Golden Mean Music
My journey from Los Angeles on the Amtrak train began on the morning of Monday, June 8th on the Coast Starlight. It is an overnight trip, arriving in Portland the following afternoon. I have taken this trip before at least three times to visit my brother and his fiance. I knew what to expect. Snacks are a must. I drink tea and coffee and typically get them from the viewing car’s snack bar. I usually only make a lunch reservation in the dining car on the first day. It’s dried fruit and nuts the rest of the time.
The dining car attendant called my reservation exactly on time. As I entered the car, two women followed closely behind me in line. We passed between the cars on the connecting deck and one of the women said aloud, “You had the same idea we did.” I turned and replied, “Yep. I like the last reservation slot because we get to have lunch with the ocean.” She chuckled at this, which made me do the same.
The thing about the dining car on the train is that you do not have a choice about where to sit. The attendant simply randomly assigns you a seat and then has others join you based on the same rule. There are four seats to a table. All of this is explained very clearly ahead of time. It is a great way to meet new people. This time would prove to be the best experience I have had yet. I was seated with Joan Cobb (above, left) and Pamela Hopkins (right), mother and daughter - just the three of us.
We started by sharing the basics. We chatted about our experiences riding the train: where we were coming from and headed to, how hungry we were. This is how it normally starts. Then the stories begin to approach reasons for traveling. I was polite and let them begin. Joan and Pamela were returning from Claremont, California. They had visited with Pamela’s son Peter Mellinger who attends college studying ecology and the violin. I was impressed by their stories of his skill and intelligence.
At the mention of music, I shared I am a songwriter. Joan smiled and Pamela quickly said, “My mother is a songwriter also.” Before long I realized I was sitting with an elder of the craft, someone who has written over a thousand songs and has dedicated her work to making the world a better place. Joan Cobb is a master. I am a novice. She composed music for the Save the Whales album titled “Songs to Save the Planet.” As we gazed out our window at the sea, I remembered it was World Ocean’s Day. Synchronicity works in mysterious ways.
Joan, Pamela and I spoke for hours. After lunch, the three of us headed to the viewing car. We stayed together until arriving at their stop in Salinas. Joan and I spoke about copyright, Woody Guthrie, peace and war, family and friends, spirituality and science, everything. Joan is a person with a bright energy. She shared with me her deep ambitions in life, some of which are still works in progress. One of these is reworking her mother’s musical compositions into piano sonatinas. What really caught my ear was her work in music therapy. Joan told me that she has devised a way to to evaluate pieces of music for their healing properties. She mentioned that Mozart’s Sonata K545 2nd movement in C major rates the highest according to her tests. She also said that 75% of Mozart’s music has healing properties and referred me to a book titled The Mozart Effect. I was enamored with Joan. We both agreed to keep in touch and she mentioned that she definitely would like me to visit her in Monterey where she lives. Goodness knows I will. [Update 2020: Joan passed peacefully this year and I was honored to be invited to her memorial.]
Portland is very different than Los Angeles. The weather, yes, but the people by far. It is the pace, really. Integral fluidity. The sun was shining and people were having picnics everywhere. Portlanders celebrate the sun. Los Angelinos take it for granted. Visiting this city is all about reconnecting for me. My brother moved to Portland about five years ago and many of my dear friends have moved to the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes I think about leaving Los Angeles, but I feel like someone has to hold it down there. Who knows? Perhaps I will eventually migrate up to the area. People read in Portland. Public transportation makes sense (even on Sunday). The musicians are amazing. The artists are incredible. The food is just ridiculously good.
The open mic I performed at on Thursday was amazing. The venue, Artichoke Cafe, is part of a larger organization known as Artichoke Music which is a non-profit and entirely run by volunteers. There are practice rooms, music classes, instruments for sale, a luthier offers repairs, and there is a professional stage with a knowledgable person running sound in a room with dining tables and a bar. I met the hosts and the organization’s volunteer coordinator Besty. She is a songwriter who also traveled on the train around the country with her guitar. Her tips for my next leg on the Empire Builder to Glacier National Park and then to Chicago will prove very helpful.
It was a themed open mic, where everyone plays songs on a specific topic like love or Bob Dylan. As synchronicity would have it, “travel” was the theme. We heard songs like “Hard Travelin’” (Woodie Guthrie), “Boulder to Birmingham” (Emmylou Harris), and “Piney Wood Hills” (Buffy Saint-Marie). The one that hit me was a version of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” (originally sketched by Bob Dylan). It was a fantastic night and the audience listened to every performer with a nurturing spirit. Nothing like it in Los Angeles compares.
Rusty Compass, the three song EP I released as part of this trip, has been given to several people so far. The first person I gave it to was Joan Cobb. She complimented me on the artwork and this made me proud.
The commenmorative sticker I created for the RXR Tour was delivered to my brother’s house. This was the final puzzle piece for my package to send to supporters of my fundraiser to support this adventure. I was also able to spend time conceiving and drawing the unique artwork for supporters who contributed at that level.
While reflecting on my train ride, I decided to try to find information about Joan Cobb online. I found a relatively recent biography. The biography expands on some of the things she told me about her life. This part in particular caught my attention:
Joan believes that music is a powerful healing force. The most healing music is perfectly balanced, affecting each brain hemisphere equally at optimal levels. Joan calls this Golden Mean music. Everything is a state of vibration, either healthy or out of balance. Listening to balanced, centered Golden Mean music an “tune up” the health of people, animals and plants. May everyone who sings and hears these songs come closer to living in a world of happiness, harmony and health!
You see, I incorporated the Golden Ratio into the artwork I designed for Rusty Compass, which is directly related to the Golden Mean. I even tried to order the songs so that their change in keys follow the number as closely as possible. I am not proposing that my music is perfect or will heal anyone (although it has been a healing experience for me to manifest it). Rather, it is the uncanny coincidence that Joan and I met on this trip and both of us have used the concept of the Golden Mean in our musical thinking. Recognizing synchronicity can bring beauty to our lives and enrich our day-to-day experiences.
Thanks Joan. May the whales forever sing their songs.