"Some musical sages are able to read
an actual determinate form into this music:
binary,
ternary,
Liedform.
It wasn't my intention.
[The music] I was talking about has multiple
shapes and no apparent coherence.
It is subject to the rhythm of life, not to the exact distance from one sidewalk to the other
There is nothing I can say about the technique behind the music because it doesn't interest me.
Some good-humored people claim I have mastered composing technique; then again, some ill-tempered ones claim I haven't.
Well, they surely know better...."
SILVESTRE REVUELTAS 1931
an actual determinate form into this music:
binary,
ternary,
Liedform.
It wasn't my intention.
[The music] I was talking about has multiple
shapes and no apparent coherence.
It is subject to the rhythm of life, not to the exact distance from one sidewalk to the other
There is nothing I can say about the technique behind the music because it doesn't interest me.
Some good-humored people claim I have mastered composing technique; then again, some ill-tempered ones claim I haven't.
Well, they surely know better...."
SILVESTRE REVUELTAS 1931
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MUSIC
is not relegated to notes on a page
i.e.,
scored music does not make a "sound"
and notes on a page are just the shadow of a sound at best…………
MUSIC
is one of the most abstract art forms
which only exists while it is being heard
when the SOUND stops,
the RESONANCE continues with(in) each of us
whenever we wish to recall it,
any time we wish to recall it
and sometimes when we least expect it ..........
when listening to different ensemble's perform the same piece of music,
the listener will always find one version more compelling than another
how is this possible if the notes are exactly the same and the ability
to play the notes is exactly the same???????
the INTENTION of the instrumentalists)
why they are
who they are
how they do what they do
always transcends the page
and is FELT by the audience
INTENTION
INTEGRITY
INTENSITY
PASSION
and
BALANCE
cannot be
rehearsed
instilled
manufactured
bought and paid for
or turned off and on
it either is
or
it is not
you either LIVE IT
every MOMENT of your LIFE
or you don't
real
MUSIC
in
real time
transcends sound,
transcends technique
ability
craft
and the EXPERIENCE of the composer and the instrumentalist
(stopped saying performer years ago when I found out that the definition
of PERFORMER is ENTERTAINER
i.e.,
my INTENTION has never been to ENTERTAIN anyone
MUSIC
SOUND
RESONANCE
SILENCE
go beyond the conception,
beyond the rehearsals,
beyond the stage
beyond the page
and quite obviously,
beyond the music stand
straight to the audience heart,mind, ears, and eyes
where composer,
instrumentalist and audience experience every note
for the first time
at the same time
every time ..............
anything less IS less
Christopher Garcia
MUSIC
is not relegated to notes on a page
i.e.,
scored music does not make a "sound"
and notes on a page are just the shadow of a sound at best…………
MUSIC
is one of the most abstract art forms
which only exists while it is being heard
when the SOUND stops,
the RESONANCE continues with(in) each of us
whenever we wish to recall it,
any time we wish to recall it
and sometimes when we least expect it ..........
when listening to different ensemble's perform the same piece of music,
the listener will always find one version more compelling than another
how is this possible if the notes are exactly the same and the ability
to play the notes is exactly the same???????
the INTENTION of the instrumentalists)
why they are
who they are
how they do what they do
always transcends the page
and is FELT by the audience
INTENTION
INTEGRITY
INTENSITY
PASSION
and
BALANCE
cannot be
rehearsed
instilled
manufactured
bought and paid for
or turned off and on
it either is
or
it is not
you either LIVE IT
every MOMENT of your LIFE
or you don't
real
MUSIC
in
real time
transcends sound,
transcends technique
ability
craft
and the EXPERIENCE of the composer and the instrumentalist
(stopped saying performer years ago when I found out that the definition
of PERFORMER is ENTERTAINER
i.e.,
my INTENTION has never been to ENTERTAIN anyone
MUSIC
SOUND
RESONANCE
SILENCE
go beyond the conception,
beyond the rehearsals,
beyond the stage
beyond the page
and quite obviously,
beyond the music stand
straight to the audience heart,mind, ears, and eyes
where composer,
instrumentalist and audience experience every note
for the first time
at the same time
every time ..............
