Focusing

Page 1 of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modeste Moussorgsky

The best time for me to practice, when I was in school, was very early in the morning. Most of the practice rooms were empty. It was absolutely the wrong way to practice for a performance, because those are always in the evening and you are usually in a different mental and physical place at that point in the day, but it was the best time for technique. My mind was clear. My hands were fresh. I wasn’t tense from any interactions with other people yet. It was good.

This could be a good time for focus and reflection. The world that we knew is burning or gone. It’s not coming back. So what do we do now that we’ve removed some things? What grows up in the spaces between the empty buildings of the mind?

I’m trying to make space for music. I restrung an instrument today. Movements must be slow and deliberate right now. Everything is heavier. Resistance is everywhere. Maybe the space between the burned hulks is meant for focus and honing a touch of intent. Intent leads to good work.

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