Sunday, August 21, 2011

Folk Music

The trend toward folk music in society and in our churches is a fascinating development pointing toward a desire for simplicity and clarity in musical expression. Not that this is a new thing, music trends historically respond to complexity with a return to simpler forms, construction, and ease of expression. When we study the Baroque (1600-1750), we discover a type of music that seemed to thrive on its sophistication and complexity, a full blown approach to polyphony and intellectual craft. Fugues, episodes, stretto, tonal and real entrances, toccatas, figured bass, and techniques guaranteed to keep you thinking, fill up the sound and music of the Baroque. In reaction, at least to an extent, the Classical period jumped in.

Time for melody and harmony. Time for simplicity and clarity. Mozart and Haydn gave us a simpler form of music that did not necessarily defenestrate the older ways but it did allow for less intellectual rigor and sophisticated craftsmanship. Not to say the music of the Classical period is only for simpletons, some kind of naive child-like expression. In fact, a closer look simply finds an alternate way to express sound and joy.

Moving forward to music of today. I have often bemoaned the loss of American folk music in our society. Our rich heritage of music from the past, music of the folks, music indigenous to our native land has slowly fallen by the wayside and replaced with electronic gadgetry and big forms. We saw a revitalization of a type of folk music in the early 1960s with the hippie, beatnik generation creating music that expresses emotions and concern, music with a simplicity and honesty of heart-felt expression. Put a guitar in the hands of a talented, honest singer and you have folk music. The rise of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, and later John Denver gave us a wealth of new folk music in the tradition of the past with current problems and social concerns being articulated. Pete Seeger continued to perform folk music from our history, discovering new gems from the past.

The Vietnam War may have given us cause for a new generation of folk music, but it was also partly a reaction to the complexity of music making in both popular and art cultures that gave it wings. As popular music once again grew in sound and complexity in the 70s onward to today, and although we never saw a complete lack of folk music, it was its very nature of a hammering pulse and added instruments that has caused a new kind of expression today.

The idea of complexity leading to simplicity may be true to an extent but we must be cautious in assuming that all folk music is simple. In fact, melodic and harmonic complexity is abundant although not always obvious. The charm of much of folk music is not necessarily its basic construction but rather its honest and deep emotional expression. Because folk music has not preconceived ideas of what music must be or what it should sound like, and because folk music is often a heart-felt expression emanating from the soul, the music itself is often new, fresh, and original.

Therein we find the joys of folk music--originality, honesty, and freedom. Regardless of the subject matter and regardless of the reaction, the music has an important and vital spot in our heritage and in our current presence. May folk songs reign at the forefront of our culture, taking their rightful place as music by the people and for the people.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Translating in Numbers

Reasoning with Joel based on common sense procedures is a difficult endeavor due to his inability to accept cause and effect. He cannot understand how to improve efficiency or comfort or ease of practice. When one method has worked, whether our perception of success would be different or not, Joel tends to stay with that method regardless of the circumstances. As responsible guardians we continue to walk the tight-rope of giving him latitude and allowing him to make his own mistakes, hoping he will learn from the situation and improve the next time. We often remind him of ways to improve, of things to consider, of various methods to make his life easier, quicker, more convenient, but unfortunately, his natural inclination is to keep it the same way regardless of its efficacy.

We do have ways, however, of helping Joel deal with his general lack of common sense and awareness. We translate the experience into some kind of order, often using numbers to demonstrate the need. Rather than saying "go pack your bag for the upcoming trip," we will instead say, "go count the number of items you required for the upcoming trip." We then later remind him to pack the exact number needed. Obviously there are potential problems with this system in that he may leave something out or not count a needed item, and yet insist that he has the correct number. But the upside of this system is that he is able to order things in his mind and simplify the overriding goal into one aggregate.

Being autistic is often overwhelming with the sheer plethora of information coming at you constantly. An autistic cannot process everything around him quickly nor easily, and it becomes a tornado of sounds, sights, and images that have little to no cohesiveness in their delivery. The opportunity to reduce the unnecessary, paring down the essential information into a number or numbers is blissful to an autistic. This is true for nearly all situations, circumstances, and goals. We help him order his goals, aiming for one final number to be considered the main goal or purpose. When we express the objectives, the plans, the expectations in terms of a number, Joel's eyes light up and he quickly comprehends what is about to happen. He may not always understand how the ordered numbers work together to accomplish the necessary goal, but he is willing to and excited about taking those exact steps.

