What pops your Cork?

It is a glorious day here in Cork, Ireland. The sun is shining and I am feeling great! I hope you are experiencing this wonderful weather so late in November and that you are able to feel the warmth of the sunshine on your face before it disappears for the day.

Corcaigh (the Irish spelling for Cork) is thought to be the real capital of Ireland by those who inhabit this beautiful city. From my hotel on the Quay over looking the River Lee I can see a very vibrant and stunning sight and it all looks very exciting to me and I cannot wait to take a closer look before I begin rehearsing.

I am told this is the Isle of Shamrock and Leprechauns who like a drop of home brew now and again. Apparently 'they never become so drunk that the hand which holds the hammer becomes unsteady and their shoemaker's work affected'. I hope this works for me too because I definitely feel in high spirits today!

Cork is the home of so much inspirational musical influences including the Cork School of Music where I will be performing later today and I hope you will find time to join me.

What picture is my body painting?

In response to a question from Lisa in Sweden who mentioned that she is currently doing a photo documentary project at a church involving many shoots of musician’s and also listeners attending the services and events. 

Lisa said “If you have any thoughts on how to really show the making of music and the act of listening in photography I'd be really keen to hear your opinion” – I would like to suggest Lisa concentrates on taking close up images of the people who are actually listening to music or playing music concentrating on the detail. 

In my opinion good musicians ‘experience’ the music and listeners relay the music being played to something meaningful in the brain. As we do this our bodies, both as musicians and listeners, often reflect our feelings and emotions. 

If we are listening to an upbeat piece of music we may tap with our toes or fingers. Alternatively if the music is soft and gentle we may relax or sway with the rhythm.

Likewise if we are keen to be educated about something we demonstrate this by paying attention. We engage with the tutor. Eye contact becomes key as we listen carefully.

Ultimately, the human has to create the sound, even if it's done electronically and the human has to participate in the listening process. Therefore I believe that by capturing the human activity of listening and creating sound is the key. 

Utilising the idea that the audience is part of the performance/event by how they sit, tilt their head, position of body, where the eyes are focussing, young, old, formal, informal and so on seems to me to be one way of demonstrating visually how that person is feeling and what they are engaging with which leads to the question for the tutor – is that person listening to what I am saying? Can I see that from their body language if they understand what I am teaching them? 

The same applies for musicians, by concentrating on close ups of limbs such as the movement and mechanics of fingers or facial muscles you should be able offer the viewer an ability to see effort, strength and how the body is supporting the instrument and vice versa.

Try to capture movement of bows or mallets. Examine how feet move when playing. By allowing movement into your photographs you will be demonstrating the whole and parts of the body and how it is experiencing the sound. 

This should create an album of total experience from the action of creating the sound to the activity of listening - what do you think?

My Life in a Plastic Bag….

 

Here I am again at Heathrow airport I have been debagged, checked in and now I am eagerly awaiting for that final degradation of going through security. As I stand patiently waiting for all my possessions to be scanned and viewed by people who I have never met and the possible additional delight of being frisked, I look down at my little plastic bag and begin to reflect on my life.

My virtual reflective ‘little plastic bag’ contains an interesting mix. I have met and worked with some amazing people. Along the way my ideas, inspirations and achievements have been shaped, moulded, guided and strengthened by people.

They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and that can certainly be true of many things that we all encounter along the way. As I stand quietly in this interminable queue I think back to the freedom of living on a farm way up in the North of Scotland. My life seemed very simple, I knew that I wanted to be a percussionist and nothing was going to stop me.

I shared those feelings with Thomas Reidelsheimer in the film Touch the Sound which has been a great backdrop for my career.

I look down at the scant makeup in my Heathrow standard edition see through container and I consider what to wear when I appear on the stage with the talented Maya Beiser when we perform the new piece titled ‘Stuttered Chant’ at the UCLA. I think about the unusual piece I am going to play written by David Lang and his brief to me about enjoying the experience of creating sounds from a Cello –an instrument not usually amongst my arsenal!

Isn’t it amazing the things that go through your mind when you are standing in a queue clasping a little plastic bag!