Spreading my Wings

This has been an exciting year for me, and as exciting years go, they usually hot up even more towards the end!

I was so happy when I received notification from an Australian radio show, that they will be playing some of my compositions on Sunday (20 November), in their program Plucked Strings. The nice thing is, they record the shows, so this can be played back up to a few weeks after the live stream. How amazing it is to connect with people so far away through the miracles of modern technology!

On top of that, (although unrelated, but still a passion of mine), I will be exhibiting some of my oil paintings, as part of the Art Thursdays in Obz art route. It is always gratifying to see them in new surroundings, and to hear people's feedback on them.

And I was once again blessed, when earlier this year I acquired a guitar, that is so thin, light and beautiful, it is adding a whole new dimension to my playing.

 This Miguel Almeria is going in for some hardware upgrades, and I aim for it to be ready for a test run at the Alexander Upstairs "Playthings" on 4 December. I'll play alongside my music mandalas, and explain my composition process.

What a way to end an already fantastic year!

 
 

THRIVE Organic Market Launch

On Saturday the 8th of October, the Hout Bay NGO "THRIVE" will be launching their first farmer's market, at The Valley Nursery, Hout Bay. I will be playing "Pieces of Time" there, as well as some upbeat background music, from 10 - 11.

THRIVE was started by local Hout Bay eco warriors, to assist schools in growing and maintaining vegetable gardens, fruit and nut orchards, as well as indigenous plants to encourage local species of birds and insects. These are all big yes ticks for me! And if they get a medicinal indigenous herb garden going, I will be fully over the moon.

I have a bit of a history with Hout Bay, as I used to give music and movement classes at the Little Lambs Daycare, in Imizamo Yethu, a few years ago. At the time that I started, I was adamant to give the teachers there the resources to give their own music and movement classes, and I am finally very close to reaching that goal.

I have put together 14 public domain and original material lesson plans, that I am translating into Afrikaans and Xhosa, that will be shared as open source material. Along with these lesson plans, I plan to put up instructional videos on how to play the musical accompaniment, as well as how to deliver the class. Because that is a lot to take in all at once, I will also be putting up sound clips of all the games, so teachers will have a bit more context when beginning to learn the lesson plans.The first drafts can be seen on my website www.guitarforgood.v7.co.za

So, in order to translate into Xhosa, I am hiring a translator, and for that I will be taking donations in at the Market. I've already commissioned one lesson plan, and I'm very relieved to see how well it is going! It is really a beautiful thing when your ambition starts becoming a reality, and I'm sure that's how the THRIVE team must be feeling.

Looking forward to seeing the turnout, and of course, to top up on delicious organic veggies!

21st August - A Touch of Madness

So, as I've recently discovered, I'm very sensitive about where I perform! Okay, I put some of the blame on bad previous experiences - let's call it Post Traumatic Venue Stress. Either way, I'm happy to be returning to a place that started me off YEARS ago on my guitar journey, A Touch of Madness

Back in my early twenties, I was their regular background musician. It was great practice, heading off once or twice a week, being confined to one spot, for about two hours... and just playing.

I used to be sad, about these precious moments that were quite special to me, connecting through music, being lost and forgotten by the next day. That's probably why I wanted to create something more permanent... my own music.

I'm glad to say that I've grown up a bit now. The impermanence is as much a part of life, as it is of music. A beautiful sunset fades, so does a flower. It is important to come together and admire them though!

So, as I return, with my wish fulfilled - a repertoire of my own music, I think I've learned a little in the interim. Being together - for whatever reason, and entertaining people (and myself - why else do I play guitar), with whatever music is a blessing.

It does help that this venue is the perfect salon setting for intimate music as well!

S Y N E S T H E S I A - Hanien Conradie

I was looking for an artist. I had met Hanien, and performed in front of one of her paintings, when we both participated in the Pieces and Puzzles exhibition, at the Lovell Gallery. It was a painting that was part of her Spore series. I loved hearing her talk about her connection to the natural world, and her sincerity in wanting to preserve it was eye opening.

Our art was so different though, and to be honest, my personal taste was very different. I liked hardness, clarity, and directness. I noticed that in that exhibition, I was probably the "hardest" artist there! Everything else seemed to have a delicacy, fragility and inviting quality to it. My art wanted to dual with reality, not subtly dance with it.

I looked and looked at Hanien's art, toying with the idea, but always keeping an eye out for other art that spoke to me. I was worried that I'd miss the message, but I had a dream. And that sealed the deal. Hanien told me "we need to learn to be softer". I took that as a challenge ;)

So I narrowed down two paintings that were familiar enough to my taste, (although, Hanien is a prolific artist, and it really was very hard to choose... her art is absolutely beautiful, check it out at www.hanienconradie.co.za)

FLOWERS AND DESIRE I
One special flower I have encountered is the Worcester Silky Puff at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. This critically endangered plant, named Diastella parilis, is being cultivated at their nursery. It used to grow on my grandmothers farm and I searched for it for a year in the Breede River Valley. The work was made before I had actually seen the flower and is about how I imagined it to look, but also about my desire to meet it, or experience it in physical life. It is part of the Invisible Flowers Series. - Hanien Conradie

This dusky, Turkish delight beauty was a breeze to compose for. The notes fell out of my guitar, because the familiar shapes that I latch on to to create a melody were there... the top line of the stamen were reflected in the harmonic melodic intro, rising and falling. And quite quickly an image of a girl revealed itself.

As I looked at her, I was reminded of a Japanese ghost story (probably the Japanese cherry colour that added to that line of thought), of the spirit of a woman, who was residing in the roots of a Hydrangea bush. She was constantly crying, because she missed her lover, and her tears were washing out the colour of the Hydrangea flowers. I echo this sadness, and loneliness in the discordant chiming, keeping an Oriental feel in the scale.  I think I actually cried when I was reminded of the story... it can be quite an emotional experience writing music.

