Getting better

The pattern of thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM) has changed. There has been a shift in content from evolutionary psychology and brain science towards music and sound engineering. Is this a good thing – will it make me better?

Music includes tunes and songs that I have written in times past, and a collection of pieces from Paulina Honig who also plays whistle and flute. John Rennie provides vocals, guitar and bass. Rod Summers provides backing vocals. Jim Paterson provides trombone. I provide some simple wall of sound using voices from the keyboard: problems with my voice and hands stop me performing more actively.

Since the 60s I have composed 66 songs. I reckon that 38 of them are worth developing. 17 are already online with arrangements largely through an early version (6) of Band-in-a-Box. The target is to make ‘real’ versions of the 38 songs.

The sound engineering presents several steep learning curves which often give rise to dis-ease due to my making unjustified assumptions about what ‘should’ be the case. Sometimes I try reading the manual or watching youtube videos but this rarely helps.

Problematic hardware includes a Zoom R16 multi-purpose recorder, an AKAI MPK mini keyboard and pad controller, and a USB microphone. Problematic software includes Cubase LE8 and Band-in-a-Box 2017.

I have been spending a lot of time footering with the music stuff. The technology and the software have evolved enormously since the Lesotho days. The new stuff is less self-evident and user-friendly and that annoys me.

But I have got better at noticing when short term feelings and longer term moods begin to capture attention. They can therefore be replaced by occupying attention with something else.  For example – domestic chores, doodles, revision of text and talks by cutting edge thinkers, and focus on one of the various types of meditation.

These attention grabbers are most effective when they are non-egoic. It follows the notion, “no-self no problem’’. The calm, unflappable state is worth cultivating. But there is the linguistic paradox – what is the nature of the self that knows about the no-self? The Tao Teh Ching has the guts of the issue –

“The reality that can be described is not the real reality.”

Thus

“He who knows does not speak”

And

“He who speaks does not know”

But, it follows, that there is an indescribable reality which can nonetheless be intuited and known but not without training the mindbrain including the unconscious.

So my ongoing awareness of the TFMs that occupy the attention centre might be seen as a robust means of changing my mindbrain for the better.

Better?