Greg profile picture

Greg

What counts most is what you learn after you know it all.

About Me


----------------------------------------------------------- ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain - and back in rain.
I have out walked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet.
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street.
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Robert Frost
Acquainted With The Night
Holt, Rinehart & Winston
-----------------------------------------------------------

Hi, I'm Greg, a professional musician and private music instructor living in central New Jersey directly between New York City and Philadelphia.

I am blessed to be able to center my professional life solely around music from the time I wake up in the morning until the time I turn in at night. I am a composer, songwriter, performing drummer, and recording artist. I also play piano, vibraphone, and myriad percussion instruments. I edit sound, and I am an accomplished music transcriptionist as well (available for hire if anyone reading this, by chance, has need). My financial "bread and butter", however, is my music instruction practice. During a given school year I teach an average of 35-40 piano and drum students per week. I have a loving and ever supportive wife by the name of Karen, and she is an absolutely wonderful person with a beautiful soul. It is not easy to live with a musician for a variety of reasons, and because of this I feel she is the epitome of courage and commitment, and I consider myself blessed and very lucky to have her sharing this journey of life with me.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Karen has been suffering for over three years now with multiple illnesses, among them most notably both Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The following video (below) outlines some of the aspects of ME/CFS [Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome] ~ we have told many of our good friends about Karen’s various health circumstances, but I would like to encourage all of my wonderful friends (and even those of you who have yet to become my friends) to please kindly take a few minutes and view the following video as we are trying to help educate more people about these illnesses so that everyone has a better understanding of them, and this offering sheds some informative light on this one condition. Thank you all so much for your warm support. . .


----------------------------------------------------------- THE VOICE OF HER EYES
SOMEWHERE I HAVE NEVER TRAVELLED

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near
your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose
or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing
(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

E. E. Cummings
Viva, Poems by E. E. Cummings
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------

As for the story of how I arrived where I am and as I am musically today, here it is:

I was born in the southern U.S. (Alabama) but raised in the northeast (Maryland, and then New Jersey). Music has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. I caught the "jazz bug" when I was 16 years old and have never been "cured". I heard my first Pat Metheny, Al DiMeola, and Chick Corea records at 17, and attended my first Pat Metheny Group concert at 19 and that was pretty much the end of it for me. My vocation was set in stone. Oh sure, I denied music as my calling for another 4 years or so, opting the cerebral route, first as a Chemistry major before switching disciplines and subsequently obtaining my Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Villanova University (western suburban Philadelphia). I even told myself that I wanted to teach philosophy at the collegiate level, so I moved on into the Masters program at Villanova for a short time with a heavy interest in the Greek philosophers (particularly Aristotle).

Finally, at 23, I woke up. . .mind you: I maintain my high regard and am still enamored with Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics", his viewpoints in the "Politics" on the "polis" (the city) as well as his theory that man (in his heart of hearts) basically desires to do good, and in the "Metaphysics" his idea of the "unmoved mover" (the first cause - that which moves other things, but which is itself not moved by anything else in the universe - basically, through much deliberation {which is what philosophers do best} Aristotle likens the "unmoved mover" to a divine being, a substance termed "ouisa" {primary entity}, or "God"). "Never forget where you came from" is one mantra of mine. I have no regrets. We are all doing whatever it is we are supposed to be doing at any given moment (besides, I largely credit my studies in philosophy with making me a halfway decent wordsmith. . .or so I've been told). Nonetheless, armed with inspiration and a newly found focus, I finally gave myself over to my true passion, my true calling which is music, and via quite the circuitous route, 15 years later here I am amongst all of you fine and wonderful folks.

If you would like to listen to and learn more about my music, please visit my website, www.gregfederico.com .

Also, I would like to invite all of you to look and listen in on my Greg Federico MySpace music page . ----------------------------------------------------------- An excerpt from one of my favorite books, WINNING THROUGH ENLIGHTENMENT, by Ron Smothermon:

"You can only generate enlightenment by doing nothing. I mean nothing. By "nothing" I don’t mean that you get a lemonade and go swing in a hammock. "Doing nothing" is possible while doing hard labor. In fact, it is easier to do nothing while doing hard labor. What I mean by "doing nothing" is to suspend your "stuff"; that is, your judgments, opinions, positions, beliefs, even your faith. Going through your stuff is doing something, not going through your stuff is doing nothing. Then do what you do in life because you are doing it, not because you believe in it, have a high opinion of it, or have faith in it. Doing what you do out of belief, opinion, or faith takes you out of the picture and makes your stuff the source of what you do. You land in a condition called no responsibility, no enlightenment.

