On Saturday, I had the pleasure of being in a workshop/lecture with Kenny Werner at the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference in New York City.Kenny is one of my mentors, through his book Effortless Mastery, video, and CD’s. He is a living example of someone who performs Consciousness Music.

Kenny has been writing and teaching about playing from “The Space” for over 10 years. His playing is a perfect example of what it sounds like to be in “The Space” when practicing, playing, and performing.

Anyone who has done meditation, quiet prayer, contemplation, or Qi Gong practice, will recognize “The Space” = it is all the same. “‘The Space’ is a place beyond the mind,” Kenny said. As a musician, when one gives up the need to sound good, the need to impress other people, the self-judgement that comes with being a performer, it is at that time that one is able to achieve a “liberated performance,” the thing that all artists and fans strive to feel and hear.

The problem is that many musicians become “top-heavy” with ego = playing from their head = which makes their performance sink just like The Titanic.

If, as a performer, one can be completely fulfilled and satisfied with whatever comes out = one note, many notes, consonance, dissonance, whatever = then that person is taking the right steps towards letting go.

It’s not just about playing from “The Space” either. It’s about living and playing from The Space. It’s about making a profound contribution to your own life and the lives of others. “People are being drawn to things that have meaning,” Kenny said.

Some students will ask, “Does all this being in The Space and playing from your heart mean that I don’t have to practice?” Kenny’s answer: “Someday, you might want to play in a different key or time signature. Playing in an odd meter of 7 or 5 should be as good and easy as playing in 4.” The whole point of practicing to continually become more technically proficient is so that Spirit can flow through you while you are in The Space. If you are having to think and struggle to get an idea out while you are playing, you have left The Space.

“Mastery is that which you do without thought. It is playing without thinking.”

“The Space becomes your teacher. The Space tells you when you’re done with something. The Space gives context and meaning, and removes the tyranny of styles.”

Sitting in the front row, I asked the question, “Can The Space tell you where to start?”

Yes, he replied. Find the smallest bit or piece of music that makes you relax = where you sink into The Space = and start there. See how you feel when you look at the page. It might be the whole page, half a page, two lines, or just two measures. Keep reducing it down until you relax. It might even be just two notes. Or one note.

Just relax. Play that one note from The Space. Tell yourself, “Every note I play is the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.”

Just breathe. Feel it.

That’s Consciousness Music.

Bruce Hornsby is one of my all-time favorite artists. Last night I had the pleasure of seeing him live at a solo piano show in NYC, at the Society for Ethical Culture. What a cool venue! The room is a place for spiritual worship, and we sat comfortably in padded pews = with plenty of elbow and leg room.

The concert overall was great = and as a ethical bribe, we all received Bruce�-?s new Box Set, �-�Intersections�-?. It�-?s a 4 CD/1 DVD collection of Bruce and the various incarnations of solo piano, guests artists, and bands.

On the Hawkins�-? Consciousness Scale, the concert overall calibrated at 421. Considering the overall consciousness of mankind is currently at 205 (as per Dr. Hawkins, as of August 2006), this performance benefits the entire population of humanity. To be specific, by Bruce being fully who he is, and expressing himself in this way, approximately 92% of the population of humanity was benefitted from this performance = by virtue of the power of the field of consciousness that was expressed.

• End of the Innocence > Danny Boy = 456 > 500.3 = I could really feel the energy shift.
• Nobody There But Me = 500.1
• The Way It Is = Intro, 489 > 500.1
• Halcyon Days = 500.1
• Standing on the Moon > Goldberg Variations = 377 > 500.1 = It�-?s Bach! That should almost be expected.

It is really enjoyable to see and experience musicians who strive for excellence, and write and perform from a space of duty to themselves and others.

That�-?s a great challenge to the musicians of the world.

Develop your talent = whatever it may be = writing, recording, mixing, performing, producing = to the absolute best of your ability. It�-?s your duty to yourself and your fellow man.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. There are two great resource sites for Bruce Hornsby: Bruce�-?s Home Page, and the Official Fan Site.

