Yesterday I officially started recording my solo demo CD with my dear friend Anita Andreis.  A few days before that a dear French friend posted the picture you see on the left on his Facebook page.  And it was like a reminder of what my Druyd brothers and I discussed some time last year – should we take the plunge and tune ourselves at 432 Hz?

For those of you unfamiliar with the differences behind 432 Hz and 440 Hz tuning, you can read some articles about them here.  Speculations abound, as you will see for yourself.  Suffice to say, I’m not really that much into conspiracy theories but I’m definitely into trying things out and seeing what happens.

So I asked Anita, should we tune at 432 Hz for the CD? And she said, if you want to, go for it.  It’s going to be a challenge because all the samples are in the 440 Hz but we’ll figure something out.  But before we did, I decided to do a little experiment while busking, just to see what would happen – I tuned myself at 432 Hz.  And the results were quite surprising.

First of all, no one stopped to listen or give a penny or two.  Usually my opening number, Iz’s “Somewhere over the rainbow”, gets them every time.  Not this time.  Nor did “White Sandy Beach”, “Mother Nature’s Son” or any of the other songs I played in 432 Hz.  In addition to this, or maybe the reason behind this, was that I constantly felt that I was off pitch (Wiki has a good explanation for this with the thirds.  Read it here) and wasn’t so secure in my singing or playing.  My ears are so accustomed to 440 Hz that it was extremely hard to adjust.  As were probably their ears.  Another problem was, because I tuned down a bit, the uke went a bit wonky and I had to tune it after every song or two.  So I tuned back up to 440 Hz.  And everything went back to normal.  I didn’t sing or play “out of tune” and the money started coming in.

This doesn’t mean I’ve given up on tuning at 432 Hz.  It just means that it’s not something that’s going to happen overnight.  It’s going to take a while for my ears to adjust to the new tuning.  And I will have to tune my piano and practice at this pitch too.  But if I make a positive albeit tiny shift in the cosmos, it will be worth it

Volite se družiti, opuštati, raditi na sebi i na svojem zdravlju? Dođite na radionicu Werbeck pjevanja i…

Otkrijte kako:

• nas pjevanje čini znatno sretnijim i zadovoljnijim (pogledajte sljedeće stranice: How Singing Improves Your Healthte Sound/Cellular Research )
• za pjevanje postoje samo dva uvjeta – glas i sluh. Ako čovjek može pričati te čuti sebe i druge, znači da može pjevati, unatoč tomu što si sami sebi ili vam drugi govorili!
• glas nije samo materijalno biće, sastavljeno od grla, glasnica itd, već je znatno više.
• cijelo je naše tijelo instrument a glas medij za “hvatanje” nota.
• često uz pjevanje i otkrivanje svog pravog glasa, čovjek i otkriva svoje pravo ja.

Više možete pročitati ovdje

Kratki opis radionice:

10h – 12h

* uvod o Werbeck i o metodi, cca 15 – 20 minuta
* vježbe za disanje, širenje glasa, za otvaranje usta, izgovor, za jezik, čelo, itd., cca 60 minuta
* ostatak vremena: zborsko pjevanje. Prvo svi skupa istu liniju pjevamo. Onda ću grupu podijeliti u manje grupe. Npr. ako je 10 sudionika onda 3 + 3 + 4 pa svatko dobije svoju liniju. Kad se ljudi malo opuste i pjesma im uđe u uho onda ću 1+ 1 + 1.

12h – 13h

Pauza

13h – 15h

Malo zagrijavanje uz par vježbi, pa dalje zborsko pjevanje.

Napomena: neće biti solo pjevanja osim ako netko ne volontira kad pitam na kraju 

Prijave:

do 18.05.2012. na marycpilas@yahoo.com

Cijena: 200kn.  Ukoliko dovedete još jednu osobu na radionicu, umjesto 200kn cijena iznosi 150kn po osobi!

Mjesto: Centar za zdravlje i ljepotu Aurella, Šubićeva 55, 2 kat (ulaz kroz dvorište), Zagreb

Volite se družiti, opuštati, raditi na sebi i na svojem zdravlju? Dođite na radionicu Werbeck pjevanja i…

Otkrijte kako:

• nas pjevanje čini znatno sretnijim i zadovoljnijim (pogledajte sljedeće stranice: How Singing Improves Your Healthte Sound/Cellular Research )
• za pjevanje postoje samo dva uvjeta – glas i sluh. Ako čovjek može pričati te čuti sebe i druge, znači da može pjevati, unatoč tomu što si sami sebi ili vam drugi govorili!
• glas nije samo materijalno biće, sastavljeno od grla, glasnica itd, već je znatno više.
• cijelo je naše tijelo instrument a glas medij za “hvatanje” nota.
• često uz pjevanje i otkrivanje svog pravog glasa, čovjek i otkriva svoje pravo ja.