What you do in life is not "heavy" until you add stuff to it. What you do in life is certainly not important from the standpoint of ultimate truth. Not important. If you think it is important, you are not the cause of it, your stuff is. Be light about your life. Live it moment to moment and in such a way that we could either ignore it or print it in tomorrow’s newspaper, and it wouldn’t matter.

You don’t need to be proud or ashamed of your life. It just is. Nor do you need to be in control. If you are in pride, shame, or control, you are not the master of your life; pride, shame, or control is master. You can’t be right, make others wrong, be proud and controlling and consider your condition important, and be enlightened.

Naturally, most of the description of enlightenment is a telling of what it is not. Enlightenment is the natural condition of life that has no name after all the unnatural conditions that have names are stripped away. I am now going to describe the condition of enlightenment for what it is rather than what it isn’t. As I do, I want you to know that you conceivably could be in any or all of these circumstances and still be endarkened.

First of all, you will not experience needs beyond those that you naturally need: air, food, and love. You will know that your mind condition, whatever it is, is perfect even when you have judgments to the contrary. You will not depend on others to pronounce your life worthy. Criticism will be of no concern to you. You will not be criticizing others and you will not be attached to their criticism of you. You will be in the experience of loving others. You will know that life is not serious and that it is profoundly significant. You will know that others contribute to your life and you will acknowledge them for it. You will truly have what you own in life through a willingness to not have it and a willingness to share it with others. You will live in the present moment and not be attached to your memories of the past or your schemes for the future."

-----------------------------------------------------------

My Interests

Music, Piano and Keyboards, Drums and Percussion, Music, Jazz Composition and Arranging, Lyric Writing, Music, Basketball, Tennis, Music, Creative Writing, Literature, Music, Astronomy, Philosophy, Music, Movies, Sports Talk, Music, Meditative Walks, Chess, and Music

. . .oh, and Scrabble. . .

I'd like to meet:

Why, YOU, of course. . .

----------------------------------------------------------- LOVE-SONG

How shall I hold my soul, that it may not
be touching yours? How shall I lift it then
above you to where other things are waiting?
Ah, gladly would I lodge it, all-forgot,
with some lost thing the dark is isolating
on some remote and silent spot that, when
your depths vibrate, is not itself vibrating.
You and me - all that lights upon us, though,
brings us together like a fiddle-bow
drawing one voice from two strings it glides along.
Across what instrument have we been spanned?
And what violinist holds us in his hand?
O sweetest song.

Rainer Maria Rilke
Possibility of Being
New Directions Publishing Corp.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Music:

Jazz, Classical, and New Age

. . .also Adult Contemporary, Classic Rock, Orchestral Movie Soundtracks, Broadway Showtunes (pretty much in that order)

A few favorite artists of mine:

Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Chuck Loeb, Al DiMeola, Toninho Horta, Chick Corea, Mitchel Forman, Danny Gottlieb, Dave Weckl, Deborah Henson-Conant, Carmen Cuesta, Acoustic Alchemy, Patricia Barber, Chuck Mangione, Elements, Chopin, Beethoven, David Lanz, Noa, Rush, Yes, Alan Parsons Project, Tori Amos, Tomey Sellars, Sarah Brightman, James Horner, John Williams, Howard Shore, Andreas Segovia

Movies:

Action/Adventure, Drama, Comedy

A few movie favs of mine:

"The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", "Forrest Gump", "Glory", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Star Wars Trilogy" (from the late 70's/early 80's), "Rocky", "Circle of Iron", "Mr. Holland's Opus", "The Falcon and the Snowman", "A Map of the World", "Ground Hog Day"

Television:

. . .really don't watch a whole lot of television (honestly there isn't much time for it), but when I do actually chance to. . .

