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Rick that was inspiring and brought to mind a related journey. Several years ago when I first moved to NY I looked up classical guitarist/composer Fred Hand to study with him. During one study with many things going in my life at that point I was having trouble calming some anxiety that was coming through my instrument. He told me you have to learn to 'fall still' and left me with that to think about. About 5 years later I began to figure that out partly with musical maturity, partly with the fear of something being taken away from me and partly with the help of therapist Richard Schaub who is Zen based. >From @1996 I began to really make progress in my muse that I don't think would have happened without learning to 'fall still'. Good day to all Jim On 5/11/09, Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com> wrote: > A friend of mine asked me, recently, what books have truly and deeply > influenced my music > in my life and, amongst other titles, I sang him the praises of > Shinryu Suzuki's book called, > "Zen Mind , Beginners' Mind". > > Though not as famous a D T Suzuki who was the great popularizer of > Japanese Zen Buddhism in the > west, I prefer Shunryu Suzuki, the head of the San Francisco Zen > Center who > wrote perhaps the best single book on practicing a musical instrument, > "Zen Mind, Beginners' Mind". > > He never actually wrote a book and certainly not on praciticing a > musical instrument.....he was too zen for that...lol, > but his students recorded his answers to a public question and answer > seminar where everyone asked him how > he was able to master meditating successfully considering that it is so > difficult to still the human mind when > trying to do such an extremely simple, non-intellectual and repetitive > practice. > > If you take that book and substitute the word 'Zazen' (the Buddhistic > practice of > meditating only on your breath and how we breathe, in and out) and put > musical "practice", it's an incredibly > wise book about how to still the mind so that one can play something > over and over > and over until one's technique improves significantly. > > I'd try to paraphrase his philosophy and his understanding of how to > get around the projecting and over identifying/attached nature of the > human mind, particularly > viz a vis the practice of repetitive musical playing but I just > wouldn't come close to > how profound that book is. > > I actually ritualistically purchase a copy of it and give it as a > present to all of my advanced students > when they first develop the desire to really woodshed their instrument > deeply and are having troubles > stilling their minds doing so. > > It was my bible when I finally was able to master double stroke bouncing > exercises on trapset many years ago > At that time, I had a practice pad on a stand with two identical > drumsticks in every single room of the house > (including the kitchen and the bathroom) so that if I ever looked down, > I could just pick the sticks up and continue > practicing. > > I can't more highly recommend it. It has changed my life and the life > of dozens of my really good students over the > last three decades. > > -- ReUse, an introspective textural aural journey coming soon... music links... www.jimgoodinmusic.com www.chinapaintingmusic.com www.myspace.com/jimgoodinmusic www.myspace.com/chinapaintingmusic www.myspace.com/jimgoodinviolinelectro www.myspace.com/jindream www.youtube.com/jimgoodinmusic video work/editing... www.vimeo.com/jimgoodindigital social networking... www.twitter.com/jimgoodinmusic