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Christopher Stewart
  • Male
  • Québec, Qc
  • Canada
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Poligrafic Blogs

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Christopher Stewart posted a video

Midday Meal At The Skatepark - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Originals]

here's a short excerpt of a jazzy composition called « Midday Meal At The Skatepark » captured this past July during an outdoors rehearsing session...the ful...
Feb 24, 2023
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Northern Lights for Strings and Winds [Upcoming Releases]

the last few months haven't quite unfolded as i had hoped, yet there's been many positive developments on the music front. most notably, i'm happy to report ...
Feb 14, 2023
Christopher Stewart posted a video

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

busking performance of an arrangement in progress of « While My Guitar Gently Weeps » originally released by The Beatles on the White Album, and written by G...
Sep 2, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

You Can't Hurry Love (The Supremes) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

busking performance of an arrangement in progress of the Holland–Dozier–Holland classic « You Can't Hurry Love, » originally recorded by The Supremes, and ma...
Aug 28, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Themes from the Tron Soundtrack (Wendy Carlos) - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

originally inspired by a MIDI file approximating Tron's Ending Titles Themes. The actual soundtrack, as written my Wendy Carlos, is actually much more richer...
Aug 16, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

La Isla Bonita (Madonna) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

working on an arrangement of Madonna's « La Isla Bonita. » my phone actually captured the whole thing out of focus, but using the sharpening filter in Shotcu...
Aug 12, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

more an improvisation than a proper arrangement of Bart Howard's jazz standard « Fly Me To The Moon, » made popular by Frank Sinatra. recorded in july 2020. ...
Aug 1, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

The Girl From Ipanema (Antônio Carlos Jobim) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

working on an arrangement of Jobim's bossa nova classic « The Girl From Ipanema. » recorded in july 2020. ❤ thank you for your support ! ❤ § you're invited t...
Jul 30, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Hope [Fingerstyle Guitar Originals]

this is a recording of a song titled « Hope » which was originally written around december 2012, and intended as a lullaby for grown-ups. the audio and perfo...
Jul 22, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Rock With You (Michael Jackson) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

working on an arrangement of « Rock With You » by Michael Jackson. recorded in july 2020. ❤ thank you for your support ! ❤ § you're invited to subscribe to t...
Jul 16, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (Stevie Wonder) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

rehearsing an arrangement of Stevie Wonder's classic « You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. » one of my favourite pieces to play on the guitar. recorded in july ...
Jul 13, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Magic (Olivia Newton-John) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

rehearsing an arrangement of « Magic » by Olivia Newton-John. recorded in july 2019. ❤ thank you for your support ! ❤ § you're invited to subscribe to the ★ ...
Jul 3, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Steppin' Out (Joe Jackson) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

working out an arrangement of « Steppin' Out » by Joe Jackson. recorded in july 2019. ❤ thank you for your support ! ❤ § you're invited to subscribe to the ★...
Jun 25, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted videos
Jun 23, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

rehearsing an arrangement of the Bee Gee's classic « How Deep Is Your Love, » in preparation for the upcoming busking season. recorded in may 2020. ❤ thank y...
Jun 11, 2020
Christopher Stewart posted a video

Preview : La Côte d'Abraham [Upcoming Releases]

around september 2017, i was invited to join the house band of a local community center. after talking for a while about repertoire with Pierre Frappier, the...
Jun 10, 2020

Profile Information

Primary Role
Author
Favorite Literature Type
Fiction
Favorite Genre or Category
Science Fiction
Favorite Book
The Far Ends of Time and Earth (Asimov)
Favorite Author
Frank Herbert

Music and Spiritual Practice - An Overview of Poligraf

Music has been an essential part of my life since the end of the 80s.

The adventure began during the second of my four years of studying electrical engineering at Université Laval in Québec City. Through various friends and contacts I reconnected with progressive rock, a form of music to which I had already been exposed to in my youth thanks to my older brothers and sisters. Hearing the music of bands such as Yes, Rush, Genesis, and King Crimson felt like meeting old friends, and quickly I knew I just had to do as those musicians did, although my prior experience with music had been minimal at that time.