Više možete pročitati ovdje

Kratki opis radionice:

10h – 12h

* uvod o Werbeck i o metodi, cca 15 – 20 minuta
* vježbe za disanje, širenje glasa, za otvaranje usta, izgovor, za jezik, čelo, itd., cca 60 minuta
* ostatak vremena: zborsko pjevanje. Prvo svi skupa istu liniju pjevamo. Onda ću grupu podijeliti u manje grupe. Npr. ako je 10 sudionika onda 3 + 3 + 4 pa svatko dobije svoju liniju. Kad se ljudi malo opuste i pjesma im uđe u uho onda ću 1+ 1 + 1.

12h – 13h

Pauza

13h – 15h

Malo zagrijavanje uz par vježbi, pa dalje zborsko pjevanje.

Napomena: neće biti solo pjevanja osim ako netko ne volontira kad pitam na kraju 

Prijave:

do 23.03.2012. na marycpilas@yahoo.com

Cijena: 200kn

Mjesto: Centar za zdravlje i ljepotu Aurella, Šubićeva 55, 2 kat (ulaz kroz dvorište), Zagreb

There have been more than a few instances where my friends have pushed me beyond the limits that I had set for myself.

Last week I sent my dear English pupil a TED video by Richard St. John: The secrets of success in 8 words to practice her listening skills.  One of the 8 words is “push”.  And he explains how you must push yourself to succeed, adding “it’s not always easy to push yourself and that’s why they invented moms”.  So true that…

But they didn’t just invent moms to push you.  They invented another species that in some cases has more push than mom because sometimes mom doesn’t really know what the hell is going on in your life.  They invented friends.  And there have been more than a few instances where my friends have pushed me beyond the limits that I had set for myself.

I’ll never forget one Druyd rehearsal a very loooong way back, when we were working on “Magic Wood”.  Yr was picking around at his guitar and out of the blue asked, “can you sing a high C?”  I was taken aback at first and started laughing.  Once I got myself together I said, “no, I can’t”.  ”Come on, try”, he said.  So I did.  Nothing came out the first time, second time, nor any time at that rehearsal.  But I practiced at home – pushing the wall, crouching down, doing the typical Werbeck stuff.  And then one day, finally, the high C came out.  And I can honestly say that if it weren’t for Yr, I most probably would still be singing up to A5 instead of (now) up to F6!

I won’t even go into how many countless times Du has inspired me to go beyond my musical limits or how my dear friend Davor has come to almost all my concerts and has even come busking with me (on a sub zero night I might add!).

But the latest “push” from a friend came from Boris Pecigos.  He will be holding an art exhibition on March 6 and has asked me to sing/play my ukulele at it.  So I said, yeah of course, no prob, I can play stuff like “Memory” and “Ave Maria” to which said “oh, no no no.  I want something original, mystical, improvised”, to which I said “whoa! I can’t do that!”  ”I think you can”, he replied, “give it a try”.  Well, here’s my first attempt.  I’m not going to win any Grammy or Brit awards for my effort, but hey, this was a first shot.  I’m sure even Lennon was a bit embarrassed of his early Beatles work…

So here’s a hearty thank you to all the people that have pushed me in their time, that have made me go beyond my limits, that have made me realise that the limits are there only to be overcome…

Life to me is like a ball of wool, one long, long never ending connected thread

A few weeks ago I went to have an MRI on my leg.  For those of you who know me well, you will know that I removed a benign sarcoma from my leg about 4 years ago and have so far been, knock on wood, well.  Well, until today.  When I found out that something was again growing on my leg.  And it shook me to my deepest core.  What if it is something that isn’t benign this time?  What if I have to have another operation?  What if…?  So many what ifs…

And like the stories of people in near death situations, my life flashed before my eyes.  From the cradle to the present.  And I thought, do I have any regrets?  If I were to die tomorrow, would there be anything about my life that I would change?  And I can truly and honestly reply – non, je ne regrette rien.  (Although I would like to record a mini solo CD with my beautiful Mya Myrtle (which is on its way from the US as we speak!) before I go to the Battle of Evermore.  Fingers crossed )

And I thought about the mystery of life and came to the realisation that life to me is like a ball of wool, one never ending connected thread that keeps going and going until you come to the end of the spool…and the never ending thread would not work without that bit of thread just before it and the one before that…just like life…all events lead to another event and to another one until we come to the end of the thread…it is up to us which events we choose and how we choose to experience the events we have no choice in…I believe I have chosen to the best of my ability…

So, whatever the future may bring, je ne regrette rien

Jeste li znali:

• Da je u SAD-u u posljednje dvije godine interes za pletenje među ljudima od 25 do 35 godina porastao 150%?
• Da zvijezde poput Cameron Diaz, Julije Roberts i Kristin Davis pletu u slobodno vrijeme?
• Da je znanstveno dokazano da pletenje pomaže kod oslobađanja od stresa, poboljšanja vizuomotorike, artitrisa u rukama, Alzheimerove bolesti te snižava tlak?

