Adam Rafferty’s Blog – Guitar and Spirit

Good Morning!

It’s 5:21 am here, Pacific time. Blackness outside as I listen to Oliver the cat crunch his dry food. Time to put some coffee up…it is peaceful right now.

Life is good. It’s just good. Always has been good, and now I feel it’s good!

I taught 3 private students yesterday. Much to my surprise, one walked in with a Gibson ES 175 guitar and wanted to pick my brain jazz wise. It’s been a while since I taught jazz guitar.

I showed him how to construct lines that fit over chord changes and walked him through an example. Then I realized it was an just an example and wanted to convey to him another level of the work that really has to be done in order to learn the language of jazz.

Learning an example is step one. Then at least the conscious mind is fooled into thinking it understands. It still does not mean there’s a deep knowing, but at least is encouraged. Examples are good, and offer a welcoming feeling and encourage deeper study.

What I then saw, in retrospect was how I learned much of what I learned in jazz. This could apply to anything – not just jazz. In fact, what I discovered was that I had applied the Law of Attraction to my musical studies without knowing it.

As a college student learning jazz I “transcribed” solos. That means that I’d find improvised solos on records (yes lp’s) that I liked, record them to cassette, and proceed to write them down on paper. Sometimes I would use a guitar or piano for help, but soon after the first few transcriptions I could start writing to the paper by ear with no instrument.

I’d never learn the solos on my instrument, but I’d have them kicking around in my mind. I remember going to jam with other musicians after doing this kind of work, and sensing an expanded sense of musical possibilities.

What I now realize is that I “planted seeds” in my mind that would grow for years to come. I’ have to focus so hard that I’d see, hear and envision the music – and that for years after, everything I’d practice would in fact make my “vision” come true and manifest. That’s why it’s so good to see and listen to great performances in all areas of life – not just music!

We all work towards the vision we have in our mind whether we realize it or not, and many of the Law Of Attraction books are more about the awareness of the vision we hold. The law operates whether we realize it or not, like gravity we can’t change that…but what we can do is hold a vision in our mind of our ideal life. Upgrade the inner vision, then you upgrade the match when it arrives!

A psychiatrist friend of mine put it differently….but similarly. He said that our minds are problem solving mechanisms and that if we have a discrepancy between the vision inside and outside, our minds will work night and day to make the outer circumstances match the inner vision.

Fascinating and exciting stuff. The more and more and I watch, and the more and more I am clear regarding my inner vision, I see my dreams are in fact coming true. It’s incredible. As I said before, life is good.