You Want It Darker? – Leonard Cohen

Okay let’s go darker from the last article, let us plumb the depths, we had dancing with your shadow, feeding the demons, let us go and feast with them and invite them for a holiday let us look at how music is used for stirring up the aspects of the human condition which is the right of Genghis Khan, and the Marquis De Sade would find embarrassing.

Invoking ideas of as medieval people might have said spirits demons may be a way of changing ones reference point or set point.

There is much to be said that there is an equilibrium or set point in our health, wealth and wellbeing whether it is social or financial situation that we find ourselves returning to. It is often similar to our parents income their health and weight and luck (yes that has been researched). So how do we change that equilibrium point?  The answer might be found in a guitar string.

If you have a new set of strings on a guitar they will need to be retuned to get them up to pitch especially the nylon strings and one thing you can do is to over tighten them so that they settle back down into tune. In the same way we may need to go further than we want to settle into maybe break what you are before remaking, leave the job, the marriage, leave your old self, maybe going to India is not so much are finding yourself and more leaving yourself behind.

So here is where darkness comes in. Take to yourself to a place that frightens you, saddens you, do a survival course that pushes you to the edge, do a marathon. Maybe the Christian idea of giving everything away is more to do with this than charity.

Now what has this got to music? Well everything from music that you use ritualistically if that is your jam, write a song about your intention that you find challenging to put out there. Such as your greatest fears, anger, greed, loss and get them into a song.

Vic

www.bluescampuk.co.uk Music summer school for rock and blues