Full Company Rehearsal at Phinney Neighborhood Center

A Tuning the Air Journal

Saturday January 23, 2010 – Full Company Rehearsal at Phinney Neighborhood Center

Fremont Abbey again booked this week, so we worked at our old stomping grounds. Any and everyone with a guitar invited to take part. Jaxie was away for family obligations. Chris and Meleah are out of town this week.

The first hour was over to Frank again. And once again he brought us back to the root basics of the Alexander Technique. This week focused on what it means to leave the head and neck free, to notice the movement in the torso, particularly the ribs and the diaphragm, as we breathe, while engaging in a circulation exercise. For the second week in a row, I had the very strong sense that although the “information” was new to no one, we are, individually and as a group, in a place to receive and assimilate this understanding in a new and much deeper way.

A short break, and Bill took over, continuing his work with circulating and intention. We revisited the challenge of duplicating the note passed, until the entire circle is playing the same note. Just this took most of the allotted time. From there on to working with a minor pentatonic scale, playing notes with the same kind of intention that the previous exercise demanded.

Another short break, and it was over to Bob. He reintroduced the chord progression from last week, but in a slightly different form. It was played in a waltz using a series of written arpeggios, three notes each. The first player had the first two chords, six notes. The next player the next two chords, etc. So 8 players circulated the chord progression, while the remaining three players improvised (we took that to mean circulating, although that was not what Bob had said) using notes from the chords. After a time, all of the parts moved one seat to the right, and we did it again. One more seat to the right, and then another, until the time came for us to vacate the room.

The Monday evening rehearsal will be at the Wilsons, and open to all.