We need Creativity

Written by Simon Mitchell


Creativity is central torepparttar management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Alan Watts writes in The Wisdom of Insecurity:

"We have allowed brain thinking to develop and dominate our lives out of all proportion to 'instinctual wisdom'; which we are allowing to slump into atrophy. As a consequence we are at war within ourselves -repparttar 147746 brain desiring things whichrepparttar 147747 body does not want, andrepparttar 147748 body desiring things thatrepparttar 147749 brain will not allow;repparttar 147750 brain giving directions whichrepparttar 147751 body will nor follow, andrepparttar 147752 body giving impulses whichrepparttar 147753 brain cannot understand...So long asrepparttar 147754 mind is split, life is perpetual conflict, tension, frustration and disillusion. Suffering is piled on suffering, fear on fear, and boredom on boredom. The morerepparttar 147755 fly struggles to get out ofrepparttar 147756 honey,repparttar 147757 faster he is stuck. Underrepparttar 147758 pressure of so much strain and futility, it is no wonder that men [sic] seek release in violence and sensationalism, andrepparttar 147759 reckless exploitation of their bodies, their appetites,repparttar 147760 material world and their fellow men".

Globally atrepparttar 147761 moment there are many problems facing mankind. Diminishing natural resources and increasing populations mean that we are in a spiral of entropy. Our investment systems have been usingrepparttar 147762 capital assets of our planet as income sincerepparttar 147763 beginning ofrepparttar 147764 industrial revolution. We are putting little energy back into our planet.

Third world populations look enviously towardrepparttar 147765 apparent richness of first world countries, and wish to emulaterepparttar 147766 consumerism that appears to make its citizens so happy. Our media propagaterepparttar 147767 illusion that we can buy our way out of environmental destruction, and that retail therapy isrepparttar 147768 panacea to all dis-ease and unhappiness.

Althoughrepparttar 147769 nature of work is changing there is still more slavery inrepparttar 147770 world than there has ever been. Mass production is shifting generally to third world countries where cheap labour andrepparttar 147771 environment are more easily exploited. Tiny-wage slavery is still cheaper than investing in up torepparttar 147772 minute technology for many third world industries. New technology steadily gobbles up jobs. Service, leisure and electronic industries have replaced much of our manufacturing losses torepparttar 147773 third world but now even these (often part-time jobs) are being 'outsourced'.

Certainly creativity is needed at individual and governmental levels to produce new opportunities in employment, information, education and leisure activities. Many ofrepparttar 147774 manufacturing 'jobs for life' we have lost to cheaper workers have been replaced by part-time, poorly paid and insecure alternatives.

The development of new forms of employment andrepparttar 147775 ability to cope with accelerating change needs creativity at all levels. Pressures towards conformity stem from, "a demand that education should primarilyrepparttar 147776 way to enhanced social status and a materially safe way of life" (T.P. Jones in Creative Learning in Perspective).

Chord Voicings

Written by Ron Worthy


Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in a single octave,repparttar root onrepparttar 147640 bottom,repparttar 147641 third inrepparttar 147642 middle, andrepparttar 147643 fifth onrepparttar 147644 top.

Usually chords are "voiced!"

This basically means thatrepparttar 147645 positions of a chord's tones are scattered overrepparttar 147646 keyboard. The tones may be altered, doubled, added to, missing, and so forth.

There are a great variety of possibilities available in voicing chords. Voicing chords properly is an art within itself. Usingrepparttar 147647 correct voicing techniques in your playing will give your improvisation a "hip," mature and full sound. Chords played in root position just does not seem to dorepparttar 147648 job when playing Jazz, Rock, Pop, Blues, Gospel and "Smooth Jazz" piano.

Learning and mastering good voice leading techniques in your playing is not difficult if you just follow some simple rules.

1. The most important notes in any chord isrepparttar 147649 3rd andrepparttar 147650 7th. The 3rd ofrepparttar 147651 chord defines whetherrepparttar 147652 chord is a major or minor chord. The 7th ofrepparttar 147653 chord will define whetherrepparttar 147654 chord is a dominant or major chord. Usuallyrepparttar 147655 bass player will playrepparttar 147656 root and fifth. The root and fifth are not essential tones and can be completely left our from your chord progressions. If you must userepparttar 147657 root and fifth try using it in your right hand, not your left. You should add your "color" tones in your right hand.

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