anything less IS less
Christopher Garcia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMPOSITION
The MUSIC composed has very little to do with craftsmanship
and everything to do with trying to replicate with
MUSIC and SOUND and SILENCE
a personal EXPERIENCE
i.e.,
while there are many things that can be done
with and to a piece of music,
harmonically
melodically
orchestrally
rhythmically
structurally
compose music the way I hear it
not the way I want to hear it
most of the compositions are "bare bones"
even if the structures and/or melodies
might seem complex
they are the way they are heard at that moment not the
way they have been "crafted" after the fact
it is not until a musician articulates to me that they had a hard time playing the music
that I get a glimpse of what that is to them
i.e.,
most of the musicians I work with just play the music
and don't complain at all
was not until recently that one of them shared that "the music is difficult"
the compositions have nothing to do with what can be done musically
they are improvisations
that were transcribed after the fact
the pieces unfold in my head
for days, weeks, months before they are written down
they continue to play over and over and over again
Diego Rivera once ARTiculated
"I paint what I see"
i.e.,
I write what I hear..........
nothing more
nothing less
the "craft" of composing has very little to do with what I hear
the written music is an evocation of the snapshot of sounds and EXPERIENCE in my head
much of the music composed
was improvised,
sung,
recorded and transcribed later
as most of what I hear has little to do with "what works"
and more about
painting with the colours of sound, music and SILENCE that I hear
There are always MUSICO's who want to participate in an ever evolving
ORGANIC environment
and willing to work and get beyond the page
and beyond what they are able to do
and putting themselves over their heads
in order to get beyond themselves and their skill set
i.e.,
as an improvising multi instrumentalist/composer for instruments
that few performers or composers have experienced
this moment of time is an amazing opportunity to have musicians
willing to share their time, talent and artistry
there are little to any templates for this combination of instruments
as there is little to any music
composed for these instruments and "Western" classical instruments
which I have the privilege of composing for including
e.g.,
classical guitar
percussion
pedal harp
piano
string quartet
violin
woodwind quintet
and what has been previously composed was not done by a
composer/improviser/instrumentalist with hundreds if not thousands
of hours developing a SOUND on these instruments
a piece of music may be in my head for many years or for a minute
but when it is finished I attempt to write it down on paper
attempting to refine it without losing the original INTENTION of THE SOUND
many times,
like a piece of marble,
and many hours of chipping away it
little is left but the dust on the floor
and dust it remains
which is why the original recording continues to be referenced
to make sure the original intent is still there
and that it is not being refined to the point of it no longer
"being" its original intention
also stay away from instruments when composing
so that the music does not "fall into them" ................
trying to capture that moment thru notation and rehearsals
with the musicians that the pieces were composed for
whether or not that evocation goes past the rehearsal room
or the stage is beyond my abilities
but the intention is always there.....
COMPOSITION
The MUSIC composed has very little to do with craftsmanship
and everything to do with trying to replicate with
MUSIC and SOUND and SILENCE
a personal EXPERIENCE
i.e.,
while there are many things that can be done
with and to a piece of music,
harmonically
melodically
orchestrally
rhythmically
structurally
compose music the way I hear it
not the way I want to hear it
most of the compositions are "bare bones"
even if the structures and/or melodies
might seem complex
they are the way they are heard at that moment not the
way they have been "crafted" after the fact
it is not until a musician articulates to me that they had a hard time playing the music
that I get a glimpse of what that is to them
i.e.,
most of the musicians I work with just play the music
and don't complain at all
was not until recently that one of them shared that "the music is difficult"
the compositions have nothing to do with what can be done musically
they are improvisations
that were transcribed after the fact
the pieces unfold in my head
for days, weeks, months before they are written down
they continue to play over and over and over again
Diego Rivera once ARTiculated
"I paint what I see"
i.e.,
I write what I hear..........
nothing more
nothing less
the "craft" of composing has very little to do with what I hear
the written music is an evocation of the snapshot of sounds and EXPERIENCE in my head
much of the music composed
was improvised,
sung,
recorded and transcribed later
as most of what I hear has little to do with "what works"
and more about
painting with the colours of sound, music and SILENCE that I hear
There are always MUSICO's who want to participate in an ever evolving
ORGANIC environment
and willing to work and get beyond the page
and beyond what they are able to do
and putting themselves over their heads
in order to get beyond themselves and their skill set
i.e.,
as an improvising multi instrumentalist/composer for instruments
that few performers or composers have experienced
this moment of time is an amazing opportunity to have musicians
willing to share their time, talent and artistry
there are little to any templates for this combination of instruments
as there is little to any music
composed for these instruments and "Western" classical instruments
which I have the privilege of composing for including
e.g.,
classical guitar
percussion
pedal harp
piano
string quartet
violin
woodwind quintet
and what has been previously composed was not done by a
composer/improviser/instrumentalist with hundreds if not thousands
of hours developing a SOUND on these instruments
a piece of music may be in my head for many years or for a minute
but when it is finished I attempt to write it down on paper
attempting to refine it without losing the original INTENTION of THE SOUND
many times,
like a piece of marble,
and many hours of chipping away it
little is left but the dust on the floor
and dust it remains
which is why the original recording continues to be referenced
to make sure the original intent is still there
and that it is not being refined to the point of it no longer
"being" its original intention
also stay away from instruments when composing
so that the music does not "fall into them" ................
