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]]>Taking this to heart, I’ve created a new shop right here on my website. Now, you can directly download high-resolution FLAC versions of my music. This step is not just about selling music; it’s about building a direct connection with you, the listener.
My new store is a small but significant step towards a more independent digital presence. It’s about getting closer to the original idea of the internet – a place where connections aren’t controlled by a third-party.
I invite you to check out my new store, explore my music, and join me on this exciting new journey. Your support means the world to me and fuels my creativity. I’m thrilled to share this new chapter with you.
Together, let’s dive into this new adventure, nurturing a closer connection in the vast realm of music.
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]]>This morning, I had an conversation with my friend and fellow multi-instrumentalist Ron Baggerman about the landscape of music education.
When it comes to learning a musical instrument, there’s no shortage of material covering the basics. Books, videos, and online courses abound to teach you the fundamentals of your chosen instrument and rudimentary music theory. This is a vital stage, especially for novice musicians getting started with unique instruments like the Chapman Stick, Touch- or Tap-Guitar. These resources are easy to come by, mainly because they’re straightforward to create. The same applies of course for any other instrument like guitar, piano, bass, drums…
On the other end of the spectrum are the seasoned players, those who have already unlocked the mechanical aspects of their instruments. Techniques, finger independence, harmonic structures, rhythms—you name it. The resources for these musicians are just as extensive, with advanced lessons to tackle the technicalities.
However, there’s a crucial gap in this educational framework that few address—musical awareness. This is the point where you transcend mere technique and theory. It’s when music becomes more than a series of notes or chords; it turns into an expression of emotions and storytelling. Artists like Peter Erskine and Victor Wooten have really set the stage when it comes to understanding musical awareness. Their insights were game-changers for me, but I feel it’s good to add practical exercises to the mix.
Musical awareness is not just the byproduct of years of practice; it’s a skill that can be honed through specific exercises aimed at enhancing your listening and performance capabilities. It’s about balancing analysis and intuition, where you’re not just playing but also actively listening, feeling the groove, and understanding the essence of the music.
These exercises, while simple, can significantly contribute to your journey towards becoming a more aware musician. They prepare you for better interaction with other musicians and deepen your understanding of music as a form of art, not just a skill.
The notion of musical awareness is supported by various theories that explore the interplay between cognition, emotion, and performance. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin suggests in his book “This Is Your Brain on Music” that our brains are wired to seek patterns and make emotional connections with music. Renowned composer Igor Stravinsky once said, “To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.” This underscores the importance of active listening in becoming musically aware. Jazz legend Charlie Parker also weighed in on this, stating, “Master your instrument, master the music, and then forget all that and just play.” Parker’s words speak to the concept of achieving technical prowess only to let it go in favor of pure emotional expression. These quotes and theories collectively emphasize that musical awareness is not a passive skill but an active process of engagement that encompasses both technical expertise and emotional depth.
One of the most overlooked aspects of musical awareness is the intrinsic link between your emotional state and your performance. Surprisingly, you can practice setting an emotional stage just as you would a physical one. Try an exercise where you intentionally place yourself in a specific emotional state—be it happiness, sadness, or even anger—before playing a familiar piece. The aim is to allow that emotion to influence your performance, affecting everything from tempo to dynamics to phrasing. Afterward, switch to another emotional setting and notice how the same piece takes on a completely different character. This practice not only teaches you how different emotional states can color your music, but it also allows you to consciously tap into the right emotional space before a performance. Understanding how to emotionally “tune” yourself can be just as crucial as tuning your instrument, making for a more compelling and authentic musical experience.
The path to musical awareness is a pilgrimage towards a deeper emotional connection with your music, and an evolving understanding of its many layers. While the exercises and insights provided here offer a roadmap, it’s crucial to remember that every musician’s journey is unique. Therefore, I invite you to share your own training techniques, insights, or breakthrough moments that have helped you become a more aware and intuitive musician. Your contributions can further enrich this collective journey towards a deeper, more meaningful relationship with music.
Thanks for reading.
(Picture from an intuitive-music session in Markus Stockhausens “barn” in 2020)
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]]>I hope this post finds you well. Today, I’m excited to share with you a new chapter in my professional journey that’s been both challenging and rewarding.
Over the past months, I’ve immersed myself in the fascinating world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), learning its intricacies, potentials, and applications. The process has been an eye-opener, leading me to discover ways in which AI can significantly benefit businesses, streamline processes, and enhance daily work life.
