Sunday, September 12, 2004

It's pretty scary to me how underinformed we are about the war in Iraq. While casualities do make the news, the idea of what the firefights must be like is not, which would give Americans a better sense of how impossible a war of attrition is in the situation, especially as we lose more and more popular support by fighting that war of attrition. It just dawned on me moments ago, trying to play a transcription of Winston's Variations on the Canon how brilliantly elegant music is, hearing some classic boogie woogie bass line underneath, underscoring the universality of sound. Mechanically, I also realized the importance of feeling, rather than seeing the instrument. I used to practice as a kid with basketball dribbling eye pieces, that don't let you look at your hands. And now I know why, and why while my mechanics seem okay, and flexibility is coming back, and with a better understanding of the musical language, I still can't play as well as before. It's because I'm not sure of where the notes actually are on the piano, instinctively. I'm always looking, always hesitating even when I think I have the feel, and it makes the music sound mechanical, as if input is required before the next specific action is taken, rather than flowing from an intricate set of commands, some of them set in motion before humans stood on this earth, or the earth itself was born. 1:06:04 PM