Deep Listening Pieces are dedicated to the understanding that sound is apoerful agent and tool for personal growth, awareness, emotional and intellectual development.

As a musician I am interested in the sensual nature of sound, its power of release and change. In my performances throughout the world I try to transmit to the audience the way I am experiencing sound as I hear it and play it in a style that I call "deep listening."

"Deep listening" is listening in every possible way to every thing possible to hear no matter what you are doing. Such intense listening includes the sounds of daily life, of nature, of one's own thoughts as well as musical sounds. "Deep listening" is my life practice.

Deep Listening Pieces are for vocal solo and group performance by anyone willing to try whether trained in music or not. The values embodied in these Deep Listening Pieces are sharing of the creative process, cooperation with others and competition with oneself in order to improve.

Composed between 1971 and 1990 along with Sonic Meditations (Smith Publications) these pieces are intended to provide oportunities for trained and untrained musicians to practice the art of listening and responding in solo and ensemble situations. The experience gained should be applicable to all forms of performance.

All of the pieces contained in this book are strategies for listening and responding. As such the pieces present an oportunity to experience and study a variety of forms as well as the structure of attention as it applies to sound and music.

When one is able through self training to flexibly direct one's attention with and understanding of expanded or global attention and of limited or focal attention both in sensing the outside world of sound and the inner world of imagination and memory, listening can be a multidimensional phenomena. One can listen and perform simultaneously.

Think of a circle as representing Global Attention - attention to the field.

Think of a dot in the center of this circle as representing Focal Attention = attention to a point.

Global
Internal Imagination or memory
Focal

Global
External Perception of phenomena
Focal

In receiving sound attention is relaxed or expanding in all directions without a committment to any particular sound. If one tunes to the whole field of sound impartially the field continues to expand.

Commitment to a sound involves focal attention. One hears the sound clearly whether listening only or producing the sound. In contrast the field of sound is present but not sharply in focus.

It is possible to find a balance between these two kinds of attention, the internal world of memory and imagination and the outer world of sensation.

"All or Nothing" is one of the clearest illustrations of global and focal attention, internal and external worlds.

Following are some features of this meditation:

* Hearing the whole field of sound as one fluctuating pattern = global attention.

* Acting spontaneously from a predetermined program exercising memory and imagination.

* Reaction time, a component of attention can be measured and improved in subsequent trials.

* An appreciable sensation of shift from global attention to focal attention and vice versa.

Angels represent the collective guardian spirits of this meditation.
Demons represent the individual spirits of creative genius.

Angels make steady, even, breath-long tones which blend perfectly as possible with the steady, even, breath long tones made by other angels.

Demons listen inwardly until sounds are heard from their own inner spirits. Any sound which has been heard inwardly first may be made.

During the course of this meditation, Angels may become Demons and Demons may become Angels.

Begin by just listening for a few minutes until the spirits move.

A group of singers or instrumentalists divides evenly into two groups which face each other at some distance.

Group A begins, spontaneously or on cue, to make a sound together.

Group B listens and responds by trying to imitate or echo the sound made by group A.

Partner participants sit comfortably back to back. After sensing breathing together each partner begins to sing tones intended to resonate the spine. Different tones or sounds may be more or less effective for different parts of the spine.

From a comfortable position lying down, begin by sensing the body thoroughly from head to toes. When yu feel deeply relaxed and completely tuned in to all parts of the body inside and out, allow an imaginary sound to come to mind. When the imaginary sound is clear, then make the sound inwardly, or out loud.

Imagine that you are sending this sound to benefit the part of the of your body that needs it most. Focusing on yur own sensations, continue until that part of your body feels satisfied or eased. Rest, sense and repeat the process. Register how it feels to vibrate and tune different parts of your body with the sounds you make.

Lie on your back with your head toward the center of the circle. After relaxing and easy breathing, listen then sound. Alternate between listening and sounding.

For soloist or ensemble

Listen to everything.

Notice everything.

Get a body sense of everythng.

Play a tone or make a sound and/or movement.

Repeat this cycle indefinitely.

Keep the next sound you hear

in mind

for at least the next half hour.

Listen to the resonance in spaces you visit.

Find an environment that suits you.

Using long tones, test the resonance of that space with your voice.

After sounding the resonance of the space for awhile, remember some other resonance, then listen to an imaginary resonance.

Finally, return to the resonance of your present environment and continue sounding.

Listen

Give sound------------>

Listen

Receive sound<------------

Sustain one or more tones or sounds until any desire to change the tone(s) or sound(s) subsides.

When there is no desire to change the tone(s) or sound(s) then change.

Can you imagine your own resonance?

Can you imagine that every cell in your entire body is vibrating all the time?

Can you imagine the tuning of the universe?

Can you imagine the echoes of all the footsteps you have ever taken?

Can you imagine imagining more imaginary meditations?

In the same location and at the same time each day, just listen. Recording the environment and writing your impressions afterwards will deepen the meditation.

Variations:

* A different location at the same time each day.

* The same location at different time each day.

* A different location at a different time each day.

* Wherever you are just listen. If you are attracted by any sound follow any sensations in your body and any feelings which might arise until you are attracted by another sound.

* Wherever you are just listen. Review what you hear as if it were a concert.

* If you have a question just listen for the answer in a piece of music, a noisy environment, in silence, in fragments of conversation where many people are talking, or by scanning radio or television stations.

Listen for a call. When the call comes answer with your own call. Call until you receive an answering call. Echo the answering call. Repeat the cycle three or more times.

Each participant chooses a pair of resonant rocks to use as percussive instruments. After listening for environmental pulses each paricipant establishes an independent pulse with the rocks. The pulse is to be maintained steadily without any rhythmic interpretation or accents. While listening to the overall sound, if the participant perceives that s/he is synchronizing exactly, or in a simple multiple or division by 2 or 3 of another participant's pulse, s/he stops in order to listen and begin a new pulse which is independent in rate from all other pulses. To begin the participants may be dispersed throughout the performance area. Each participant begins independently, or on some agreed upon cue. The participants move slowly and freely, sounding out the environment in all directions with their rock pulses listening for each other and for echoes. Participants may end independently, or on cue by gradually converging into a tight circle for the ending. "Rock Piece" might begin and remain out-of-doors, or move indoors. Conversely, "Rock Piece" might begin in a tight circle indoors and move out-of-doors with the participants gradually dispersing until the pulses can no longer be heard.

Listen to a roadway - eyes closed - distinguish size shape make of car by the sound - also speed and health of engine.

Listen to a forest - eyes closed - identify the trees by the sounds of their leaves.

Procedure: A number of people join hands and form a circle facing outward. The participants then lie on their backs with their heads towards the center of the circle. Everyone adjusts their position, to accommodate different size people, in order to rest their hands comfortably on the abdomen of partners to the left and right, touching hands with those people beyond their immediate neighbors. First everyone becomes aware of the rhythm of breathing. Each person senses the breath cycle of both partners trying gradually to synchronize breath with both. In this way the whole group eventually breathes together. When a consensus is felt the whole group begins to make sounds or sing long tones together in the rhythm of breathing. (A long tone is one steady pitch sung for the durtion of a breath). Each person chooses sounds or long tones independently of others. Different sounds or tones may be selected for each breath or kept the same. After singing with the group breath cycle for awhile each person may follow her/his own breath cycle, singing independently of the partners or singing together with one or both partners. In this way duets and trios develop around the circle and occasionally the whole group might synchronize again. It is possible to participate outside the joined circle by observing the group breath cycle and blending long tones from outside or even by slowly moving around the circle.