Finding my Pocket

 

My husband is a bass player, and I hear him talk about many things musical, but mostly he talks about all things as a variation on a groove.
He wants to find it.
He wants to create it.
He wants to move it.
He wants to feel it.
He wants to build on it.

And he also wants a pocket.
And he wants to sit in that pocket. A lot.

When he's performing I usually know when he has settled himself down in that pocket, he gets a big 6-year-old goofy grin on his face, and often times so does the drummer he's playing with.

It's funny but after a lot of years of listening to him talk about this stuff, I am not exactly sure what his definition of the pocket is. I (of course) have my own interpretations:

One of them is: I imagine the pocket to be like getting the perfect rhythm going on a see saw. Both people are about the same size, and neither is into dropping the other one, and neither wants to throw off the balance or end the fun while it's happening.

I am thinking this morning about how I find my pocket. Or pockets. I am thinking about variations on a groove, and I would like to sit in some pockets too. So where do I find a pocket outside of musical references:

• somewhere comfy and happy
• somewhere easy and effortless
• where ideas and energy are able to sustain
• where there is a give and a take
• where I can feel the moment in my mind and my body
• where the energy and dynamics are constantly reworked and recycled and reused and remade

I know I can create a groove on my own, but can I find a pocket on my own, or is more than one person needed to stitch that together? Are you looking for your pocket?

Comments

[Cynthia at Coffee On The Patio]

I think you found your pocket right here on your blog. Lovely post. I think I find a pocket sometimes when I push play on my iPod and dance around my kitchen...such nice moments. I probably have a goofy 6 yr old smile on my face too.

Cynthia
http://coffeeonthepatio.com
http://www.cynthiasblog.com

[Swirly]

I think there are all kinds of pockets available to us ~ in solitude, with friends, in nature, with our partners...even on a long stretch of highway in the middle of a road trip. And I think the more mindful we are of the abundance of these pockets, the more often and easily we notice them.

[Maron]

thoughtful post. I like your take on the pocket. Love being in the pocket too...