I thought, it would be good to bring in the lines of the leaves, zig zagging up, and incorporated that into the melody. I develop the theme from loneliness to a stronger degree of anger, and built up the zig zagging lines.

In the story, a spirit guide is called, and she manages to reunite the woman with her lover, and they leave the Hydrangea bush to go to the afterlife. I included this reunion in the song, with a climatic meeting, an acknowledgement of the past longing and a gentle dance of reunion. I am optimistic, for Hanien's sake, that the Worcester Silky Puff will be reintroduced into it's natural environment again.

Have a listen to some of the piece here..

BABIANA AMBIGUA
This work is part of a series called Memento Mori, (something which reminds us of death). It is about flowers that sprout after difficult times, such as a winter or a fire, so most flowers are lily and virgina like in this series. - Hanien Conradie

So, this one, thank goodness, was about growth, no longing and loneliness! When I first looked at it, it reminded me of a sonogram... (I only found out about the birthing connection, after I let Hanien know I was composing for her painting, so I am quite glad my interpretation was so spot on). I start with a heartbeat, that is very subtle, thumping away on the guitar.

I develop a little theme over that, still all very subtle, but the themes begin to strengthen. For some reason there is an Arabic feel in the scale.... must be a phase...

The next section, I'll be honest, took me a long time to compose (if it were 9 months, I would not be surprised... I'll go double check on that). It was really difficult to develop the theme, while still keeping the heartbeat going. It was also very difficult to get into the mind space of the painting, without my own preconceptions and habits popping up.

I eventually did both parts separately. I recorded the heartbeat, and while sitting and staring at the painting, I developed the melody line over that. While staring at the painting, what helped to keep me in touch with the painting, was seeing another face in it. At first it looked like a half man/ half wildebeest face. It was quite trippy, as it would change it's expressions as I went into different moods/ thoughts in the music. It then morphed into a more half baboon/ half wildebeest face. I'll say it again, this is a very trippy exercise. No drugs were involved in the making of this music.

Okay, so time wise, I had actually thought of the next section previously, when I attended a salsa class on salsa music. What had led to the connection, was that the teacher explained that at the heart of salsa music is a heart beat. It was the same rhythmic heartbeat pattern that I was using in my composition. I wanted to use that connection, and added in the other rhythmic elements, in between the heartbeat, that are found in salsa music. This added power to the piece, and increased the development.

In this development, there are fluctuations in volume, and eventually it returns to the original theme,with the added development. It is powerful, and grown. The End.

Almost... while I was googling what the plant actually looks like (I had only looked at Hanien's painting) I found out that Babiana comes from the word Bobbejaantjie - Baboon. Apparently baboons like to eat it.



 

S Y N E S T H E S I A - Shane Karstel

These are the first two works for Synesthesia. What drew me to his work was the mythical blue hand, reaching out, reminding me of an Indian Deity. The title was "Co-Create", which is what I felt the intention behind Synesthesia was.

The two works I chose of his, deal with inner strength, and a journey to discovering more about yourself. I am on this path every day, and I love having briefly walked along his path, through his paintings.

I felt an awareness that was unpolished, but sincere. A creative drive that was both vulnerable, and powerful. A fulfilled need for expression, that came from the source of his being. Thank you for sharing your art.

CO-CREATE
Man is created of the universe and is the universe itself.
The tools we use to sculpt our own lives are not held by Hands of flesh but by the hand of the mind. It is with tools of thought and intention that the abstract background of the 'un-manifested' can be shaped to become the reality that we sense and experience.
We work with the universe and are partners in it, designing and putting ether into form to create tangible experiences with strangers, friends and family. - Shane Karstel

When composing for Co-Create, I combined literally transposing the lines of the picture into melody lines, and the story that I imagined when looking at the painting. The story is that of someone who is deserted, stranded, and calling out. After continually calling out, and reaching the ends of desperation, an answers arises from within.

It starts with the thrust of the hand into nothingness. The melody line mimics the arm and fingers reaching out. The reaching withdraws, and nothing is found.

I then focused on the background, layering the lines on top of each other. This is likened to the internal dialogue that we have, to comfort ourselves, look for answers within ourselves. There is a mild conclusion, but the desperation is unsatisfied, and leads to a repeat of the section.

Complete desolateness and loneliness sets in. It is acceptance of the self, but is followed by anger, and a repeated call. This is rewarded with a new answer. Unity, lightness and peace comes from within.

POWER, STRENGTH, COURAGE
We are all unlimited beings and understand this to be true in ourselves in some degree.
Figuratively the subject of the painting is a warrior embodying the qualities of power, strength and courage. Power to create the world we want to see, strength in both physical and mental capacities and courage to endure, no matter the cost or the sacrifices.
The deliberate abstraction of the piece speaks to the nature of our own emergent warriors that are themselves hard to define. Each observer will see what he or she wants to see and that interpretation is most true. - Shane Karstel

Oddly, when looking at this painting, I had no idea what intention Shane had with it. I felt a great sense of warmth, and comfort, and almost relief. It felt like a mother cradling a child.

After expressing this warmth, I let myself use the lines in the painting to develop the song, starting with the converging vertical pink, blue and black lines. This naturally developed a theme, that I let run it's course.

Then I was stuck for a bit. I eventually noticed that there is a vertical white line, perpendicular to a black line, weaving through the painting. I composed for that, with the white staying in one place, musically, and the black working it's way up to it.

Then I was stuck again. I gazed into the painting. Many times. It seemed like there were caves, and it was an adventurer exploring them. The piece became more hypnotic, and I allowed myself to let patterns develop in my playing, to let it guide itself. And so the piece will always be guiding itself.