Chapter 5

Energy and Form

The mechanics of the physical aspects of performing, as described in this material, are useless if you do not understand the structure that you are in. The structure of your multi-dimensional self. But with this understanding, you can mold and use this unlimited energy as easily as you can translate a surge of rage into a clenched fist and weapon with which to express that rage. The flows of energy that you will be moving through your guitar and your self, will start to flow with your emotions. Only at this point can you begin to truly express your self. Do not lose your focus and get caught up in the movement of energy. You still have much more to understand, and if you get caught up with moving energy, then you will not get the big picture, and will not know how to sincerely express your self. The self that you are, in every moment of self that you live in this continuum of life, is your true self. We are all many versions of ourselves through-out our lifetimes, but there is a genuine self that shines in each and every one of them, from when you were a wide-eyed child to when you are a soul living its final days. You should focus on your genuine self, and express what it is to be that self, as it experienced the moments expressed in the song.

I like to strum across all of the guitar strings, and in making them ring, I find the voice of the guitar. Then, knowing precisely where to land on the string or strings at precisely the right times to provide a sense of flow, feels as natural as manipulating my voice box to speak a phrase. It actually feels very similar. I don't think about it really. I am actually flowing energy through the guitar and riding that energy at the same time. I am not really striking notes so much as I am shaping the energy along and into the surface of the guitar strings. But I am not your normal guitar picker type. I do a lot of sliding my pick along the strings as I strike, because I am following the energy and shaping it that way. It could be a cone-shaped vortex that intersects the surface of the strings as I roll it along the strings. This produces the resulting sound of motion that gives form to the energy. You can, at times, hear the harmonics which sound so precisely placed, that they sound like additional melodies on additional instruments. You do not have to plan for these. They will occur naturally as you flow with the energy. The entire spectrum of reality can be brought into sound as long as you apply enough energy and focus. And nothing is really planned. It is more of a framework when you are performing. Flowing the energy through the guitar fills in all of the details. And you ride that flow across that framework a little differently each time that you perform it.

My fluttering hand is always riding a high energy level. The energy may or may not flutter the pick with individual strikes, but it is always vibrating. And that vibration, resulting in a flurry of strikes against the string(s) or not, is still vibrating the string(s) at a high energy level. That high-energy level is being driven into the strings, generating harmonics at fluctuating rates of speed. You begin to see the direct correlation between the way that you channel the energy and the corresponding way that you express your self on the strings. That is why a simple move can have such a strong effect. The complex precision of strikes required to clearly demonstrate the high level of energy that you are playing at, is already a minor part of how you are playing. It is driven by the energy that you are pushing through the guitar. You don't have to think about timing, nor practice. You just let it flow. And that energy originates from the merging of your gut-level sense of self, and the self being expressed in the song. With all of this energy at your disposal, it may seem natural to move across the strings in a way that dances with the energy that you are pouring through your guitar. If you want to dance with the energy, be cautious of how you express yourself. The depth of your self-indulgence can easily pull you out of the flow. The best way to dance with the energy, is by always being genuinely, self-expressive. The patterns of energy that you shape will move easily into visible patterns on the guitar neck. Express yourself seriously. You will start to amaze yourself at how many uniquely cool sounds are actually you.

The time that you spend expressing yourself with your guitar are all moments of your genuine self. Whether playing alone, or in front of a large crowd, the variations of you that you continue to express your songs from, are all alive in you at once, and will always be. Each of the variations of self have their own style of playing. As you continue throughout your life, expressing the song from each of these moments of "self", they will continue to re-merge into a single persona. As that occurs, you have arrived. You have your black belt. Which means that you are at your starting point (yes, again). You are now fully connected to all of your selves involved with your songs, and are now ready to express yourself as a single, extra-dimensional persona. Some of those watching you will swear that they can see the energy flowing from you. I have been told this myself, by audience members after my performances. This is one of the things that excites people about those who play this way. They can't quite "see" the energy, but they clearly see you manipulating the energy and giving it form as sound, which you turn into music. They are watching something very extra-ordinary from their perspectives. From your perspective, you are simply being what you are.

Sound is a physical thing. It vibrates all that it encounters with the characteristics of the originator of the sound. Music is sound. The vibration of the music permeates all forms that it encounters from intelligent life forms to inanimate objects. As you become more and more accustomed to flowing with the energy as it expresses your emotional state, you will discover many new forms of accentuation that are specifically "you". As you give form to the structure of the music, you are presenting that form to the world. And for those who are receptive to that form, it becomes a part of them as well, and this further perpetuates you along this continuum of reality.

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