Spirituality

Playing Guitar True To Oneself

We’ve all heard plenty of expressions, axioms and words of wisdom regarding “being true to oneself”. As a solo performer, I am finding this to be extremely important.

A few months ago I took a fascinating course called PSYCH-K. No it’s not a breakfast cereal for mental patients, it’s a method to help change or replace subconscious beliefs. What a cool class it was.

I found many interesting and fascinating similarities to my studies and experiences of playing music in the class teachings. Particularly in regard to what musicians and athletes think of as “the inner game”.

The method used by PSYCH-K to test what your beliefs are is called “muscle testing”. While it may not seem totally scientific, the premise is that your subconscious does in fact, know the truth and that before your conscious mind can BS an answer – your muscles know tell the truth about what you feel deep down.

By muscle testing for a strong or weak response, you get an answer from your subconscious mind. I have shown this test process to many friends and they laugh in amazement when I do it on them and it tests accurately.

After showing the testing technique to us in class, they showed us to install new beliefs in our minds. After the “installation”, we then tested to see if these beliefs were true to our subconscious minds.

What strikes me is this similarity to playing music: if I play music that for some reason I don’t believe in, or question in some way – I play weak, just like a weak muscle test. I may be able to fool some of those around me, but I know internally, the sensation of playing “weak” vs playing “strong”. A variety of factors can make music feel weak or not right.

When you hear someone playing “strong” – it may not be loud and fast, but it is a through and through conviction and honesty. What happens then is that a vehicle for much greater communication is created. The musical communication that the player and audience experience together is one of total “integration”.

The notes become a vehicle for non verbal communication. The communication is beyond the notes of the music. The mind of the performer then connects in a positive, confident, loving way to the minds of the audience.

There are a couple of ways to achieve this. I give this advice to myself as much as to you, dear reader!

1) Play music that moves you, not what you think you should play to be “accepted”, or “cool” or part of some group or “clique” of people. (If you are getting paid to play music you don’t like at least search for the “good feeling place” in the music.) It must ring in you as “true”. I.E. You can’t fool anybody! Truth is apparent for all to see and hear.

2) Practice. The more you practice, the more your subconscious has the images, sensations and sounds of the performance. When you actually move into performance, you will be saying “yes” to the images and sensations and sounds as they come and they will feel “true”.

As well, you will undergo a process of weeding out fingerings and sounds that test weak and arrive at strength and truth.

3) Set list or not? Lately I have performed with no set list and simply trusted that whatever song should come next will reveal itself to me. That’s a question of personal preference.

If I have a song on a list, but have a feeling about the “truth” of what should happen in this moment, I’d rather go with the feeling. I can’t predict moments of inspiration and audience communication, and choosing the right tune is part of being in the moment.

4) Integrating the right and left hemispheres of the brain prior to the gig, and in each practice session. This is kind of a huge topic, but achieving a “whole brain state” is optimal and even required for performing. I am convinced that much of what my mentor Mike Longo taught me in regards to rhythm “activates” a whole brain state.

I try to teach musical techniques in classes to help students achieve this.

5) Some tunes just never feel “right”.

I have had tunes that I “think I should do” or styles I “think” I should play. I have even taken songs and practiced them every day for a year and found that because they were not registered as “the truth” in my mind, they just never seemed to work on a gut level.

A good point to bring up here is “who is the I that thinks this”. This could be the ever insistent ego in disguise! When you are immersed in music so there’s only music and no “you”….you are likely on the right track!

On the other hand, I have discovered music in an instant that rings of “the truth”. That music always feels good to play – and the focus is the music and only the music. And, the music that the audience likes and remembers is the music that feels like “the truth”. What a coincidence 🙂

What is true and right for another performer may not be true and right for you 🙂

A Recap….To Thine Own Self Be True

So – enjoy being true and honest with your music. Your audiences will appreciate it and your work will be play. Even if you can’t yet play a hard piece or arrangement you are working on…if you love it enough and it rings true to you, it will reveal itself to you in time!

Until next time, keep swingin!