Sometimes this requires a great deal of specificity but at other times, it can be expressed in generalities. The more specific the expression, the better quality will be the results. Conversely, the more general is the list, the more breadth of accomplishment is performed. If cleaning his room is the requirement, we will see more accomplishment by listing the order of how to make that happen. "Joel, do five things: 1) make your bed, 2) pick up your clothes and put them in the hamper, 3) place your shoes in your closet, 4) stack your games on the night stand, 5) pick up any papers or trash on the floor and place in the trash can." We then follow up with: "Joel, please do those 5 things: bed, clothes, shoes, games, trash." We then anticipate success.

Or we could try the old unsuccessful method: (LOUD VOICE) "Joel, go clean up your room now and do it right." In a frustration moment, we might start listing all the things that should happen to get the room cleaned, but without a strict order of events, to an autistic it will feel like standing in an anthill wondering what is happening or a storm of oobleck falling upon his head and making everything sticky. The clarity of numbers provides clarity of thought for Joel.

We have learned to get his attention by taking away distractions, presenting the overall goal and purpose, then ordering and numbering the events. We wish we could always apply a time-table to the instructions but time remains a mysterious abstraction to Joel and likely always will. With this in mind, we allow greater time for accomplishment than would normally be needed and continually remind ourselves for patience, wisdom, and clarity.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Helpful Reviews

Just received a vote on Amazon that a review I wrote was helpful. As an experienced reviewer, I have learned not to be overly reactive to the voting system and yet learn from it as I continue to write. If a review is "helpful," does that mean the reader appreciates the writing style, or the book itself, or the information found therein? Does that mean the reader already read the book in question or was considering it? Conversely if a vote is negative, that is that the review was not helpful, what does that mean exactly? Did the reader not like the writing of the review or the content or it just did not meet the reader's expectations.

I suspect most people who read Amazon reviews are curious as to whether they should purchase the item or not. The review should provide a general summary of the item without giving away endings or spoiling anything for the reader or purchaser. But a good review is also a type of assessment tool of the book by one person who may or may not be qualified to pass judgment. I am certainly not qualified to give my expert opinion, especially given that I am not an expert, and yet I am qualified by virtue of my humanness, my experience, and the simple fact that I have used the product. Somebody hopefully values my opinion whether worthless or not and is willing to read my own slanted and narrow views of the item.

If in fact someone does find my review helpful, this becomes a strong vote of affirmation that I am meeting the needs of the reader in my reviews. It does not lift me to any kind of expertise level nor sustain every element of my ability as a reviewer, but it does provide supportive feedback for my effort. I cannot take the vote to the bank but I can make a small deposit of credit in my ego bank and use that to continue to review books and products. On the other side, a negative vote is like a withdrawal and while I choose not to allow one negative to withdraw too much from my esteem bank, it does have a slight affect.

But in truth, if there is a negative vote, perhaps there is something I can improve about my review or reviews. There must have been a tone or a flaw or a slight problem that caused the reader to shrug and decide the review was not helpful. I do not think one negative vote is worth a wholesale change in style, but I do think it should make me pause and study on how to improve. One positive vote should not make me feel like running for President, and one negative vote should not make me want to change professions or put myself in a cage, but at the same time feedback--good or bad--enables us to improve ourselves and grow regardless of what we are doing.

I enjoy writing reviews and I like to believe I am helping other people to read or not to read certain books or to buy or not to buy certain products, but it would be easier not to worry about what people think. Yet I feel compelled to continue to write, hoping to make some kind of difference for those seeking my opinion. It may be a slanted opinion or not based on any kind of expertise and it may not be valued by everyone but in some small way, it gives me an opportunity to express myself. Onward to more reviews!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Transformation

After a nice dinner with a friend comprised of delicious bread and salad, we headed to the movie theater to see Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon. I never was a "transformers" kid or anything--maybe those little machine car things came out later or something. I have also not seen any of the movies. So this was my first experience with the world of transformers and what all that means. I think I can sum it up though pretty well: good transformers living on earth were abandoned by human leaders and bad transformers tried to take over the world. Lots of fights and explosions resulted in the good transformers and good humans defeating the bad transformers, demonstrating that man and machine can co-exist! Yea!

Speaking of defeat--my feet hurt. Or to say it another way--Duh feet (defeat) hurt! Okay, silly pun I know and seems rather incongruous with transformers. These massive machines with mechanical things all over them alter their shape to become other kinds of things--cars, trucks, tanks, gun things, and monster snake-like animals. They have eyes though and are vulnerable in their eyes. Also when they die or lose limbs, they kind of bleed odd red substance that may be blood or red oil maybe. Not sure. But it comes back to this--they transform. I may need to transform my exercise routine.