Dođite na radionicu pletenja Mary Crnković-Pilaš i naučite osnove kako napraviti nešto unikatno pleteno svojim rukama.

Radionica pletenja za početnike

• 11.2. i 18.2., 11h – 13h
• Studio d’Yvaine, Ozaljska 82, Trešnjevka, Zagreb

Cijena radionice:

• za dva dana (s materijalima): 250 kn
• za dva dana (bez materijala): 200 kn
• za jedan dan (s materijalima): 150 kn
• za jedan dan (bez materijala): 100kn

MAterijali su: 4mm igle za pletenje, klupko vune, pomoćna igla za pletenice, igla za goblene za sastavljanje pletiva.

Prvi dan radionice (11.2.) se sastoji od sljedećeg:

• uvod o raznim vunama i priboru za pletenje
• kako nanizati bodove (početi plesti)
• kako raditi krivi i pravi bod
• kako oduzeti bodove
• kako dodavati bodove

Drugi dan radionice (18.2.) se sastoji od sljedećeg:

• kako pratiti/čitati kroj
• jednostavne pletenice
• jednostavni čipkasti bod
• kako završavati pletenje
• kako sastaviti/sašiti pletivo

Naravno, koliko stignemo napraviti na radionici ovisi o grupi.  Možda ne stignemo sve, a možda stignemo i više napraviti

Prijave na radionicu do 11.2.2012. na marycpilas@yahoo.com

Broj mjesta je ograničen!

I think that in going incognito in that Metro station Joshua Bell also felt quite exposed to the point of feeling completely buck naked.

My dear friend Boris Pecigos is a source of constant inspiration.  He posts blogs daily on his web page, Carobna suma, ranging in subjects from nature photos to photos of his paintings to articles about everything and anything.  He recently posted an article about the Washington Post’s experiment with Joshua Bell (you can read Boris’ article here in Croatian and the full Washington Post article in English here).  To summarise, The Washington Post’s Gene Weingarten wanted to do an experiment – to get the greatest violinist of his time, Joshua Bell, to play the most exquisite violin pieces ranging from Bach to Massenet on his $3.5 million Strad in a Washington metro incognito and see what happens.  What happened was that people under the age of 7 noticed him.  The rest walked on by.

Today Boris posted another article – would I be able to stand before the world naked? It was quite befitting in my opinion to the Joshua Bell article as well as singing and performing in general.  I think that in going incognito in that Metro station Joshua Bell also felt quite exposed to the point of feeling completely buck naked.

And it is exactly the same way I feel every time I sing in front of an audience, be it on a stage, in a hall or on a street.  Because, my theory is that we expose ourselves buck naked every time we sing in front of others.  And it goes some way in explaining why people are so afraid of singing.  For with singing, proper singing, there’s no hiding behind an instrument.  YOU are the instrument.  It’s YOUR voice that’s at the forefront.  And in my opinion it is YOUR heart and soul that are  laid out bare.  And it’s God damn hard to lay your heart and soul bare if you are liable to be subject to ridicule and contempt.

But there is beauty in being completely exposed.   There is beauty in showing your heart and soul to others, especially when it is done with absolutely no inhibitions or fears.  There is beauty in being subject to ridicule and contempt.  For remember, in being subject to ridicule and contempt we are also subject to gratitude and love.   So, let’s not forget before we open our mouths and sing the words of Frederick Smith: “Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something”.

Volite se družiti, opuštati, raditi na sebi i na svojem zdravlju? Dođite na radionicu Werbeck pjevanja i…

Otkrijte kako:

• nas pjevanje čini znatno sretnijim i zadovoljnijim (pogledajte sljedeće stranice: How Singing Improves Your Health te Sound/Cellular Research )
• za pjevanje postoje samo dva uvjeta – glas i sluh. Ako čovjek može pričati te čuti sebe i druge, znači da može pjevati, unatoč tomu što si sami sebi ili vam drugi govorili!
• glas nije samo materijalno biće, sastavljeno od grla, glasnica itd, već je znatno više.
• cijelo je naše tijelo instrument a glas medij za “hvatanje” nota.
• često uz pjevanje i otkrivanje svog pravog glasa, čovjek i otkriva svoje pravo ja.