"The Weather Channel", "Mike & The Mad Dog" (New York based sports talk show), "E.R.", "Crossing Jordan", "Law & Order", "Law & Order - Special Victims Unit", "Medium", "CSI - Miami", "Friends" (reruns), "Three's Company" (reruns), "Taxi" (reruns), "M*A*S*H" (reruns)

Books:

BOOKS ARE AWESOME!

Some of my favorite books/literature:

"The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", "The Hobbit", and "The Silmarillion", all by J.R.R. Tolkien


All novels by Hermann Hesse, particularly
"Narcissus and Goldmund", "Demian", and "Beneath The Wheel"


All novels by Richard Bach, particularly
"Illusions", "The Bridge Across Forever" and "One"


"The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran


"Fear & Trembling" by Soren Kirkegaard (Kirkegaard, a german existentialist philosopher, discusses the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac within the context of the notion of the "leap of faith")


"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking


"Cosmos" by Carl Sagen


"Winning Through Enlightenment" by Ron Smothermon (see the table on the right hand side of my profile for a nice little excerpt)


"Letters to a Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke

Here is my favorite excerpt from this book (this is slightly paraphrased). . .

------------------------- "How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses? Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is, in its deepest being, something helpless that wants help from us. So you must not be frightened if a sadness rises up before you larger than any you have ever seen; if a restiveness, like light and cloud shadows, passes over your hands and over all you do. You must think that something is happening with you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand. It will not let you fall."
-------------------------

"A Map of the World" by Jane Hamilton


All poetry, especially the poems of Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, and William Wordsworth

Here are a few poems (other than the ones I've already posted) that I find particularly awesome. . .

------------------------- LONGING

Come to me in my dreams, and then
By day I shall be well again!
For so the night will more than pay
The hopeless longing of the day.
Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times,
A messenger from radiant climes,
And smile on they new world, and be
As kind to others as to me!
Or, as thou never cam'st in sooth,
Come now, and let me dream it truth;
And part my hair, and kiss my brow,
And say: "My love! why sufferest thou?"
Come to me in my dreams, and then
By day I shall be well again!
For so the night will more than pay
The hopeless longing of the day.

Matthew Arnold
-------------------------

------------------------- SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes,
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress
Or softly lightens o'er her face,
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek and o'er that brow
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent, -
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent.

George Gordon, Lord Byron
-------------------------

------------------------- ODE: INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY FROM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD (excerpt)

What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.
And O, ye Fountains, Meadows, Hills, and Groves,
Forebode not any severing of our loves!
Yet in my heart of hearts I feel your might;
I only have relinquished one delight
To live beneath your more habitual sway.
I love the Brooks which down their channels fret,
Even more than when I tripped lightly as they;
The innocent brightness of a new-born Day
is lovely yet;
The Clouds that gather round the setting sun
Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

William Wordsworth
-------------------------

------------------------- THIS IS THE CREATURE

This is the creature there has never been.
They never knew it, and yet, none the less,
They loved the way it moved, its suppleness,
its neck, its very gaze, mild and serene.
Not there, because they loved it, it behaved
as though it were. They always left some space.
And in that clear unpeopled space they saved
it lightly reared its head, with scarce a trace
of not being there. They fed it, not with corn,
but only with the possibility
of being. And that was able to confer
such strength, its brow put forth a horn. One horn.
Whitely it stole up to a maid - to "be"
within the silver mirror and in her.

Rainer Maria Rilke
Possibility of Being
New Directions Publishing Corp.
-------------------------

All sonnets by Shakespeare

Here are my two favorites:

------------------------- SONNET #XXIX

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess’d,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
-------------------------

------------------------- SONNET #CXVI

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
-------------------------
The guy had a way with words, you know?

Heroes:

Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Chuck Loeb, Al Dimeola, Toninho Horta, Chick Corea, Mitchel Forman, Danny Gottlieb, Neil Peart, Chopin, Beethoven, Joe Mekler, John Riley, Tony DeNicola, Joe Riccardi, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ron Smothermon, Larry Bird, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, Bjorn Borg, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Aristotle, Rae (my mom), Karen (my wife), (and last but most certainly not least. . .) Jesus Christ

My Blog

Video Link ~ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome

Dear Friends, In case you may have missed the "You Tube" video on my page, I would like to provide a link here to the same video that outlines the many aspects of ME/CFS [Myalgic E...
Posted by Greg on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:45:00 PST