Poseur to Composer

My interest in project Dhymn is waning. I probably should have kept the idea quiet. Blabbing about it expended valuable energy I could have channelled into making it real.

It can still happen though. I intend to produce a proof of concept, at the very least, but another shiny object caught my eye. It's Opera, weirdly enough. Here's a few passages in How to Listen to Music by Henry Edward Krehbiel that piqued my interest in this genre of music and theatre:

The people of to-day are as blithely indifferent to the fact that their operas are all presented in a foreign tongue as they were two centuries ago in England... The devotees of the Latin exotic, whether it blend French or Italian (or both, as is the rule in New York and London) with its melodic perfume, enjoy the music and ignore the words... For the present, the charm of music is still supreme, and we can sit out an opera without giving a thought to the words uttered by the singers.

and also:

When seeing the Italian performers "chattering in the vehemence of action," that they were calling the audience names and abusing them among themselves. I do not know how to measure the morals and manners of our Italian singers against those of Addison's time, but I do know that many of the things which they say before our very faces for their own diversion are not complementary to our intelligence.

I guess those passages triggered my imagination because a) I'm fascinated with languages and even attempted to construct a new one called 7erb and b) Opera and its enthusiasts are a compellingly strange bunch!

Anyway, I have an exciting idea to ruminate on. And I'll try not to blab about it too soon.

Meditation Time bookstanding today: 30 Quality of meditation (out of 10): 4

Practice Minutes on the keyboard today (out of 40): 15 minutes Quality of practice (out of 10): 4

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Today I did a fun experiment with piano chords. I played all the notes of the octave with the following list of chord types and wrote down any feelings or mental associations I had.

Here's the list:

Major: Typical, normal, "according to spec" Minor: The Buddhist word dukkha fits perfectly here Diminished: Bad surprise, misfortune Augmented: B-Movie weirdness just happened Dominant Seventh: Uncomfortable family reunion, a crowded room Major Seventh: Intelligent conversational, thoughtful, Wednesday afternoon off work, "We can figure this out" Minor Seventh: Metro, slightly upscale, Volkswagen Beetle, shopping uptown on an overcast day Diminished Seventh: Caught in a conspiracy Ninth: Public transportation, public services Major Ninth: A crush, the part in the book when the plot thickens Minor Ninth: Fighting back tears (of joy or sorrow), the results came in but there are still questions Eleventh: Thicket of thorns, tangled Minor Eleventh: Reading the todo list of a wedding or other big event Thirteenth: Collapse of civilization, something magnificent is going to happen Major Thirteenth: Weighty negotiations, legal documentation Minor Thirteenth: Even more so the law Sixth: A polite conversation Six-Nine: When an unexpected disclosure is made during the conversation Minor Six-Nine: The disclosure is not received in good faith Fifth: Definitive, resolute Suspended Second: "Don't be alarmed" Suspended Forth: "I think I understand now" Add Forth: Parental guidance, Ikea assembly instructions Add Ninth: Disappointment, mixed results

Analysis:

A few of my answers uncovered some repressions regarding relationships (dating and marriage) and the responses as a whole indicate a general sense of uncertainty. If you've read this blog lately you can probably figure out why.

Anyway, give this experiment a try using these chord formulas and abbreviations and Note Kitchen. You'll learn about yourself and the various chord types, if you haven't already.

P.S. If you like this kind of stuff, check out Critical Stimulus, a psychoanalytical tool I designed based on Carl Jung's Association Method.

Meditation Time meditating today: 0 ... It was my day off, so there's really no excuse Quality of meditation (out of 10): 0

Practice Minutes on the keyboard today (out of 40): 20 minutes Quality of practice (out of 10): 5

Today I listened to 22 (give or take) versions of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. Some renditions were bland (to my palate, anyway) while others sounded, well, overwrought. Not that overwrought music isn't fun to listen too sometimes, but that's a topic (and playlist) for another day.

Here's a playlist of my favorites thus far.

My first Dhymn is going inexorably slow. It may have something to do with my lack of ability, time and energy ;) But seriously, I'm blessed to have this opportunity to learn about music. Many people spend their days trying to procure a meal and a safe place to sleep.

Meditation Time bookstanding today: 40 Quality of meditation (out of 10): 5

Practice Minutes on the keyboard today (out of 40): 5 minutes Quality of practice (out of 10): 2