The result of this exploration is “Innovisar,” a platform where I offer personalized AI consulting services. Innovisar is not about complex jargon or unreachable technologies; it’s about making AI accessible, understandable, and practical for entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, and businesses of all sizes.
Here’s a bit of what Innovisar encompasses:
I invite you to explore Innovisar at https://innovisar.asv.pt/ to learn more about what I’m offering.
This new venture doesn’t change my commitment to my other passions and projects, including Algarve Sound & Vision. It’s simply a new skill I’ve embraced, and I’m genuinely excited to share it with those who might find it beneficial.
As always, I welcome your thoughts, questions, or feedback. Feel free to drop me a line or comment below.
Wishing you all the best,
Marc Mennigmann
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]]>I’ve always been fascinated by the invisible forces that surround us, and the Schumann resonance, a set of spectrum peaks in the Earth’s electromagnetic field, was a mystery I wanted to unravel. I had previously dabbled in iPhone programming with my app FretBoard, but that was almost a decade ago. The landscape of app development has changed significantly since then, and I was eager to dive back in.
The process was both challenging and fun. I found myself immersed in the theory behind Schumann resonance, adding measurements from the Tomsk and Cumiana servers to the widgets. But I didn’t stop there. I also included Aurora forecast pictures, real-time sun images, and Kp Index measurements and forecasts. All these elements are connected to the Earth’s electromagnetic field and can potentially affect us humans.
While there’s no definitive relationship between these indices and our wellbeing, having them at our fingertips allows us to observe and correlate them with our feelings and health. It’s a personal exploration, a journey of self-discovery that I wanted to share with others through EarthBeat.
However, I want to caution everyone. In our quest to understand Schumann resonances, we often lose sight of their true nature. The pictorial graph, or the spectrogram, becomes a canvas for bizarre claims that lack scientific grounding. Taken out of context, it can be misleading. Beware of those who present a fraction of the information as the complete reality.
The same caution applies to the sun pictures and the Kp-Index. There’s a lot of talk about the “Great Solar Flash” ushering in a golden age of humanity. But let’s not forget that our society is heavily reliant on electricity. Any significant solar event could dramatically alter life as we know it.
We’ve been fortunate that many of these great solar flashes have missed Earth, especially at a time when the field strength that protects us is diminishing. The Earth and the Sun aren’t here to “ascend” us against our will. Any spiritual growth requires conscious effort and work. Neither Earth, the Sun, nor a Creator God will do this for us if we’re not willingly on that pathway.
In conclusion, EarthBeat is more than just an app. It’s a tool for exploration, a window into the unseen forces that surround us. It’s a personal journey that I’m thrilled to share with you all. Let’s explore, learn, and grow together.
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]]>Hey there, Chicas y Chicos!
Guess what? It’s time to drop some sonic goodness right into your eardrums! Prepare your floaties and grab your goggles because Peyoti for President is about to make a splash with their latest single, “Vamos A Nadar”!
This tune is the brainchild of the one and only Peyoti, joined forces with yours truly in the producers chair. Together, we’ve concocted a musical cocktail that’s as bouncy as a kangaroo on a trampoline and infused with an exotic, worldly flair. Picture yourself sipping tequila on a beach, grooving to the infectious beats of “Vamos A Nadar” – it’s a virtual vacation for your ears!
So, ladies and gentlemen, get ready to dive headfirst into the audio adventure of a lifetime! Check out “Vamos A Nadar” – your speakers will thank you for this one.
Stay tuned for more sonic surprises from Peyoti for President. Until then, keep swimming in the sea of music and let these WorldBeat waves wash over you!
Available on all platforms we could think of, for example:
Spotify • Apple Music • Amazon • Bandcamp
Party on,
Marc & Peyoti
PS: There is a video, toooooo!
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]]>Apple Books
Amazon Kindle USA
Amazon Kindle DE
Amazon Kindle UK
Google Play: # soon #
Rakuten KOBO
This is a little strange, I know. I never released a book so far. And for this book, it is even unclear if I am the one who owns to be named the author or if it’s ChatGPT. Let me explain:
The idea for this book was born during a lengthy late-night “talk” with ChatGPT. I was trying to dive into philosophy with the system, but all I received were summaries of what other philosophers thought about a topic. So, I decided to pose this question:
If you could write a book which every human should read, what would it be about?
The answer was:
As an artificial intelligence, I don’t have personal experiences or opinions. However, if I were to generate a book based on the data I’ve processed and the questions I’ve answered, it might be about “The Human’s Handbook to Artificial Intelligence: From Basics to Ethics.”