Adam

When You Change One Thought You Change Everything

By Adam Rafferty 5 Comments

Yesterday I heard a fascinating message from author and lecturer Gregg Braden as I was looking for interesting quantum-physics type stuff on youtube.

Mr. Braden talks often about the “holgraphic nature” of the universe. Before you start yawning and thinking this is about to be “quantum dribble” read on – this affects you right now and has for your entire life!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ih3RoDASkw]

You may have seen a holograph on a keychain. Due to light inteference patterns a 3D image is created on a 2D surface. Don’t ask me to explain this to you.

By the way they’ve now figured out how to do this with people – this is too much… Princess Leia, watch out!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thOxW19vsTg]

What’s fascinating about holographs is that every part of the holograph has the entire image in it….see exceprt from dictionary.com:

‘Appropriately enough, the word hologram comes from the Greek words holos, “whole,” and gramma, “message.” If a hologram is cut into pieces, each piece projects the entire image, but as if viewed from a smaller subset of angles. ‘

Gregg Braden adds:

‘A holograph is whole and complete unto itself, while is part of an even greater pattern. For example, one cell of your body is whole and complete, and has all the info needed to create another body.’

Wow. Reality gets even weirder when you consider the spiritual implications. If we look at consciousness as holographic in nature, then we are truly one, all viewing reality from a different angle. Just like your finger and nose are not separate…neither are all of us.

Braden goes further and says:

“Anyplace in a hologram where one change is made, it is mirrored throughout the rest of the Hologram.”

Okay…actually this is what caught my attention…if all of what has said thus far is true, one can assume that:

Anything You do or think changes everything
Anything You do or think changes your life
Anything You do or think affects everybody else

The old way of thinking about a “separate me” and the idea that you can do something “in secret” gets blown out of the water. Everything affects everything.

It’s also inspiring to know that engaging (or not engaging) in an activity or thought pattern even just a little bit, will change your life…for example these quick little things will change everything your life:

for better…
10 minutes of meditation
30 minutes of exercise
positive self talk
listening to uplifting music
cleaning up the house
reading

for worse…
having one cigarette
watching violent or graphic tv or video
negative self talk
giving into laziness
believing you are separate from others

It’s just amazing to think that itty bitty little things affect our whole lives and everyone around us.

It certainly inspires me to “straight up and fly right” more and more knowing that what I think are my “silent thoughts” could and do affect people all over the globe.

Any little thing you do changes everything.

Anything you do effects everyone.

Your truth is broadcast everywhere.

There is nowhere to hide.

Until next time, keep swingin!!!

Adam

How to Be A Visionary and Avoid Kryptonite

By Adam Rafferty 6 Comments

Last week I had a fine get-together with some college friends, some of whom I have not seen in what feels like 20 years. To my surprise and delight, one of my music professors came on through and we got to hang.

What a delight it was…to be able to show him some of my accomplishments and thank him for his support in my formative years. His style was that of an older guy who saw seeds of talent and knew that students would flourish, given encouragement.

Rather than force his way on them, he was a listener who was constantly amazed at what the young “cats” would come up with. Now he’s amazed at the changes in the music business over the last 25 years and following it closely. He learns from as well as teaches his students.

The point is this – I saw that while he let me do my thing and kick my own butt, he supported my vision. That’s not a small thing. In fact, that is huge. Thank you, Jim.

Here’s How to Be a Visionary, in a Nutshell

Imagine what you want to be do or have, and have the guts, the balls, the whatever you call ’em – to have that clear vision in your mind’s eye – in spite of what is presently around you.

You see, your present surroundings and circumstances are the result of the past, but your future is the result of your vision NOW. This can be tricky to maybe pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and will require 1) a defined, not foggy, vision of what you want, and 2) repeated practice in having that vision. You may have to get away from some present circumstances to strengthen your vision.

How to Avoid Kryptonite

One of my best friends is in a very unsupportive relationship. The minute he has a vision, a dream – it gets shot down by his “significant other”…and this is the worst poison anyone can have in their lives.

