I was interviewed by Liana Voia yesterday

"It wasn't the fault of the people at the cocktail party that the name Anna Magnani meant nothing to them. It was my fault for not having realized it before embarking on a story that was of no interest and made no sense whatsoever!" - Coalport

I dont think you are alone on this! - I couldnt count the number of times I have listened to someone who is usually interesting tell a story and not know what the hell they were talking about!

I think, as you imply, it comes down to assumptions - Assumptions about our "shared" world.. the idea that some person/s events which for us were fairly major, will have registered on the consciousness of others.

For me, this most manifests itself if I talk about South Africa - People I knew, who were (or rather, became) famous - Joe Slovo for example, is someone nobody (or few) here remembers - Desmond Tutu and Steve Biko are probably the only ones I could talk about with anyone knowing who I was talking about... It is only when in the company of other SA exiles that we have a common collective world and can talk of the old days without having to explain who we are talking about - and it must be the mid '80s since I was last with such a group at the last meeting of the exiled South Africa Communist Party held in London...

And I have not kept contact with them - like many others, we were bound by a cause - when the goal was achieved (or at least when we believed it had been achieved) our primary reason for gathering evaporated - And as much of our "shared world" was not a place we enjoyed visiting, well ...

We all have our seperate little worlds - and the passage of time seems to move these worlds further apart.

Regarding your master class - I think there may be a difference.. it may have "served no good purpose" - but I dont see that it could have served a "bad purpose" or have had any "bad" concequences. I am inclined to publish anything which may serve a "useful" purpose - even if this is only useful to a few individuals - provided it doesnt risk causing damage.. The problem is that we need wisdom to weigh up possible concequences.. wisdom we cannot possibly posess

Fred.

coalport said:

Since I had already done the part of the project from which I would get any personal satisfaction (the actual teaching of the classes) the effort involved with copying, distributing etc., seemed like a waste of time.

Master classes are offered to students who are themselves budding virtuosos on the instrument being taught, and who already have a solid foundation in the study of music. This does not describe the vast majority of thereminists.

I think it's a pity that you never distributed it. Of course, I agree that the vast majority of thereminists don't have a music background. But there is a small minority who do, and probably for that minority it would be extremely useful, and that minority is very important for the theremin cause (being realistic, probably more important than the remaining vast majority). Furthermore, a video can potentially live for hundreds of years so it not only helps the thereminists of today, but it can also help the thereminists of the future.

Imagine if Clara Rockmore had left a resource like that! Probably the top-notch thereminists would benefit a lot from it, and the rest of us wouldn't benefit so much but would still like enjoy having a look at it in case we could learn something, even if it were in a superficial or incomplete way. Wouldn't it be a pity if she had actually recorded a resource like that, but never distributed it?

AlKhwarizmi: "Imagine if Clara had left a resource like that! Probably the top-notch thereminists would benefit a lot from it....."

That is true, but I'm no Clara Rockmore!

"That is true, but I'm no Clara Rockmore!"

True - but you are probably the closest that we have!

I would benefit from such master classes. I have studied music in the past but I still have music in my soul!!

"I would benefit from such master classes. I have studied music in the past but I still have music in my soul!!" - Amey

The way you say that " but I still have music in my soul " makes it sound (to me)  like you think  studying music has the potential to remove the music "in your soul" LOL ;-)

Going back to metaphysics ;-) ....

There are some interesting observations (at least to me).. I am facinated by the few glimpses one occassionaly (possibly) get of peoples "matrix of causal determinants" .. I wonder why, for example, Peter mentioned his "Master Class" - And I wonder if this is because the causal determinants biasing him to "choose" not to publish it, were not strong..

By mentioning it, there is an action which must provoke a reaction (even if this reaction is not visible - as in, if nobody had posted any comments relating to his Master Class) ..

And this reaction becomes a "causitive determinant" which was, I think, "deliberately" (but probably not consciously) "provoked" in order to strengthen or weaken or validate or invalidate other components of his "matrix" and therebye allow him to retain his original "choice" or to "change his mind".. based on "new data".

Sadly, If the feedback recieved so far is "weighed in the balances" it will probably be found wanting - unless the original "choice" was extremely finely balanced..

:-(

Fred.

Oh, BTW - The above might be complete borelocks.. Whenever I mention "metaphysics" well - take everything said thereafter with a big pinch of something hallucinagenic!  ;-)

you exactly understood what I tried to say... I know many people who have taken lots of music classes and somewhat have changed the way they naturally sing or create music... Though you can learn many things, one thing that studying music will NEVER teach you is creativity, passion and fire. It will most likely help you to propel you to a greater platform musically. that is IF you are surrounded by the right teachers to understand your vision or your physiology. I took several voice lessons and my teacher told me my voice is too thin and too small to do anything important with it. It literally shattered my world! I wish I would have met someone who could have helped me to develop my small voice and its ethereal quality rather than being shunned because of it....

Luckily, my husband writes nice melodies that are perfect canvasses for what I do. At least one person gets it :)

Amey,

If I was to compare your voice to anyone, it would be Enya.. (I named one of my daughters Enya) .. "thin" and "small" are silly words to use about any musical instrument, and your voice is the most refined of musical instruments.. Making a flute or piccalo "fat" aint going to improve its tone! ;-) .. But if you need a sax, well theres no point in using a piccalo!

And yes - Creativity, passion and fire.. They come from your matrix.. Formal musical education are determinants which influence the matrix, and for some people this will lead to reduction of the other (creativity, passion fire etc) component 'forces' in their matrix - but for some it will empower these.

I think that someone who manages to obtain formal education without this dampening their curiosity and creativity are those who are most likely to go far.

Your voice is probably a bit like what Peter says about the theremin - A "one trick pony" - It will (and does) work for the sort of music you are doing now - but (as I have said before) I think it is being obscured too much - A flute can be played in a mellow way, but it can also be played far more strongly without losing its character or becoming "fat" - Jethro Tull to me shows some of the possibilities this "small" "thin" instrument can produce - And your voice has at least the same potential IMO.

"my teacher told me my voice is too thin and too small to do anything important with it. " -

Well, this calls for a return to metaphysics me thinks (oh, even if its utter borelocks, it is a wonderful wind-up tool! - No one can argue against a metaphysical argument - theres always plenty of rabid rabbits you can pull out of the hat ;-)

But ask them to define "important" - Then to justify why / what they think is "important" is "important" and challenge every assumption (founded or unfounded) that thy make.. Dont mock them, but make them mock themselves as they squirm to deal with or step over ideas they have tried to avoid, but you are forcing them to confront.

At the end of the day, they are right, she was right - you cannot do anything "important" with it, if "important" means, well, something with meaning - something which is perminent...

But they are wrong if "important" includes trivial matters such as entertaining others, sharing your passions, enjoying yourself, creating and making lovely music..