Re: The Artist's Right To Be Boring (was: Re: the best.... the worst....)

["todd reynolds" <toddreyn@gmail.com>]

why take any position of black and whiteness?

could we consider this 'blank slateness' to be relative in each case?  from person to person, from piece to piece?

I've found that my best attempt at it often involves creating an electronic environment with options over which I can actually play with a blank slate.  so one thing solid, one thing completely fluid and malleable.

On the other hand, I have one piece which I call Beginner's Mind, which is nothing but a title.  and a commitment to focus on creating a composition without preconception.  It works for me, but I still have, as Per indicates, a host of customs, traditions, ways of dealing.  However, it's equally as disturbing to my own personal flow to try to fight those tendencies too much... 

So I search for a middle way, trying to allow rather than manipulate.  I'd be willing to bet many of us reside right there.  But I'd love to hear more from y'all regarding that.  

oh, and success?  what's that?

(grins)  great conversations guys!

todd

On 6/20/07, Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com> wrote:

> tEd ® kiLLiAn schrieb:
>> In my experience, it is impossible to depend upon or predict success
>> when you start out with a blank slate for every performance.

On 20 jun 2007, at 12.11, Stefan Tiedje wrote:
> But starting out with a blank slate is the core of improvisation...
> If you put something into it to secure yourself, you failed already...


I'm not sure I'm prepared, any more, to subscribe to this idea of
"starting out with a blank slate". The background is that I have
noticed, after doing many improvised concerts, that I have developed
a mental and emotional reference system within, that for me as the
performer is exactly the opposite of a "a blank slate". Whatever
happens "on the sounding surface" of the musical improvisation there
are always new options popping up from this pool and all I have to do
is to pick one and see where it leads to (which might be rather
pretictable). So the question is if you really should call it "a
blank slate" when you are in fact armed with loads of precise and
accurate improvisational strategies? I can agree that it might seem
to the unknowing audience as "a blank slate" - but that's just
showmanship and not what really happens.

Also, I agree with Stefan that you shouldn't think about your own
music i terms of "failure". Sometimes an audience can really enjoy
listening to musicians that are desperately trying to reach a common
ground for improvisation. The performance doesn't become less
interesting by the fact that they just keep on trying and never
succeed in hooking up musically; actually that might just be the
point ;-)

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
http://www.myspace.com/looproom

-- 
http://www.toddreynolds.com                    |:
http://myspace.com/toddreynoldsmusic  |:
------------------------------------------------------|:
917.576.6166                                              
todd@toddreynolds.com
toddreyn@gmail.com