In David Tame’s book, Beethoven and the Spiritual Path, we learn that Beethoven was not the only composer who was writing to serve God and uplift humanity. “in the words of J.S. Bach, ‘The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit.’ Mozart held with the Masonic belief that the purpose of art was to promote peace, brotherhood, and harmony in all who experienced it, and devoted his music to this cause. And, to quote just one such line from Beethoven, on the score of his stupendous Missa Solemnis he wrote: ‘From the heart, may it reach other hearts.’” (pp.13-14)David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., in Eye of the I:From Which Nothing is Hidden, writes the following: “To endeavor to evolve spiritually is the greatest gift one can give. It actually uplifts all mankind from within. . .” “All society is subliminally and subtly influenced by every kind and loving thought, word, or deed.” “The universe notes and records every action and returns it in kind.” (p.204)
Because of the infinite power of The Field of God, “Every kindness is therefore forever”. (p. 204)
If you listen to music (and if you are a living person on this planet, you do), what are you listening to? Is it uplifting? Besides just making you feel good in the moment, is it assisting you in raising your consciousness? Is it helping you to evolve spiritually?
Musicians of the world, what are you writing about? Why are you writing music? What is your intention for writing and/or performing music?

Food for thought.

At Juilliard, Maestro Vincent LaSelva requires that we learn a new and different classical score for each Orchestral Conducting class. Last week I chose Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, most famous for his “Nutcracker Ballet” that is performed all over the world every year during the December holiday season.

In preparation for my Tchaikovsky assignment, I did a little research on what was going on in his life at the time he wrote the three symphonies I was thinking about conducting for class: Symphony No. 4, written in 1877; Symphony No. 5, written in 1888; and Symphony No. 6, written in 1893.

Symphony No. 6 was first performed one week before he died.

I wonder what was going on in Tchaikovsky’s consciousness that late in his life before he died?

According to Consciousness Calibration research utilizing Dr. David Hawkins’ Consciousness Scale, performed at Advanced Health & Wellness in Red Hook, New York, Symphony No. 4 calibrates at 500, Symphony No. 5 calibrates at 456, and Symphony No. 6 calibrates at 150.

150! My conducting mentor, Maestro Marcus Parris, told me that Symphony No. 6 was “darker”, but I had no idea it was that much darker!

We checked and re-checked this several times. What was going on in Tchaikovsky’s consciousness right before he died, that caused him and his music to plummet so much?

According to Dr. Hawkins, Tchaikovsky’s music = in general = calibrates at 550 (see “Truth vs. Falsehood”, page 98). We calibrated the “Nutracker Ballet” symphony music to be at 466.

What happened?

According to several different sources, Tchaikovsky was a homosexual, and was not comfortable with it. When he was 37, he married a woman thinking it would make him respectable. The marriage lasted nine weeks. One source says that while Tchaikovsky was composing the Sixth symphony, he knew he was near the end of his life, and thought that he was going to go to Hell because he was a homosexual. Critic Havelock Ellis called the Sixth symphony a “homosexual tragedy.” Tchaikovsky himself stated “The program is subjective through and through, and during my journey I often wept bitterly while composing it in my head.” He claimed that he had “put his soul” into the work.

According to Dr. Hawkins’ Consciousness Scale, the God-View (that is, the view of God from the person who calibrates at that level) at the calibrated level of 150 is that of a Vengeful God.

Did Tchaikovsky know he was going to die? Did he really think that he is going to Hell? Did he think on some level that God was taking vengeance on him for being a homosexual? Was he pouring out his angst of being a tortured soul into his Sixth symphony?

Things that make you go, hmmm . . . .

As for myself, I chose to work on Symphony No. 4, which calibrates at 500. Why? Because I want to surround myself with things of the highest possible nature. My intention is to continue to produce music that calibrates above 500 on the Hawkins Scale, for the benefit of mankind. If that is my intention, then it is in my best and highest interest to study and immerse myself in music that already calibrates at and above 500. As Dr. Hawkins says, “the field is stronger than you.”

What is the field of music that you are listening to?

