Music
The Breath and Life of Music By Erik Rabasca
“Breathing in, I hear globally joyful music. Breathing out, I let go of all that impedes the flow of this music’s creation.” I try to do a variation of this meditation before every practice session, rehearsal, recording session and show. When I forget to do this, without that conscious breath, the music fails to engage the sacred connection made between subtle realms and human souls. Music is breath and life, fueling everything from our connection to each other and our healing.
be a resounding yes. But the first order of business was mastery of basic chord structures and strumming, focusing my playing on being as easy-flowing as every breath, feeling the vibration from the attack of my strumming hand through the strings to a chord position of my fretting hand, being fully present in its resonant frequency, harmony and tone. As breath deepens, so does one’s ability to listen and hear our tone, our true unique voice. The recognition of hearing one’s soul shine by expressing their true voice is as clear as what can be heard in all of the greats from Duane Allman to John Coltrane, from Eric Dolphy to Eric Clapton, from Jimi Hendrix to Frank
I first learned about the practice of conscious breath when studying meditation in college. As part of the coursework, we had to journal about our daily meditations in addition to the required reading of zen masters and philosophers. What would I write about? Who would care? Why did it matter? In the beginning, these and other questions and doubts clouded any attempt at “following breath”. But then reading Thich Nhat Hanh helped bring order instead of anxiety to my daily assignment. He stated, “Breath in deeply to bring your mind home to your body.” This was revelatory! The mind is not separate from the breath which is not separate from the body. It’s all connected. In conscious breath we come to realize that we are all connected like a deeply practiced band elevating and uniting with an audience. I began to see how the notion of separateness of organs and muscles, of thoughts and breaths programs us to view all things in life separately instead of interconnected. Deprogramming this coding allows us to glimpse the potential power of collective energy uniting our human family. And what better unifying source than universal language of music? It is only music that makes us move in unison without language. The daily exercise of practicing this inner connectivity through mindful breathing sparked a much deeper exploration of my guitar playing and music creation. If my breath, thoughts and body were in deep resonant alignment, could I extend that energy and alignment to my instrument? The answer would eventually 65
Zappa and yes, even Bob Dylan who many say can’t sing. When tone is discovered, purpose is revealed. In the artistic and expressive pursuit of one’s purpose, that shift from imitation and practice routine uncovers one’s voice. As with Coltrane, who achieved the highest artistic expression of self in service of God through his music, upon this level of becoming, the quest for ascension seems the next likely pursuit. The muscle memory developed from countless hours of repetition is essential for the possibility of any spiritual connection created