Gaia: Connect. Grow. Inspire. Empower.
What Is "Visionary Music?"
Michael
First, a little exposition: The word "visionary" comes from the Latin "videre" ["to see"]. It describes the quality of seeing the future or other transcendent visions, sometimes in a dream or trance, and thinking or... More »
Psychoactive Vibes
Michael
Psychoactive Vibes: Light and Sound in Navigating the Spectrum of States by Michael Garfield States of Consciousness (David Zeitler, JFKU), May 2007 Abstract: Light and sound have long been used as both art and science,... More »
Alan Watts on Rhythm
Michael
Alan Watts, describing in his typical gorgeous prose, the rhythmic essense at the root of all existence: "If work is what must be done in order to go on living, the proper activity of That-which-Is... More »
The Music of Proteins
Michael
By now, all of us have probably seen a visual representation of a protein: some coiling, twisted affair, appropriately elegant and clumpy (these are, after all, "the building blocks of life" - which is, in... More »
Playing Music Without Pain
Michael
I am a member of the Chapman Stick listserv and just read a thread in which one musician pleaded to the community for information about how to treat his growing wrist pain. Repetitive Strain Injuries... More »
Visionary Instruments: the reactable & vision-driven design
Michael
This is the first entry in a series I'll be doing on instruments that are revolutionizing the way we make - and understand - music. I was inspired to do this column by my introduction... More »
Visionary Instruments: the Light Harp & egalitarian creativity
Michael
"We are the music makers, the dreamers of dreams." - Arthur O'Shaughnessy I recently discovered another new instrument designed for use by more than one person: Jen Lewin 's ultra-cool Light Harp . Starting with... More »
The Ear of the Beholder: Tantra and My "Desert Island" Playlist
Michael
"We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are." - Anaïs Nin Contemporary culture swims in lists. It has only gotten more intense since the advent of the internet; now we... More »
Transcending Possessiveness in Love and Music
Michael
Recently, I've been reading a lot about two things that seem unrelated: one is the clash over copyrights between labels, musicians, and listeners; the other is polyamory . I've been researching the polyamory because after... More »
Visionary Instruments: an ode to the Chapman Stick
Michael
Unlike with previous instruments in this column, I have a long-standing and personal relationship with the invention I'll be discussing this week. It's called the Chapman Stick , and it was one of the most... More »
visionary music
April 2008