so if my life WASN’T about coping with feeling unhappy, because I WASN’T unhappy…
would I do something different?
wonder what…
I got ideas, yo
Category Archives: Minimalism
Steve Reich minimalist music related stuffs
my bio, new
be professional, be professional, blah blah blah
Mike Robbins is a Percussionist and all-around Musical Weirdo residing in Los Angeles, who spends his time playing and teaching African Music, rather crazed and rhythmically Complex yet Groovy Percussive Music, and has a very-likely-unhealthy obsession with the music of Steve Reich, which he also Conducts and Plays on occasion. He also teaches a little Music Theory of the Harmonically-Colourful Variety, and plays a little Harmonium to accompany North Indian Music. He also arranged some Marching Band and Drumline music, and composes his own stimulating musics as well.
sometimes I compare myself to others
sometimes someone else does something, I compare myself unfavorably to them, and, typically have felt incredible guilt and shame (moving past that now.)
I still have thoughts though such as
“wow, I must be not a very ambitious person, then.”
or why else would I have
1. not done what they did (I didn’t want it?)
2. not done something comparably that I DO want…
though I HAVE, done things I want… they just….
never lay well with conventional notions of success or professionalism, (other people’s often seem to, other people except for my coolest craziest friends.)
the things I have done…
I wouldn’t call them successful or professional (many would argue that they are)
I guess I WOULD call them
special, unruly, unique, something most other people would NEVER do the way “I” went about them, things no one else WOULD ever do, and maybe genius, who knows.
but definitely not conventionally successful or professional.
what do you think friends,
you think I’m ever successful, professional?
this has been a presentation of the new and improved but still a ways to go
“less self-critical and less guilty and less shameful me” in response to other people I know doing things that seem real professional and successful, while I feel like I am sitting around having fun, getting older.
p.s. perhaps “fun” is all I really ever cared about.
which-
as long as I can support myself as well, (not necessarily via the same “fun” things,)
might not be a bad thing in any sense.
it might even be the most important, more important than success or professionalism.
p.p.s you know, I have long despised the term professionalism, as if people who “are” it are fake and are stiffs? ok, enough, what do you think?
me or others,
so, a little discussion of what I call
The Zeitgeist Question, which refers, to me, to the notion of am I doing something with myself in mind, or others…
did I miss the day in school where-
where they taught you that when you work for people, yoi ddo what they ask, and not what you want?
or is that not true…
I mean, I have drumset students, kids.
they don’t know what they want or how to get it.
one of them is capable of butchering his way through a song, but if he ever wants to execute it WELL, in tempo, etc, he’s NOT gonna do what HE wants and just play play play, regardless of HOW to play well, so of course, he then needs to do what I say, the way I say it, (bearing in mind which approach I propose works best for him of course, blah blah.)
or am I just incredibly selfish, and never want to work for others, because what they want isn’t interesting to ME?
and why am I different than people who “do it anyway.”
perhaps I am just a selfish twit, only child after all, am I.
perhaps I’m impatient.
perhaps I have things I like.
perhaps a lot of average things just don’t “do it” for me.
perhaps I’m Super impatient.
or perHAPS-
you instead of me are TOO patient,
perhaps you DON’T have things you like, feel strongly about, love, can’t wait for.
perhaps a lot of average things DO “do it” for you.
perhaps you are super patient.
not that I have many “ideas for businesses”, but all the ones I do are usually not about every day things that happen to every day people, things that theoretically would be widespread, but
rather
highly specific things that are interesting to me, not every day things, but highly specific ones relating to me and my weird experience. things that aren’t widespread.
oh WHAT is the matter with me…
or what is the matter with everyone else.
why are we different at all.
and why must I suffer, on the lonely end of the stick so.
awesome as it is, here.
where do others GET the patience to provide a service which they have no interest in? (naturally, if they are poor, or are forced to because of capitalism, yeah that would make sense… but plenty of people I know are NOT like that, and STILL do things that I find muy boring.)
… seems always like things would be (seems…) so much easier if I just conformed, hid my feelings, bit the bullet and just conformed. but no.
it wouldn’t be easier, and I must struggle on, as the real me.