The feeling was so strong that not only did it led me to buy various instruments so I could learn how to play, but it was also the main force that made me decide to change direction after my first semester as a graduate student in computer vision and systems so I could build my life around music. And perhaps more importantly, when it became clear that I would compose music of my own, it spawned the question « what should the songs be about ? » which powered me into many years of exploring a multitude of domains of knowledge including science, philosophy, psychology, art, mysticism, and the occult.

Music for me is also spiritual practice. The inspiration and elevation it provides is undeniable, and the many insights I have had while practicing an instrument or rehearsing a part are too numerous to recount. Music picks me up when I let reason bring me down, restores my energy levels when I feel tired, sustains me through lengthy work sessions, and generally brings me to a state of inner peace and deep joy.

My objective as a musician is to communicate that energy in the hopes that listeners will experience that very same elevation and inspiration. It is also my intention to share my experiences and discoveries and thus hopefully help others reach understandings that can they can use on their own journey.

Buddhism has been an essential part of my life since the mid-90s.

The adventure began when I stumbled upon a feature in an encyclopedic dictionary that highlighted the Four Noble Truths. That finding immediately sparked my curiosity and a few days later I was buying a copy of The Dhammapada at a local bookstore. While slowly digesting the aphorisms in the weeks that followed, I found that its teachings were in continuity with a process of introspection that had begun during an introductory course on neural networks (i.e. systems designed to emulate some of the capabilities of the human brain, such as pattern recognition and associative memory), the study of which had triggered the question « what does this tell me about my own inner workings ? »

From then on I pursued my explorations and plunged into the Tibetan Book Of The Dead, which was quickly followed by various Mahayana sutras. I also bought a guide to learn how to meditate and started experimenting with the practice.

During the years that followed, I plowed through most of the major Mahayana sutras, progressively adjusted my lifestyle and behaviour to accord with the precepts, refined my meditation practice, memorized mantras, and became a vegetarian.

Poligraf has been an essential part of my life since its inception at the beginning of February 1998.

The adventure began after the collapse of a band that arguably never really existed as it only had a handful of rehearsals, but for which I had already written a lot of material. Left alone at the helm, I connected with a group of experienced musicians via a co-worker friend and after agreeing on a general aim and formula, we raised sail and headed to the terra incognita of progressive rock.

Over its eleven years of activity in various incarnations, Poligraf has yielded enough music for over five full-length albums, but never really had a chance to officially record any of them, although some of the material has been demoed and performed on stage on various occasions.

Most of the music documents my own spiritual path and presents some of the lessons that life has taught me on the way. Some pieces are directly inspired by Buddhist texts or teachings. For instance, « Between Worlds » is directly inspired by the Tibetan Book Of The Dead, and « The Idler » and « Creeper » have been inspired by aphorisms of The Dhammapada. « Void » illustrates the Buddhist concept of emptiness, and « SubjeKctiv » serves as a reminder of the subjectivity of experience and the coextensivity of worlds. « Entering the Stream » is a trilogy, counting a total of nine chapters, that depicts the trajectory of an individual fed up with the mundane who decides to retreat into an ashram for some heavy introspection before returning to the ordinary with a renewed perspective on life.

Throughout all these years, if the Mahayana has provided the vehicle, then Poligraf has certainly provided landscapes, path, and drive, while the buddhas have completed the picture with their timely, serendipitous, and often magical interventions.

I don't know why I feel so strongly about music, progressive rock, and Poligraf in particular, but I just know I do and I trust that feeling to the best of my ability. My connection to Poligraf runs so deep that whenever I let hardships or circumstances turn into reasons to believe that there's no viable future for the band, then I retreat into apathy. That is, until that unmistakable feeling breaks through the veil of confusion to drive me again. To the best of my present understanding, my own self-realization seems to be linked to that of the band, if not as the culmination of my spiritual practice, then at least as an essential stepping stone towards it.