What kind of mental/emotional/spiritual place were the artists, composers, and performers in when they recorded the music you are listening to?

P.S. For those of you who are interested, here is the breakdown of calibrations on Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4: 1st movement, 501; 2nd movement, 461; 3rd movement, 502; 4th movement, 503; symphony overall, 500.

Thank you for being here.

In preparation for this week’s Orchestral Conducting class at Juilliard, I was studying the score and liner notes from the CD’s for Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, third and fourth movements.

I do my best to listen to several different recordings of performances, because not only do different conductors bring their individual musical interpretations to the performances, but they (unknowingly) also actually bring their own Calibrated Level of Consciousness to the performance. One of the things that I like to do is Consciousness Calibration Research = one on the actual piece of music by the composer, and one on the specific recorded performance with that conductor and orchestra. Look for my comparison spreadsheet that will be available when I release my CD series of Consciousness Music.

In the liner notes of the CBS Masterworks Series with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic, it is stated that the finale of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, is “a glorious ascent from the darker recesses of the soul to the light of courageous, challenging life.”

Wow. How cool is that?

Beethoven knew that his purpose was to create music that would uplift mankind. Because of that knowing, and his courage and persistence to take action on that intuitive knowing, his music still is still here influencing and affecting us hundreds of years later.

What is the purpose of the composer(s) and performer(s) of the music that you listen to?

What do you think the consciousness is of today’s popular music composers and performers?

Why are they writing and performing?

Where do you think they would calibrate on Dr. David Hawkins’ Consciousness Scale?

Grief? Fear? Anger? Desire? Pride? Courage? Responsibility? Acceptance? Reason? Love? Joy? Peace?

What are you listening to?

In Dr. David Hawkins‘ works, which include Power vs. Force, Eye of the I, I, Truth vs. Falsehood, and Transcending the Levels of Consciousness, he writes extensively of a mathematical Scale of Consciousness that compares everything to the Absolute. When I say everything, I mean anything you could possibly think of.

Everything in the Universe can be calibrated according to this Scale of Consciousness. The scale is a logarithmic scale and goes from zero to 1000. A virus is at zero, and a bacterium is at 1. Jesus and Buddha are at 1000. An outline of the Map/Scale of Consciousness can be found here.

Generally speaking, there are two major lines of demarcation, and three major zones on the Scale: Consciousness Levels 0-200, 200-500, and 500-1000. Below 200 are negative emotional and consciousness states, where people tend to be unable to take responsibility for themselves and their actions, and act without integrity. Starting at level 200, and progressing to 499, are the levels of integrity and progressively increasing levels of positive energy and thinking and reason. Consciousness Level 500 and beyond are the levels of Love and Peace and Enlightenment.

What does this have to do with Rolling Stone magazine and the Billboard Top 40?

According to the Consciousness Calibration Research that was done at Advanced Health & Wellness in Red Hook, New York, Rolling Stone’s list of the top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, published in November 2005, calibrates at 192. This Level of Consciousness is below the level of integrity, and does not contribute to the spiritual uplifting of humanity.

However, the most recent list of Top 40 Albums, as compiled by Billboard magazine and listed on the last page of RS Issue 997, April 6, 2005, calibrates at 205. This is great! It is actually above the level of integrity at 200. That means that the collective increase in humanity’s consciousness is finally being reflected in the popular music that is being produced.

Dr. Hawkins has written frequently about how the levels of consciousness of humanity have slowly been increasing throughout time, and how the collective consciousness of mankind has moved from a level of 190 in 1996 to a level of 207 presently. “Consciousness level 207 has totally different qualities from those at 190. It would be comparable to water in that when it reaches a boiling point at 212 degrees, it suddenly turns into a gas, at which point it is no longer a liquid but a vapor and capable of totally different effects in the universe.” –p. 371, I: Reality and Subjectivity.

“Mankind develops progressively in all areas of science, technology, industry, physics, and medicine, so it is not surprising that spiritual awareness would also keep pace.” (p. 372)

And I would add, thankfully, that now, popular music is also starting to keep pace.