Više možete pročitati ovdje

Kratki opis radionice:

10h – 12h

* uvod o Werbeck i o metodi, cca 15 – 20 minuta
* vježbe za disanje, širenje glasa, za otvaranje usta, izgovor, za jezik, čelo, itd., cca 60 minuta
* ostatak vremena: zborsko pjevanje. Prvo svi skupa istu liniju pjevamo. Onda ću grupu podijeliti u manje grupe. Npr. ako je 10 sudionika onda 3 + 3 + 4 pa svatko dobije svoju liniju. Kad se ljudi malo opuste i pjesma im uđe u uho onda ću 1+ 1 + 1.

12h – 13h

Pauza

13h – 15h

Malo zagrijavanje uz par vježbi, pa dalje zborsko pjevanje.

Napomena: neće biti solo pjevanja osim ako netko ne volontira kad pitam na kraju 

Prijave:

do 03.02.2012. na marycpilas@yahoo.com

Cijena: 200kn

Mjesto: Centar za zdravlje i ljepotu Aurella, Šubićeva 55, 2 kat (ulaz kroz dvorište), Zagreb

A smile, an act of kindness, signing a petition, a humble acorn, everything can make a difference.

Every Christmas, I make handmade gifts for my dear friends and loved ones. One year everyone got a knitted cap, another year a decoupage tile, another a decoupage tin can/pencil holder. This year I remained in my usual handmade vein but with a twist – I gave everyone a gift pack made up of a decoupage flower pot, a bag of soil, an acorn, a letter with instructions on how to plant the acorn and a DVD of “The Man Who Planted Trees”.

I was a bit wary at first of giving the gifts to people.  Although most of the people I know are nature lovers, not all are.  And it’s quite unusual to be given such a gift for Christmas, most people expecting a box of chocolates or perfume or some liquor.  But I said to myself, Mary, it doesn’t matter what they think.  If they chuck the gift in the bin, that’s their choice.  But if this Christmas you change the life of just one person with this gift, if just one person plants that acorn and succeeds, all that time spent doing the decoupage, burning the DVDs, collecting the acorns, wrapping and preparing the gifts was worth it.

So come the week before Christmas, I take a deep breath and give my children’s teachers, my friends, my family their gifts with not just a little trepidation.    And you know what?  I don’t think I’ve ever received such a lovely positive reaction from people come any Christmas.  One teacher said she was brought to tears with the gift.  Another said that she posted the video on her Facebook page so she could spread the word to all her friends. The teachers at kindy made me a plethora of angels.

Which proves what I have always believed – just like the flutter of a butterfly’s wing a thousand miles away can cause a tornado, so too can we cause a tidal wave of change with our acts, no matter how small. We may not believe it at the time, but we can.  A smile, an act of kindness, signing a petition, a humble acorn, everything can make a difference.   For in the words of Marian Wright Edelman “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

In a word, he would do anything to be free.

A while ago now, almost 2 years ago actually, I quit my job at the firm and officially became “unemployed”. I was provided with a consultant at the unemployment office whose job would be try to help me find a job. However, I openly informed him that I didn’t want to find a job, not a regular one anyway, but rather start my own business. So he sent me to a course for first time start up companies. I suggested that my friend Davor come along too so one morning last year, we packed our pens and notebooks and went to our course.

The director of the company, an economist who was (I think) close to retirement age, gave us an introductory speech. In it he told us a story about some animals at a zoo…

There was once a zoo full of all the animals you could imagine. Lions, elephants, bears, birds of all shapes and sizes, all kinds of animals. After having been locked up for so long they decided to escape. So they planned their escape for some time and one night managed to do it. They wandered the streets of the city the whole night, reveling in their new found freedom. However, near morning, they began to feel hungry and tired as they could find no shelter. So after much wandering, they made their way back to the zoo, back to the comfort of their cages, where food awaited them every day…

The only animal who did not return to the zoo was the wolf. For the wolf could not wait to be free. Although he felt hungry, he knew he would eventually find food. He was tired but knew if he kept wandering he would surely find somewhere comfortable to lay his bones. He would bare anything just to feel the grass beneath his feet, to see a clear world without metal wires, to eat food he himself had not hunted and not been handed. In a word, he would do anything to be free.

And such is way of the self employed person at a small start up company.  We do sometimes go hungry and wonder where our next meal is coming from.  We do wish to be in the comfort of a warm office and steady job and income.  But we would also bare anything for the chance to be free, not be slave to any master, just like the wolf…