Yesterday Stu and I climbed the peaks comprising the Beinn a’Ghlo massif (three munros and a top). Quite a feat for us and so satisfying, because it didn’t defeat us as Bidean Nam Bian did.
I’ve realised that whatever else happens, walking in the mountains with Stu every few weeks is a constant. Between the last one and yesterday’s walk I have broken up with my girlfriend of seven years, moved to a new home, and started a new job. But the walk was the same as always. That might sound dull, but it’s not that we always talk about the same things, or that we’re not changing as the years go by; it’s that we can talk about those different … read on »
Archive for the ‘aesthetics’ category…
Delight in the Wonder of Air Sculpture
Music often seems to come laden with baggage. Fashion, genre, attitude – what do they have to do with the pure power of organized sound? Why are jazz, orchestral, folk and experimental music dismissed by so many as eccentric, weird and uncool? It’s rather depressing, because the answer is that music is not part of education, unless you’re lucky, and that’s why music is not often part of family life. So there’s no easy solution.
What a lamentable state of affairs! It explains why the concert by Markus Stockhausen and Tara Bouman at St. Giles Cathedral – part of the Sonic Fusion festival – was attended by just a few students and musicians probably involved with the festival, as well … read on »
For Leonhard: Why Climb Mountains?
In his little piece Mountaineering as a Life Style Danish mountaineer Jan Elleby answers the question why climb mountains? with this:
Curiously enough this question is only posed by people, who have not climbed any mountains themselves. For if you by yourself have experienced the adventures and quality in life that mountaneering may offer you, then you would never be asking this question.
This is unimaginative, clichéd rhetoric. The question has become more gripping for me since I started doing it, which disproves his argument. If there is a rule at all, it’s not this:
But this:
Get Out Yer Horn
Had my first ever saxophone lesson today. It’s about time, seeing as how I’ve had the sax for something approaching 10 years. I have never stuck at practise for very long, and have forgotten most of what little I learned on those occasions, so lessons are the obvious solution, mainly for structuring, disciplining and motivating my practice.
The teacher is John Burgess, a local musician who has toured the world and recorded acclaimed albums. He was frenetic. I always find it slightly frustrating trying to talk to people who are obviously impatient, but if you’ve only got half an hour it’s bound to feel rushed: I think he’s an excellent teacher and we’re on the same wavelength on a few things. … read on »
©2010 Alistair Robinson