Improvisation #12 - The Mill and River

"Imagine a man whose only means of livelihood is a mill. It just so happens that this man begins to hear different ideas about the mill's mechanism, and so he begins to reflect upon the construction of the mill and observe what part is turned by what other part. From the flywheel to the grindstone, from the grindstone to the millrace, from the millrace to the wheel, from the wheel to the gate, the dam, and the water, he comes clearly to conclude that the whole mill operation lies in the dam and the river.
The man rejoices so greatly in his discovery that instead of examining, as he did before, the quality of the flour which comes forth, instead of raising and lowering the millstones, of shoeing them, of tightening and slackening the belt, he begins to study the river. As a result, the mill is thrown entirely out of gear. The people begin to tell the miller that he is not doing his work properly. Yet he argues with them and continues to study the river. He studies the river so much that he finally becomes convinced that the river is the mill itself.
To those who try and prove the faultiness of his course of reasoning, the miller replies, "No mill grinds without water. Consequently, in order to know the mill, it is necessary to know how the water works, to know the force of the current as well as its source. To know the mill, it is necessary to know the river."
The miller cannot be logically dislodged from his line of reasoning. The only means of dispelling his illusion is to show him that good reasoning depends first of all on the object, or on one's objective. This determines the order in which the separate trains of thought are to be arranged, in order that they can be understood. Reasoning not bound together by a common aim is foolish, no matter how logical it may be...Life is the mill that we desire to investigate."
    -Tolstoy - On Life

Samples: Glen Hadden electric and classical guitar, Dan Thorpe piano, Al Thumm synths, Sebastian Phlox pipe organ

Created in Prospect, South Australia

Software: Fields of Possibility

Controller: trackpad, Korg Nanokontrol