March 2020 Update: Poligraf is currently hibernating, and probably not coming back to life, at least for the foreseeable future. Still, I have been writing new music steadily since the band was last active, a mix of songs and instrumentals influenced from progressive rock and which have been written for Poligraf, and also singer-songwriter tunes that are closer in their essence to folk-rock or even pop, pieces for solo classical guitar, and occasional electroid experimentations.

If you'd like to know more about my musical activities and support me in my efforts to bring more artistic beauty into the world, please visit my website (see the first icon below) where you can learn more about my various projects.

For me, your support represents an opportunity to go to the next level, reach a wider audience, and ultimately become a self-sustaining music producing unit that can function independently of a record label.

Thank you for reading thus far, and best wishes to you on your journey.

        

Christopher Stewart's Videos

  • Midday Meal At The Skatepark - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Originals]

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  • Northern Lights for Strings and Winds [Upcoming Releases]

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  • While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles) - excerpt - [Fingerstyle Guitar Covers]

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Christopher Stewart's Blog

In All Directions

Posted on March 28, 2023 at 9:36pm 0 Comments







joy is feeling

looking upwards

skies enrapture

the sorry self

and its grievance



joy is seeing

looking westwards

social fracture

healing itself

from insurgence



joy is knowing

looking eastwards

proper culture

relieves oneself

from ignorance



joy is seeing

looking outwards

events mature

the early self

from…

Continue

Blessings To Count

Posted on March 21, 2023 at 8:31pm 0 Comments







joy is knowing

the best of views

fuels volition

to climb the mount



joy is having

freedom to choose

which obstruction

one must surmount



joy is knowing

hearing the muse

is like drinking

from the youth fount



joy is having

nothing to lose

and yet having

blessings to…

Continue

Compass Towards The Grail

Posted on March 13, 2023 at 10:19pm 0 Comments







when gloominess

deflects the gale

joy is the wind

that fills the sail



when despair is

tricking the scale

joy is the clue

that tells the tale



when spleen is thick

and hopes are pale

joy is meaning

that lifts the veil



when no reason

can find the trail

joy is compass

towards the…

Continue

Accord With One's Nature

Posted on March 8, 2023 at 9:43pm 0 Comments







though worries hurt

and fears injure

joy yields healing

beyond measure



though gloom has roots

deep in culture

joy at all times

sages nurture



though the reasons

may outnumber

joy is the wealth

wise ones treasure



though the mundane

exerts pressure

joy is accord

with one's…

Continue

Comment Wall (3 comments)

At 10:08pm on May 29, 2012, Chuck Keyes (The Chuck!) said…

Christopher, top of the universe to you,  and welcome to authors.com  …from The Chuck-master of Science Fiction Fantasy…
        I write sci-fi novels filled with adventure, mystery, romance, drama, horror, and plenty of comedy… Sci-fi for every adult human to enjoy. I'm also a well-known published poet. When you have a few free moments, please check out my Authors page and a few of my videos and blogs I have recently added. Many of my blogs consist of free to read enjoyable sci-fi stories that I plan to edit and unite these twenty-two stories within an  eBook titled: 'Epic Marvels'. One of my newest sci-fi novels is titled: 'They!', which is somewhat related to the 1954 sci-fi classic movie, 'Them!' I'm currently working on a sci-fi mystery titled: 'The Mysteries of Fuller Park'.  A fun story based on the ghostly satanic urban legends of Fuller Park, Athens, Texas.   

Please let me know if you'd like to become friends.

The Chuck!

At 11:16pm on June 10, 2012, Gloria Faye Brown Bates/Granny G said…

Thank-you, Christopher.  Granny Gee :)))

At 10:10am on June 14, 2012, Mathew Hefter said…

Thx man! Looking forward to networking with you!

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