Thanks for visiting. This site is currently getting redesigned and things are a little messy. If you are looking for something and can’t find it, please email Jason at jason@knowingtrees.com . He’ll do his best to be helpful!
The sweet moments in this video took place on June 5, 2021. Toro was one of my dearest companions and rest teachers. Can I sing you to Sleep? was inspired by and written in a workshop guided by Octavia Raheem.
Amongst all the layers in the world that might have you feel and do otherwise…
May you feel loved.
May you find rest.
May you experience moments of ease.
May you sing.
Maria McCullough (she/they) loves to share and explore with others through music, movement, laughter, love and rest. Maria is grateful to be living on Tiwa Land/Tewa land in so-called Albuquerque, NM and is at the beginning of a relationship-building journey with the land and beings here.You can contact Maria and learn more about her offerings here.
One of my music students, Elijah, has offered some music inspired by this time of giving and receiving. Present Time! is Elijah’s musical take on the excitement of opening Christmas presents. Enjoy!
Elijah is in the 7th grade, and has been playing guitar for 4 years. He likes seals and loves to go ziplining.
He has been writing songs with his guitar for 3 years and has been composing with standard notation for one month.
This is a Midi version of it, exported from Elijah’s Musescore file.
It’s been three years since I left my home of the previous 25 years and drove this Uhaul trailer into the great unknown.
During that time, as I laid my head down on my pillow, I heard the roaring wind and crashing waves on the Lake Superior coast and the sand-filled gales and coyotes howl in the foothills of the Chihuahuan Desert.
The winds of change have been heaving me along the highway for a long time. Now, it’s time to settle back down.
A few weeks ago I was packing up another Uhaul to make a move which I know would bring me to a lull in the vigorous wind gusts. My friend, Kevin Burrows, wrote a short piece on social media which summed up exactly how I am feeling, as the winds die down and I settle into my new home.
I am honored that he agreed to allow me to share it with you.
Where have you been blown from? Where did you get blown to? Did you find a soft place to land?
One response to “Landing Softly”
Alta Grace McCullough
I landed in a soft place when I was born into my mother’s Sanchez family: A wonderful group of human beings; loving, humorous, alive!
Since I carry them all in my heart I am always in a soft place….
Maria was one of the teachers at this year’s Celebrating Tradition Retreat in Spring Green, WI and I was lucky enough to be invited to tag along. What a rare gift to visit without the responsibilities of being a organizer, a teacher or a student! I thought I would take that opportunity to document the retreat.
The slideshow follows, more or less, the unfolding of events. I did make the amature mistake of leaving my battery charger in New Mexico, so I missed much of the last day, and the goodbyes.
It takes a moment to load, so if you see a black screen at the beginning wait 5 seconds and the first photo will come up.
A student and I were working on finding ways to play these bass walks more naturally, rather than having to think through them. I made these short videos (all under 2 minutes) with that in mind.
This is a play list of five videos. Each video features a different duo of chords and their bass walks.
A to D and Back to A
A to E and Back to A
C to F and Back to C
G to C and Back to G
G to D and Back to G
These videos are recorded with a priority of watching my hands and listening to the sound of the music.
You can scroll through the videos to find the one you want by clicking the three lines and arrow in the top right corner of the video player.
Sometimes it’s important to intellectually examine these concepts. Other times it’s advantageous to concentrate on the sound and let the music come out of our fingers.
If you would like a handout component to follow along with, or use to practice with later, download this .pdf which has all the bass runs that are covered in the video.
One thing the video does not cover is why you might use these in a song. If you are interested in learning more about that, drop me a note at gettingtoknowtrees@gmail.com and we can set up a time to meet over Zoom.
If you want to play, you’ve got to start somewhere. And there is no better place for you to get started.
Thursday, Aug. 18 – 7:00 to 9:00
Live in Chicago!
Borelli’s (pizza and drinks) 2124 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
> Single Player or Bring a Friend/Bandmate tickets available. <
What You’ll Receive
Guidance to begin soloing THAT DAY, and for your continued study for years to come.
Play along MP3s, so you can continue to grow your new skills outside of the workshop.
PDFs of all the material covered
Complimentary access to Jason’s Creating and Understanding the Guitar Notemap online lesson.
Schedule – This 2 hour workshop will be broken up into two sections with a 10 minute break
80 minutes – the heart of the lesson
10 minute break
30 minutes – Jamming along. We’ll play through a ton of familiar tunes and have a lot of space to explore everything we just learned about.
Cost
Single Player – $35
Bring a Friend/Bandmate! – $60 for the two seats
Registration and Payment
Please fill out this registration form and then make a payment using one of these payment systems. If these do not work for you, please mention that in the notes and we’ll figure out how a payment can happen. (FYI- my first name is William. I think Zelle and Paypal comes up as William McInnes. That’s me!)
You're Registered! Your First Guitar Solo, Aug 18, 2022
If you haven’t already, please make a payment using one of these payment systems.
Venmo – @jasonplaystunes
Zelle – jasonplaystunes@gmail.com
PayPal – jasonplaystuens@gmail.com
ApplePay – 773-369-8268
(FYI- my first name is William. I think Zelle comes up as William McInnes. That’s me!)
Here is the link for the Creating and Understanding the Guitar Note Map lesson.
Today, I am honored and humbled to offer for sale pieces from my Listening Wide-Eyed: Limited-Sight Contour Drawings of Musical Instruments series. Between now and early July 10, 2022 you can purchase a piece ofone-of-a-kind artwork made specifically for you or a loved one.
The Listening Wide-Eyed series is an outgrowth of my visual art, musical and mindfulness practices. Each one-of-a-kind piece from Listening Wide-Eyed is created through a limited-sight process, where I make a drawing on a sheet of bristol board without taking my eyes off the subject. I don’t look at the board until I am done drawing. Within the messiness, the structural knowledge and spiritual essence of each instruments expands.
Piano
Each drawing is a made-to-order, one-of-a-kind piece of visual art. They are created with wax pencil and bristol board. Each purchaser is invited to customize their piece, in regards to which instrument, the use of color and matting. There are also options specific to gifting one of these drawings to a loved one.
This process started as a way to strengthen my visual record abilities. As my practice bloomed, this limited goal fell away and the drawing practice engendered more connections between the parts and the whole of both the instruments and myself. How do we move? Where are we sturdy? Where are we delicate? How do those and other qualities affect our presentation to and relationships with others? Considering these questions allowed me to hold and play each instrument in a more open, inviting way.
BanjoVioling
We see and hear ourselves, and others, every day. I hope having these drawings in our living space, practice room, or at a family dining table prompt us to notice moments when we are making assumptions about what we know about both ourselves and others. I hope that they can act as a guide to remain open, curious and to foster connections in musical spaces and all other relationships.
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