trying to capture that moment thru notation and rehearsals
with the musicians that the pieces were composed for
whether or not that evocation goes past the rehearsal room
or the stage is beyond my abilities
but the intention is always there.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMPROVISATION(?)
most music contains improvisation/interpretation
whether it is a fully composed piece or one that contains improvisation
and parameters withtin the music itself
each music has its own very unique vernacular in regards to improvisation
but if the improvisation has nothing to do with the composition.........
what is the point of the improvisation within the composition?
have had the tremendous practical experience of playing
rock
jazz
funk
avant
21st Century
Chinese
Indian devotional
Indian classical and light classical
Japanese - folkloric and classical
MesoAmerican indigenous
Mexican folkloric
Near East
western classical
everyday of my life
the only way to do it
is to do it
then do it again and again and again
as often and as musically as possible
for it to become as organic as possible
like any other relationship worth having.......
played a motif for 8 different improvisers at 8 different times
and they were asked to improvise over it
7 of them asked
"What are the notes of the motif?"
when they were told they said
"this will work"
and they used those notes and extensions of them to improvise
only 1 improviser walked over to his instrument,
and never asked what the notes were
he just started playing and said
"this is what I hear"
the scale he used to improvise had nothing to do with the notes played in the motif
as a matter of fact none of the notes he used were in the motif
he played what he heard
not what he wanted to hear
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARRANGING/ORCHESTRATING
for years I arranged or orchestrated music I love and did little to no composing ........
my thought process was that there is already so much incredible music
that my attempt to write any would never match the music I love to be immersed in
and then one day,
while driving to San Francisco
for a duo concert at
GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
with Nels Cline
he asked
"What have you been up to,
what have you been writing lately?"
"I don't compose I just arrange music I love to play!"
I replied
"Why don't you compose?"
when I gave him my answer he replied
"You know what original music is don't you?"
PAUSE
"Original music is music you want to hear
that you haven't heard yet!"
which totally changed my way of thinking
so I compose all the time now
for everything I hear in my head
usually for musicos/musicas who are improvisers
who are willing to work on it and play it
pages and pages and hours of audio
which still needs transcribing.......
the majority of compositions are actually improvisations
usually for musicos/musicas who are improvisers
who are more than willing to play and immerse themselves in it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
READ THRU
been offered to have my compositions "read thru"
by chamber groups and/or orchestras
which is usually read thru once,
maybe twice,
and that is exactly what it sounds like
i.e.,
start and stop at the same time
play relatively in tune
imagine hearing someone reading a Shakespeare sonnet
who has never read it before
and then hearing someone recite the same sonnet from memory
with all the nuance, and Intention which turns it into something
else = M U S I C
not interested in read thrus............
and while I know what can and does work
this is never what I hear
I hear 12/8 over 11/8,
at the same time
with resolution points throughout the piece
with multiple times and feels happening
at the same time
all the time
with a common pulse underneath all of it
melodies in 19 beats,
57 beats etc
all the while being able to tap your feet
super imposed metric modulations
metric modulations
THE COLOURs OF SOUND
THE COLOURS OF SILENCE
RESONANCIA
RHYTHM
harmonic residue
contrasting colors
similar colors
i.e.,
we breathe,
speak
and walk
at different times
at the same time
all the time
as we are polyrhythmic beings
that is not "multi tasking"
this is
LIFE
rhythmic, melodic and harmonic permutations
not variations
are 2nd nature as I have been doing it all my life
it isn't until you write it down and show it to musicians and they
say they can't play it
that you begin to understand,
that you hear differently than most
not better
just
"DIFFERENTLY"
and the notes very rarely
"fall comfortably under the hands and fingers"
or under the ears
on any instrument
but this is how I attempt to write what I hear
Diego Rivera once said
"I paint what I see"
I attempt to compose what I hear , not what I want to......................
and I am deeply indebted to the MUSICOS who continue to
get together with me every day to make it as organic as possible
and put up with my "requests" to do so
as there is much more to music than starting and stopping at the same time and playing in tune...