Basically this person in his life is creating the future out of what she sees presently – but my buddy wants a future to come out of his “vision”. That’s 2 VERY different approaches, kids!

Before being a solo guitarist, I was the guy playing every restaurant in NYC and teaching twinkle twinkle to 8 year olds. I am in no way putting that down, because it’s noble and many people all over the world do that! Hiowever, I wanted more than that…I wanted touring, I wanted my talents to shine, and want to make a couple o’ bucks too! 🙂

To have more fulfillment for myself, it all had to start with a dream, a vision. (See my blog on upward & downward causation)

Looking back from the vantage point of now finally being on an upward swing of success (and enjoying the hell out of life) I tell you this – in comparing my professor who was encouraging, and my friend’s wife who shoots his ideas down….

Stay away from the negative people like Superman avoids Kryptonite. One bad word can weaken you…it’s the worst poison there is.

Statements like

1) “Well you’re still gonna have to pay the bills…”
2) “Well you still are going to have to be realistic…”
3) “You’ll never make money doing that…”
4) “You are not ______ enough to do that…”
5) “You are (race, sex, religion, age) and no one will ever pick you….”

Anything like this serves the person saying it, so that they can justify THEIR lack of strength in being a visionary. It has nothing to do with you, and simply serves them.

I heard and dealt with all of this too…and the only cure is keeping one’s own vision clear.

If you need support in your vision and don’t have a supportive person in your life – you have me now. I’ll support your dream and help you.

Leave a comment or email me, and know that Adam believes in you. That’s the coolest gift I can give!

How Big Goals Define Your Daily Activities

By Adam Rafferty 3 Comments

Wow gang! I just looked over my blog a year back to kind of see “what was on my mind” and much to my surprise I saw that it has been a year (364 days) to be exact, since the passing of Michael Jackson’s death.

Before his untimely death, I had sent in requests to publishers for permission to do tabs and maybe a guitar DVD of his music. Ironically, I’ll be editing the new “Jackson 5” guitar instructional DVD tomorrow, June 25, the one year anniversary of his passing.

This post is not about MJ though. It’s about the goal setting process and differentiating between “urgent” and “important”.

Today, I woke up with my brain slightly scrambled. Meaning, I have 5 or 6 things on my to-do list and was not sure what to do first. However, it has become an instinct to ask myself “What is necessary to achieving my big goals” and “what is an A level, must-do task and what can wait?” and even “what can I drop completely?”

But you gotta have big goals to do this properly 🙂

The “what’s necessary in terms of achieving my big goals” a good approach that I have practiced by studying my success gurus like Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield. Writing an inspired blog entry is important to me, so I am attacking this first.

In younger years, I’d respond to the “urgent” rather than the “important”. For example, laundry could seem urgent. Or getting CDRs from Staples could seem urgent. Or, getting the coolest new gadget was urgent. Or doing cool rollovers for my website buttons could seem urgent.

These would be “contained” activities – meaning, once they were accomplished it was like a stand-alone 30 minute sitcom episode which ended. No relation to yesterday or tomorrow, and tomorrow is the same problem of meaninglessness all over again.

When people follow the “urgent” they end up not doing the really “important” stuff. But, if one doesn’t have big goals and life is meaningless, dealing with the “urgent” at least can add temporary meaning or be a nice distraction. With no goals, we can’t even define what the important stuff is.

That’s a very unsatisfying way to live. After a year one asks “what the hell have I done this past year?” . I’ve had people like that in my life and I see their deep unhappiness and neurosis and want to tell them “you gotta have goals!”

So in looking at that one year old blog, I see that I had a big goal – a Michael Jackson flavored guitar DVD. I even put the DVD on my Photoshop “Vision Board” by making a mock DVD cover. It’s satisfying now to see that I have been following through all this time.

Over this past year each small step has led me closer to the fruition of yet another satisfying goal – producing a Jackson 5 Guitar DVD. I see that by having the vision of this DVD, I scheduled and followed through with “important” things instead of reacting to “urgent” things.

