Friday, July 17, 2009

Rhythm and Freedom
Current mood:  inspired
Category: Music
I am just out of my skin tonight, I can’t sleep because I am just so excited. They say that the right teachers will come, at the right time, when your heart is open to it…. And guess what…… It is really, really true, I just didn’t know I was this ready and open!!!!!!

When I was 11 years old, I took dance lessons. In the lesson, when everyone would go to the left, I would go to the right, and one day I accidentally kicked this girl in the face…..She was Mrs. J’s best student. I am severely dyslexic, and back then I didn’t know it. It was a real bummer… With the teachers advice, I moved on to other hobbies,  although alone in my basement I would still boogie! :0)  When I got to college…. after a few cocktails, I would interpretive dance..My friends told me I was pretty good… I was never sure about that… but I did love to loose myself in the music!(smile)

At the beginning of this year, I became obsessed with rhythm!!! I have always heard the rhythm in my head, and in my voice, but not in my body. Beating to my own drum was most comfortable….. But that kind of wild disorderly rhythm, doesn’t work with strumming that guitar, or hitting those keys…. So I started doing everything I could, to find a consistent rhythm with in myself, that could guide me and those hands of mine.

This spring I started taking this hip hop dance class with Latin infusion…..My teacher is incredible, and I really am having a blast.. I have been strumming along with videos, with my favorite British guitar teacher… I also just started taking garage band lessons at the mac store, to learn how to work with drums….. and then…. it happened…. I got a new guitar teacher…. Crazy how he came into my life, but that’s for another blog!! :0) Anyways, he started working with me on moving my hand like a pendulum ……and it actually really worked… I got the bounce and everything… I actually really got a seriously nice consistent beat in that hand of mine….. Then today he taught me the most magnificent thing…

Today I learned Theory in a way that made everything make sense…. I learned about Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian, and the different scales using 5 of the modes, so no matter what fret I end up on, or what notes I hit, I can find many other chords very quickly. With this new information, and this new rhythm I’ve found, I just can’t wait to see what flows out of me…. It’s like this was the missing piece that ties everything else I’ve learned together….

I can’t tell you how much fun this is……. If your looking for a good book on this information, there is one called “Ear To Mind: The Path to Musical Freedom, by Matt Maher”….(Amazon.com) I just always have to know why or how something works in detail…. and this book really paints a beautiful picture of theory……….

Thanks so much for visiting, and I hope we both find that path to some kind of freedom!!!!!! But most of all…. I hope that incredible teachers continue to show up in our lives, and teach us all kinds of different rhythms that make learning and life so much more fun and exciting!!!!!!

Sweet Dreams to You!!!!!!!!

Love,
Lex

Currently listening:
Learning to Fly
By Tom Petty
Release date: 1991-01-01