MUSIC
is beyond MAGIC
is beyond RITUAL
is beyond BEAUTY
is beyond POWERFUL
we don't create it
if we are lucky enough to recognize it
we are allowed to immerse ourselves in it
until it no longer needs us to ..................
IMPROVISATION(?)
most music contains improvisation/interpretation
whether it is a fully composed piece or one that contains improvisation
and parameters withtin the music itself
each music has its own very unique vernacular in regards to improvisation
but if the improvisation has nothing to do with the composition.........
what is the point of the improvisation within the composition?
have had the tremendous practical experience of playing
rock
jazz
funk
avant
21st Century
Chinese
Indian devotional
Indian classical and light classical
Japanese - folkloric and classical
MesoAmerican indigenous
Mexican folkloric
Near East
western classical
everyday of my life
the only way to do it
is to do it
then do it again and again and again
as often and as musically as possible
for it to become as organic as possible
like any other relationship worth having.......
played a motif for 8 different improvisers at 8 different times
and they were asked to improvise over it
7 of them asked
"What are the notes of the motif?"
when they were told they said
"this will work"
and they used those notes and extensions of them to improvise
only 1 improviser walked over to his instrument,
and never asked what the notes were
he just started playing and said
"this is what I hear"
the scale he used to improvise had nothing to do with the notes played in the motif
as a matter of fact none of the notes he used were in the motif
he played what he heard
not what he wanted to hear
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARRANGING/ORCHESTRATING
for years I arranged or orchestrated music I love and did little to no composing ........
my thought process was that there is already so much incredible music
that my attempt to write any would never match the music I love to be immersed in
and then one day,
while driving to San Francisco
for a duo concert at
GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
with Nels Cline
he asked
"What have you been up to,
what have you been writing lately?"
"I don't compose I just arrange music I love to play!"
I replied
"Why don't you compose?"
when I gave him my answer he replied
"You know what original music is don't you?"
PAUSE
"Original music is music you want to hear
that you haven't heard yet!"
which totally changed my way of thinking
so I compose all the time now
for everything I hear in my head
usually for musicos/musicas who are improvisers
who are willing to work on it and play it
pages and pages and hours of audio
which still needs transcribing.......
the majority of compositions are actually improvisations
usually for musicos/musicas who are improvisers
who are more than willing to play and immerse themselves in it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
READ THRU
been offered to have my compositions "read thru"
by chamber groups and/or orchestras
which is usually read thru once,
maybe twice,
and that is exactly what it sounds like
i.e.,
start and stop at the same time
play relatively in tune
imagine hearing someone reading a Shakespeare sonnet
who has never read it before
and then hearing someone recite the same sonnet from memory
with all the nuance, and Intention which turns it into something
else = M U S I C
not interested in read thrus............
and while I know what can and does work
this is never what I hear
I hear 12/8 over 11/8,
at the same time
with resolution points throughout the piece
with multiple times and feels happening
at the same time
all the time
with a common pulse underneath all of it
melodies in 19 beats,
57 beats etc
all the while being able to tap your feet
super imposed metric modulations
metric modulations
THE COLOURs OF SOUND
THE COLOURS OF SILENCE
RESONANCIA
RHYTHM
harmonic residue
contrasting colors
similar colors
i.e.,
we breathe,
speak
and walk
at different times
at the same time
all the time
as we are polyrhythmic beings
that is not "multi tasking"
this is
LIFE
rhythmic, melodic and harmonic permutations
not variations
are 2nd nature as I have been doing it all my life
it isn't until you write it down and show it to musicians and they
say they can't play it
that you begin to understand,
that you hear differently than most
not better
just
"DIFFERENTLY"
and the notes very rarely
"fall comfortably under the hands and fingers"
or under the ears
on any instrument
but this is how I attempt to write what I hear
Diego Rivera once said
"I paint what I see"
I attempt to compose what I hear , not what I want to......................
and I am deeply indebted to the MUSICOS who continue to
get together with me every day to make it as organic as possible
and put up with my "requests" to do so
as there is much more to music than starting and stopping at the same time and playing in tune...
MUSIC
is beyond MAGIC
is beyond RITUAL
is beyond BEAUTY
is beyond POWERFUL
we don't create it
if we are lucky enough to recognize it
we are allowed to immerse ourselves in it
until it no longer needs us to ..................
