existing outside of linear time. We

think of music as moving from beginning to end, smoothly progressing

through the various changes and events; just like the flow of life. However,

with music we can rewind the tape. We can actually see the future affect the

past.

 

Perhaps you've heard Ramesh's simile of the eternal now being like a giant

painting 50 miles wide. The entire painting is already complete and finished;

however, the observer can only view a small portion of it at a time. As he

moves from one point to the next, his perception is that each section is new,

yet it was already there all along.

 

If the painter were to add a few brushstrokes in mile 49, would it affect the

way the scene in mile one looks?

 

There is a saying, " All's well that ends well. " If we could be completely

convinced that all will indeed end well, how would that affect our perception of

the present? Knowing that everything is right by the end of the song, how will

we hear the current verse?

 

The other day I saw a bumper sticker saying something like " Jesus promised

us a perfect landing. He never said the ride wouldn't get bumpy along the

way. "

 

If manifest existence arises from silent perfection and, inevitably, returns to

it,

doesn't that make it, regardless of all changes and events, synonymous with

silent perfection?

 

Michael Souther

[Guest guest]

Nisargadatta, MSouther@e... wrote:

>

> I am a composer and musician.

>

> While recording music, I've noticed something very strange on

numerous

> occasions.

>

> I'll be working on a piece of music, and it may have a problem area

right near

> the end. Perhaps the 3rd vocal harmony on the last chorus is a

little flat, and

> not really working anyway; once it is cut, the ending is stronger.

Or, the 2nd

> violin doubling the clarinet in the quiet section right near the

end

seems too

> heavy. When the clarinet is allowed to play it solo, it sounds

much

better and,

> in fact, this section now corresponds/balances nicely with an

earlier solo

> clarinet section.

>

> Once these changes are made, the problem section is fixed, and the

overall

> piece is (hopefully) improved.

>

> Here's the strange part:

>

> I'll rewind the tape to hear the piece in its entirety from the

beginning, to make

> sure the new changes work in the context of the whole. Perhaps

I'll

make

> some adjustments to the mixer (tone controls, effects, panning,

etc.). I may

> even take a phone call, or wonder if I really should go upstairs

and

brush my

> teeth. The point is, I'm not really thinking about the piece or

the

changes I've

> made in it.

>

> About this time, I'll roll the tape. Immediately, the piece will

sound better than

> it ever has before, even though NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE

> BEGINNING. In fact, no changes have been made to the first 5

minutes, yet

> it all sounds undeniably better. Somehow, the changes at the end

are

> affecting the rest of the piece.

>

> You may say that it's just because I know the piece is going to

turn

out better

> at the end; that could be part of it. But the strange thing is,

it's not like I'm

> expecting that or thinking about it when I start the tape (in fact,

at this point,

> not having heard the changes in context, I won't have come to that

conclusion

> yet). It is a direct perception and it is immediate and

unmistakable.

>

> I've asked myself how this could be. How could the end affect the

beginning?

> It's as if the music is some kind of reverse time machine.

>

> We have all been taught that the past affects the present, and the

present in

> turn affects the future; this is the law of karma. But could the

future affect the

> present (and the past as well)? Who's to say it couldn't?

>

> It's as if the music is an organic whole, existing outside of

linear

time. We

> think of music as moving from beginning to end, smoothly

progressing

> through the various changes and events; just like the flow of life.

However,

> with music we can rewind the tape. We can actually see the future

affect the

> past.

>

> Perhaps you've heard Ramesh's simile of the eternal now being like

a

giant

> painting 50 miles wide. The entire painting is already complete

and

finished;

> however, the observer can only view a small portion of it at a

time.

As he

> moves from one point to the next, his perception is that each

section is new,

> yet it was already there all along.

>

> If the painter were to add a few brushstrokes in mile 49, would it

affect the

> way the scene in mile one looks?

>

> There is a saying, " All's well that ends well. " If we could be

completely

> convinced that all will indeed end well, how would that affect our

perception of

> the present? Knowing that everything is right by the end of the

song, how will

> we hear the current verse?

>

> The other day I saw a bumper sticker saying something like " Jesus

promised

> us a perfect landing. He never said the ride wouldn't get bumpy

along the

> way. "

>

> If manifest existence arises from silent perfection and,

inevitably,

returns to it,

> doesn't that make it, regardless of all changes and events,

synonymous with

> silent perfection?

>

> Michael Souther

 

Dear Michael

My experiences are very similar!

 

I compose/sing/record indian music.

 

After struggling with a very creative unconventional piece all

evening and night, finally I get it right towards early morning and I

punch it. Next day afternoon the same piece sounds flat - all the

intricate taans(string of notes in a specific beat pattern) sound

somewhat distorted. Now, I hear the piece in the evening, I hear a

tone of a specific raga( a set of notes that define a specific mood)

that did not exist before. The frustration or the excitement

continues as the time changes - raga bhairavi suddenly appears to

blend in to raga bhairava merging into raga bhopali - pathos,

surrender, bliss, romance.......keep rolling with time. It is like a

new arising every time and two arisings are never the same. I do

observe the organic nature of the piece - the first quarter of the

piece on it's own sounds different than when heard as a whole piece.

Finally, I have concluded that the notes are empty - it is the

process of listening that shapes them.

 

 

Naad Parabrahma

Vijay