I have bruised my heel on one foot and the balls of my foot on the other. I enjoy running with the wind blowing on my face, the sun coming up over the horizon, the animals waking up and making sounds, the smells both good and bad, that permeate the natural world, the beautiful subleties of nature surrounding me with the glisten of dew, the slight breeze gently moving the blades of grass, the warming of the temperature, and the vastness of the sky as it shines with anticipation of a new day. But without healthy feet, I cannot run. Hurts too much.

Short of changing myself into a cool sports car with fast wheels and a glossy paint job, I must transform my exercise routine and make it something else. Running is dependent on strong, pain-free feet. So today I go to the gym (bah!) and exercise under a roof (bah!) and do some cycling and rowing junk. Where is the joy, where is the natural world, where is the running? The transformation is not of myself but simply how I do things.

Seems to me that change does not have to be wholesale to accomplish the goals. Change, transformation, altering certain things can make a significant difference in the outcomes. Change can be in diet, in life patterns, in thought-processing, in certain goals, and in apporaches to relationships, learning, behavior, and practice. It makes no sense to do the same thing in the same way over and over. Transforming yourself or even an institution does not have to mean changing your DNA (although some of that could occur I suppose, especially if you are a transformer), but it can mean changing the way you do something or seeking after alternate ways to deliver the same outcomes.

For me the transformation is to keep exercising but to do so in ways that save my feet! I sure don't like change though. It is always easiest to do the same thing in the same way. Sadly, it usually means the same results.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Dry Ramblings

The dry weather seems to be affecting all of us lately. This area of Texas is as dry as I have ever experienced. The grass at our place is brown and the trees are struggling. We are on water restrictions now and the attitude is one of fear for the future. Without water, we cannot sustain the crops, the animals, or even our lives. It is an essential ingredient for living. Somehow I think too that the lack of water has zapped our energy. I find myself less productive in general due to the hot dry weather. Going outside feels like a wasteland and the beast of heat seems to be burden of depression working to infiltrate every pore, oppressing all in its path. It is just no fun at all.

Went to see Captain America the other day and was disappointed. Felt like a 4th grade comic book to me overall. I suppose it was well-done, energetic, lots of action, heroic, and intense, but also the emotional content was immature and shallow. Just another action film with too many computer graphics, flying things, kicking, shooting, getting the bad guys, etc. Kind of tired of the genre I guess.

I sure like the music of the Gettys. Keith and Krysten Getty continue to write and sing great songs of the faith. Their music is contemporary but retains the qualities of the great hymns. Melodic, textually driven, catchy, and creative, I like singing and leading their music. Speaking of music, I am bored with my playlist on my iPhone. Same old, same old. I am ready to listen to new things and seek out new sounds. Nothing is more boring to me than hearing and singing the same music over and over. Familiarity can breed respect and love but it can also breed contempt. Time to find something new.

This reminds me though of the great story, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. The King grows weary of the same kind of weather--rain, sunshine, snow, hail and urges his wisemen to invent something new. So they invent Oobleck, green globby things that eventually ruin the land and the people. Only when he apologizes does the Oobleck disappear. I hope my desire for new music does not end up like Oobleck. I suppose temperance for the new is always wise!

My running in the mornings is fairly consistent now but not quite what I seek. My goal is to run 5 miles a day, but I really struggle to make 4 every other day. Just not ready for the level of fitness 5 miles requires. But my heart rate is now below 60 and I generally feel energetic. Yet the darn feet hurt everyday also. It does take some kind of personal drive to run in the mornings. The easiest thing is to sit in my easy chair thinking of easy things. Running forces me to find something deeper inside me to come out. But it really is not all that fun. Is it really good for me?

No more overly processed, plastic tasting food. I almost cannot stand the idea of eating at a fast food restaurant these days. I think a diet of bread, water, leafy greens, fruits, fish, and other kind of organic foods is better. But finding good fish in this area is a toughie. We are pretty far from the ocean!

Kind of sad right now over Robert Parker. I think I have read every book he has written, or close to it. What a fine writer. On one level, his books are mystery/thrillers with plenty of action and violence. But on another level, his books are psychological and perceptive with a kind of social moralism not often found in action stories. Good stuff for sure.