In composition and improvisation, the influence of many artistic/musical/natural elements stems from not simply the display of techniques or levels of entertainment achieved by the works' subjects, but more from what I've noticed to be the space found between the statements, objects, and sounds. It is this sense of space - distance from one section to another - which is that unique sense of timing that truly creates the composition which we seek. To understand this essence of timing is a way one avoids that sense of monotony, finding the elements of surprise needed to discover new ground. Ideas become distinct objects amidst their environment or habitat, interacting and blending in evolving harmony with these surroundings. It is precisely this give and take - yin and yang - which creates for an almost circular atmosphere, a journey so to speak, with returning themes or objects seen from a different perspective, (i.e. the simplicity of a tree seen again, though from the other side of the pond). Between the complex sound - so strong that it can stand alone - and that point of intense silence preceding it, called "ma" in Japanese music/art, there is a metaphysical continuity that defies analysis. Like "itcho" in Noh music, this "ma" and sound do not exist as a technically definable relationship. It is here that sound and silence confront each other, balancing one another in a relationship beyond any objective measurement. In its complexity and its integrity this single sound can stand alone. To the sensitive listener who appreciates this refined sound, the unique idea of "ma" - the unsounded part of this experience - has at the same time a deep, powerful, and rich resonance that can stand up to the sound. In short, this "ma," this powerful silence, is that which gives life to the sound and removes it from its position of primacy. So it is that sound, confronting the silence of "ma," which yields supremacy in the final expression. In performance, sound transcends the realm of the personal. There is this false notion which mistakes stylistic inventions in form for new musical values. How it is to these ideas that the recognition that sound eventually returns to nothingness in nature rises to pose the ominous question beyond our own understanding. ... I wish to search out that single sound which is in itself so strong that it can confront silence... And I think now of architecture... how it is unique not only in reason because of its complexity of structure, but due to its placement amidst the more regular objects - how it then stands out in contrast to its surroundings. Improvisation allows for this architecture only if it is fully understood, most effectively if through the rapport between closely linked musicians. If not, well, then the building crumbles. Many become overly concerned with themselves and only their personal structure, without considering the happening landscape of the moment. A monotonous, repetitive flow of form after form - technically, dynamically - with no apparent fluxuation of collective direction but more so a game of follow-the-leader, intent on achieving the usual apex/climax in design. A skyscraper would certainly stand out in a farm, (and of course would need to really serve a purpose), but among block after block of others - we stop looking up after a certain point, with little appearing to be out of the ordinary to us... nothing new... To blend into the moment is one thing, yet it is that arrival to the moment which is so important, and the conscious-natural-subconscious elements which allow us to find that point in time: sound (of the individual), timing and space, and interaction. Patience plays a valuable role in development as well - a balance of goals and an open understanding of this potential of the moment with the individuals at hand. The times when this is not achieved can occur more frequently with those overly concerned, consciously, of these limitations confining them to their instruments.