This book would aim to demystify AI for the general public, explaining how it works, its potential benefits, and the ethical considerations surrounding its use. It would cover topics like machine learning, natural language processing, AI in healthcare, education, and other sectors, as well as the implications of AI for privacy, employment, and societal structures.
The goal would be to empower readers with knowledge, enabling them to participate in conversations and make informed decisions about AI as it becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives.
From there, the content of this book unfolded. I asked ChatGPT to explain itself, to describe the concepts of AI with easy examples, and to go deeper into the topic. I did not edit the AIs output. Sometimes the chapters it wrote were too unspecific (im my humble opinion), in this case I asked it to write the chapter again but to go more into detail. Anyway I tried to not change the spotlight the AI put on certain topics. When something was unclear to me, I asked for a rewrite. That was all.
Now the whole thing is available as an ebook. You can find it on Apple Books, Amazon Kindle, Google Play and Kobo. Links mentioned somewhere on this page…
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]]>Bodypainting is a form of art that involves painting directly onto the human body. It is a temporary form of painting that can be done either in a studio setting or outdoors. Bodypainting is becoming increasingly popular as a form of self-expression and as a way to celebrate the human body.
There are many reasons why you should try bodypainting at the beaches of Portugal’s Algarve. The first reason is that the Algarve has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. With their soft white sand and crystal-clear waters, they provide the perfect backdrop for a bodypainting session.
Another reason to try bodypainting in the Algarve is that it is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. Bodypainting is a social activity that allows you to interact with other people in a creative and fun way.
Finally, bodypainting is an excellent way to express your creativity. Whether you are an experienced artist or a complete beginner, bodypainting provides an opportunity to create something unique and beautiful.
So why not give it a try? Bodypainting at the beaches of Portugal’s Algarve is an experience you will never forget!
Amazing body painting sessions with artist Dominika Gotart. We offer bodypainting sessions to everyone who is brave enough to be himself in front of a camera. You just have to be YOU.
Only a few last summer sessions left for June and July! Contact Dominika by phone (+31618610841) or email info@gotart.studio for more information.
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]]>After almost a year of not recording intuitive music sessions, this is the first trio that happened on a rainy day in the new LAB on Portugals Algarve. THE LAB is reborn 2600 km south of its original place in Germany, with less physical space, but located in the middle of nature and close to the ocean. A perfect place for cultivating an open mind for creativity.
When I moved to the south, I left behind a whole life and only took my freedom and love for creativity with me. Now I am giving in to the flow of music and life, meeting new inspiring people along the way. Drummer Dr P.A. Francis and bass player Davicci are the first two intrigued to play intuitive improvisations in THE LAB, as a trio with me, creating something from nothing. The result of this first session is “Increasingly Less”, an album with a warm and gentle flow and some surprising moments.
Enjoy – and don’t forget to become a BandCamp subscriber if you truly want to support my work.
All the best,
Marc
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]]>I have decided to take responsibility for myself. I am responsible for what I focus my attention on. I am responsible for what I do and what I allow. I am responsible for what thoughts I think and what goals I pursue. I am responsible for which people I let into my life and which people I exclude from it. I am responsible for which systems I feed and support with my work or money.
And I refuse more and more to be uncritical. Asking questions is more important than ever. Asking questions and expressing doubts was once the engine of modern society. And above all, I refuse to accept that there is no alternative to anything. Those who don’t see any alternatives are just too lazy to look for them.
In this sense, I have also been too lazy to see my alternatives in recent years. And it was long overdue to create an alternative life for me, and this I have done in 2021.
And it feels good. It’s exhausting. It’s challenging. It’s new. It’s sometimes scary and sometimes overwhelming. But it’s always good, and I love it. And you meet a lot of interesting people along the way….
I wish you all 2022 full of love and togetherness, full of upheaval and renewal. Love your life and love each other. We are all one. In the truest sense of the word.
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]]>Another attempt in my ongoing series of making noises that are music. This is as unexperimental as I can get. This is as much as I can lean out of my intuitive-music-focused mind before I start to fall into commercial jazz-pop cliches. Did I ready cross the border? Maybe. You decide.
Let me know if you like it and I’ll maybe try more like these…
By the way, this is probably the last track I produced in Germany. At the end of the month, I will move to Portugal to the Algarve and continue producing from there. So stay tuned for some real ocean sounds later this year.
Give it a spin on BandCamp.
This is of course another free addition to the catalog of all my lovely subscribers.
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