Re: [Tuning List] The Cliff- How do you deal with freefall

Hi, Jacky,

Since this is a bit OT, thought I'd reply off list.

>
> this; I have found that certain musics - for me - can be extremely
> unsettling to listen to; even having the capability of making me feel
> a little physically ill. It is something that my body seems to
> reject. Don't know how else to explain it - but I approach any music
> with a totally open mind; without preconceptions, and I actively
> listen to and play myriad of styles of music.
>
> I realize that is so subjective, but I feel more and more compelled
> these days to listen to what my "inner ear" tells me. It's a "body"
> thing, and very difficult to explain. It all leads to the questions
> and points I address (clarification prompted by your reply) in my
> above clarification - that of enduring qualities of music, which I'm
> hyper-sensitive about being a very personal and subjective reality
> for any individual composer. As one could easily infer from my
> clarification on this topic, I would never denigrate anyone else's
> perspective, because I know theirs is as important to them as mine is
> to me. Strangely though, I find on some levels that there is much
> common ground about these things, which I see all the time coming
> forward from my interactions with composers around the world. I do
> see that others listen to their inner voices and their body for
> signals about music which is correct for their unique and individual
> purposes.

I'm right there with ya. About 6 years ago I was listening mostly to grunge, Soundgarden being my
favorite band at that time, but also Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and that whole northern West Coast scene.
I previously had no interest in medieval music; but I read an interview in MIX magazine of the
engineer who recorded Anonymous 4's then new album "The Lily and the Lamb." I thought it sounded
intriguing from a sonic perspective - music recorded in real time direct to stereo in a real
acoustic environment, with no artificial processing added - completely the opposite of my world of
close-miked multitrack overdubs in dead rooms, relying heavily on EQ and digital reverb to get the
"sound." I mentioned it offhand to my wife, who promptly went out and purchased a copy.

So I taped it and started listening to it from time to time in the car. A strange thing happened.
After listening a little while, then going back to grunge, I found that I had gained a sensitivity
to what music was doing inside of me. The grunge was tearing me apart inside, attacking my soul
and spirit. The pain of it, as I eventually recognized, was being masked by the adrenaline rush
that type of music provides. When I put the chant tape back in, it began to heal me. Once I
recognized what was happening, it didn't take me long to break my addiction to the grunge rush and
begin feeding my spirit more regularly with medieval and early Renaissance music. Since then I've
gained an increasing awareness of the effects of music on my spirit.

I'm not one to buy the line that rock music is inherently evil. I still do a lot of recording of
it, some listening to it, and a little writing of it. There are some groups whose music doesn't
seem destructive to me for the most part (Yes, Pink Floyd, The Cranberries, Harry Connick's funky
stuff, etc.). But it seems to be getting more rare on pop radio these days.

Unfortunately, many of the guys on the Tuning List are either atheist or agnostic, utterly
materialist in their cosmology, so they don't even believe there is such a thing as a soul or
spirit. That makes it difficult to engage in a discussion with them on this topic. There is also
the prevailing attitude that there are no moral absolutes, so that music which is bad for one
person may be good for another - further, that there is really no such thing as Good and Bad at
all. Obviously, that makes it even harder to discuss what makes for good music. But it's worth a
try. As more evidence accumulates, it will become increasingly difficult for them to deny the
transcendent nature at the core of humanity.

Thanks for keeping the spirit alive!

--
David J. Finnamore
Nashville, TN, USA
http://personal.bna.bellsouth.net/bna/d/f/dfin/index.html
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