Some examples of “important” things that were grunt work for this project

– several emails back and forth with publishers
– entering, editing, and laying out the notated sheet music and tabs
– practicing the music
– rehearsing the actual video lessons
– designing myself, but then hiring a real designer for the DVD cover and disc
– moving Youtube videos to a second video site in case of copyright problems
– rethinking my e-commerce shopping art situation (current phase)
– shooting and editing video (current phase)
– getting DVDs manufactured (still to do)

So…I encourage you to think about BIG goals. Why? Not for the money, but because life is all the more satisfying when you live this way.

Whether it’s a creating painting, a DVD, raising a family or even being a great pre school teacher – when you set a goal and achieve it, you get to look at life and know yourself to be a “creator”. The process of “how you proceed” is more important than the “what you are doing”.

To know oneself as a “creator” rather than a “victim / reactor” is empowering and inspiring, and highly recommended! And through this muddle of goals, making a living, and brain work, our souls and actually learn something very profound in the realm of spirit when we can fully declare “I am Creator”.

Now…get to work! 🙂

Awakening to Your Own Inner Harmony

By Adam Rafferty 5 Comments

Greets friends!

I am in the midst of preparing my Jackson 5 Guitar Instructional DVD and am really excited about the music. I am totally immersed in, and enjoying the teaching process of this music – and finding myself in a very feel-good place.

Funny though, as a young classical guitar player I was never able to dig into the music on the level that I do now. As I look back, I think – “what was the difference?” I am really truly happy now – but was not happy back in the day. What am I doing right, and what was I doing wrong? 🙂

I recently returned from a guitar festival in Bermuda where I got to hear and hang out with a great classical guitar duo – the Brasil Guitar Duo. Awesome musically and technically. You could feel their 100% commitment to the music. This made me think…what are they doing that I wasn’t?

I just let the cat out of the bag! But let’s rewind…

Many times, as I played classical guitar I felt a “veil” between myself and the music. a feeling of “I’ll never get it” or “it’s too hard” or something. This was very frustrating for me as a young player. I loved love classical guitar recordings – but somehow feel “locked out”.

I feel totally the opposite with the Jackson 5 music I am preparing for the DVD. By now, my cat should be able to play the songs after having heard the instruction ad nauseum.

As I teach this the music, I am constantly thinking to myself, “what inner message must the student realize in order to play this music, and how can I convey this?”

The music is not exactly easy. It’s a full plate of technical, rhythmic, and melodic challenges. These are delicious musical puzzles that I have figured out. But what is it on the inner plane that has enabled me to play this music – and what must the student do?

The answer is simple. Isn’t it always?

One must LOVE IT enough that they are willing to do the work.

Knowing what you love means that you are awake to your INNER harmony. Not what you think is “cool” or “interesting” – but that which touches your heart and soul.

This sounds simple and easy – and it is when you allow it. But – fear regarding the approval of others (teachers, parents, peer group etc) can twist, distort and hinder you. Or fear of survival (I’ll never make a living doing that) or fear of control (how will I do that consistently) can derail you.

Even as a jazz player, my soul would really light up when I was deep in a blues zone, or a funk zone, or an authentic bebop zone. At other times I’d feel “off”.

But – once you care about the approval of others and compromise your honesty, you’re lost.

And so it was for me with classical guitar – as I see in retrospect. I love the beauty of the art, but I never had the feeling of 100% commitment and love for the music. Not enough to put me over the top!!!

But enough about me….more about YOU.

What do YOU love? When no one’s watching and no one can comment – what is your love, your dream? What would you do for no money? What would you do if you only had 6 months to live? Answer that honestly and you can achieve anything.

And that’s why I have the strength to practice Jackson 5, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder songs for hours on end. I love it that much. I am willing to do the work. And – I’d do it without getting paid! 100% commitment…and the hell with what anyone thinks!

In the words of Joseph Campell…”Follow Your Bliss”. Awaken to your inner harmony, and watch the world roll at your feet. The previously impossible and insurmountable become easy, delicious and inevitable.