CBTL Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, like old times
Like Old Times, perhaps, I am at a coffeebeat and tealeaf in hollywood. I first came to such a place 15 years ago, fall of 2000.
funny story.
1. I went to JAVA JOE’S (later JAVA’s) in ROchester NY, next to the Eastman School, every night for maybe a year prior to coming to California (and before that maybe too.)
I heard The Big Payback by James Brown there one day, and resolved to find out what song it was… oh yeah.
I first heard Dots and Loops by Stereolab in there too.
when I was being advised in kindness by eastman prof BRAD LUBMAN, that “CAlArts sounds like the place for you”, it was AT Java’s, and while it was happening, total coincidence, ECM 115, MUSIC FOR EIGHTEEN MUSICIANS by REICH was PLAYING randomly on their music system.
I went there with a nice girl once.
later I met another “nice girl” there. oh yeah.
so.
in California, I discover that the Valencia starbucks (this is no longer the case) closed at like 9pm, and as a night owl, fuck THAT!
so, I drove down down down one night, to “The Coffeehouse” (a real place, on sunset.) 24 hour place. wrote music there.
but FIRST…
I sauntered back and forth for 2 hours on sunset blvd, UNABLE to park (apparently unaware that parking on a side street was even an option,)
and at one point, maybe the second or third trip down, went to a CBTL, on sunset, and was indeed uncomfy with the vibe. but whatever.
and now, here, I’m at one, 15 years later, in hollywood, like old times.
You’re Still You/Be Here Now, yes
… seems easy to become envious, jealous, to see others and think “gee if only “I” had what THEY have… THENNNNN my life would be ok, THEN I could feel good.”
but surely, this MUST be an illusion, and far from the truth, right?
because I know, no matter what others do, no matter how well they treat you, nor how rich you are….
at the end of the day….
in the words of Tyler Durden, though in a different context.
“you’re still YOU.”
YOU with your insecurities and fear and anger, and all the other stuff, better things than negative emotions, I would hope, yes I have them too.”
so it can’t be about
being famous, being rich, or winning a grammy, or being loved by any specific people.
nor anything in the minds of others, and dare I say, nor of any god either.
others don’t have to live with you.
god doesn’t have to live with you either. (that is true whether he exists or not.)
but YOU DO have to live with you.
and there is no escape into being perfect, things being easy if “so and so” were different instead of what is.
it must be the here and now, it must by our knowledge, our experience, our feelings.
that must be it.
breath into it.
this is the universe, it would seem.
triplets against 5/8
omg dude…
hearing some music, a stready stream of unbroken fast 16th notes,
in groups of
6 followed by 4.
that is
onetwothreefourfivesixonetwothreefour
dotted quarter- quarter, that is.
5/8.
and yet…
I was playing triplets over it, three to a phrase…
which…. at least at this fast tempo…
is “so close to being the same…”
that it’s just trippy.
try this.
you are inclined to play
dotted 8th, dotted 8th (123 123)
then quarter (1234)
but, if you play THREE EVEN notes instead….
it is very close to being the same.
trippy.
a composer I know/simplicity
a composer I know took a very simple thing and did a very simple thing TO it at the same time as doing a second very simple thing to said very simple thing.
tough to focus on such small things for me, (and the composer as well.)
trying trying…
Wagner and James Brown
!HOW many otha’ people love
WAGNER “AND” JAMES BROWN?
typing Einstein on the Beach
always love typing this out
you know Einstein on the Beach, by Philip Glass? it has several parts (two at least) which go:
1234 123 1234 123 1234
123 123 123 123 1234
123 123 123 1234 1234
123 123 1234 1234 1234
123 1234 1234 1234 1234
1234 1234 1234 123 1234
1234+123 1234 1234 123 1234
1234+123 123+123 1234 123 1234
1234+123 1234+123 1234 123+123 1234
1234+123 1234+123 123+123 1234+123 1234
1234+123 1234+123 123+123 1234+123 123+123
then
1234+123 1234+123 123+123 1234+123 123+123
1234+123 1234+123 1234+123 1234+123 123+123
1234+123+12 1234+123+12 123+123+123 1234+123+12 123+123+123
and LASTLY
1234+123+123 1234+123+123 123+123+123 1234+123+123 123+123+123
BOOYah
fm DbM AM B7 EM