Drifting

About the Piece

Drifting will be a piece for string trio (violin, viola, cello) centered on my experience with meditation.

I've been practicing meditation for several years and if I had to choose a particular word to describe what I experience, that word would be "drifting". After relaxing, my mind begins to wander. Fragments of images, thoughts and sounds flash through my mind, like fast zapping on a TV. Everything is blurry but every now and then an image takes shape and for a moment I see all kinds of things: people, landscapes, animals, etc.; sometimes I hear a voice that speaks to me; I've even listened to music, like tuning in to a radio station for a few seconds (and when I say listen I mean it; it's not like remembering a song, it's exactly like listening to it). This is known in neuroscience as the "hypnagogic state", in which hallucinations often occur.

The idea is to have a piece in three consecutive sections:

1. Relaxation: the process of relaxing my body and letting go of all tension; little by little I become less aware about my physical body.

2. Drifting: the random thoughts and sensations that go through my mind; once in a while an image comes into focus (a musical idea becomes clearer and more defined) but it quickly disappears and I keep drifting.

3. Awareness: finally, I come to a state where no thoughts pass through my mind; I am aware of myself but without thinking; I can even think about things but without having to imagine words or images associated with them; everything is calm and serene.

Musical Forces

String Trio (violin, viola, violoncello)