Martial arts requires a certain degree of mental and emotional discipline, in addition to the physical control. Music is much the same way. For a martial artist, training entails the practice of technique to the point at which it may be performed without thought, and with the proper emotional content. A musician may experience something similar as he plays, especially if he has undergone sufficient training with his instrument. It truly is art either way; the mind is unclouded, and the will and the movement remain strong.

For this video, I chose to play my transverse wood flute at my dojang, in an attempt to express musically the sort of spirit in which I often find myself while training. The flute was made by Russ Venable from maple, walnut, and bocote, with an aeolian, or "mogen avos," tuning (though I'm playing it here with more of an east Asian sound). This is an untitled ad-lib, so I simply refer to it here with the name of my dojang: Sanai.

For more of my music, watch my other videos here on YouTube, and check out my original CD, "Only Natural," available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/cumberworth

Original music and performance by Stephen Cumberworth. (less info)