Take Five: Elements
By John Shapter | November 1, 2020
During the early stages of the pandemic, people seemed to experience a period of numbness, almost disbelief, that this was actually happening, followed by a period of dawning reality that it wasn’t just going to fade away. By late April, in the UK, there was a growing sense of fear, too, as death figures were published and the sight of people wearing masks in the street became more common. Some people I knew were particularly affected by this and one couldn’t help but be touched by their distress. It was hard to watch.
I really wanted to help, to provide some resource to friends and followers, using what I could do, which is make music. So my wife and I came up with the concept of “Take Five,” with apologies to Dave Brubeck. The concept was to use music and sound as a focus for a short period of mindful meditation. Stop the world for five minutes to relax, refresh and renew. We thought that sending the mind somewhere else for just five minutes would help to break the chain of fear. As it happens, we had dozens of views, and people still return to listen whenever they need to take a break from the storm.
The piece featured here, “Elements,” was number three in a series of eight. Listening to the sounds of tuned windchimes and sansulas, you can close your eyes and imagine lying somewhere beautiful and sheltered after a storm, a light breeze playing in the windchimes.
Music
Copyright © 2020 John Shapter
Image
Copyright © 2020 John and June Shapter
Headzic, aka John Shapter, is a UK-based composer and performer of ambient and electronic experimental music, whose work is contemplative and atmospheric. His work has been influenced by his time as a clinician, a sound artist and an esoteric performer.