Re: Playing on my zafu (??)
Not to be contrary but to be politically incorrect I shall now set forth my views on this subject
:
Here is an article about the beliefs on the proper way of sitting for meditation appropriately titled "Zazen Instructions"; ("za" by the way simply means "seat" in Japanese)
https://zmm.mro.org/teachings/meditation-instructions/If you are interested in asian culture and spiritual practices this is a great thing; meditation.
How 'meditation' relates to music is profound beyond anything I could write but the position
for playing the Stick is relative...
Notice in the article if you scroll down to the bottom there is a position called the "Chair Position". This works really good for the Stick
.
To play the Stick in this position either with a "zafu" (pillow) or "seiza" ( sitting on the backs of
the feet, knees bent under) or chair may give you a pathway to a state of consciousness that
enables you to play better, or with more meaning, or in a more creative way, but once
you dip your cup in this river, the permutations of possibility slips it's head up from
beneath the depths and asks you
"Grasshopper, what is it that you really want?".
To play the Stick is a meditation all it's own. Of course you can say that about any instrument,
everybody knows that, right? But the Stick is different than say the classical guitar because
(in part) the ergonomics of the Stick were worked out a long time ago and designed into
the instrument itself. With the classical guitar you end up needing a chair, a footstool or
a contraption attached to the guitar body to raise the neck up to a comfortable playing position.
The Stick on the other hand is worn, the ergonimics were worked out in such a way that it fits onto the body
in that it can de-solve the boundary between the instrument and the player If one studies musical instruments, this 'wearing'
of the instrument is not a new thing, think bagpipe or a bass drum in a marching band or even
the electric guitar; heck Bob Dylan wears his harmonica
but we are talking about meditation
and I think ergonomics and there-for efficiency or even 'efficacy' as in "what do you want"
or what kind of results to you attempt to achieve?
Bla, Bla, Bla...
Comfort? This is the real question aside from all this talk. The old saying goes "Art is long and life is short" so we better get on with it, but I think that being comfortable is so important especially if meditation is a concern because if the body is relaxed, effort is reduced then
the preoccupation with sensation is diminished. When that happens the body can disappear
the instrument can disappear, the person can disappear and the music remains. ThAt is
meditation.
jRj
*j*
.~