Re: Creativity and Technique

[John Pollock <johnpollock@delphi.com>]

Trevor wrote,

> You know, maybe this marks me as a talentless hack or idiot savant, but
> it seems the times that I play best are when my mind shuts down and the
> music just seems to come from somewhere else, surpising me as much (if
> not more) than the next guy.

Yes!  I think what underlies this entire discussion is how best to
prepare oneself to allow that to happen.

The closest I've ever come to a formula for cultivating getting into
"the zone" was when I was gigging regularly, and playing a song I knew
well and played frequently (usually pretty much the same way).  I would
make a conscious decision to do one thing differently than usual-- start
a solo on a different note, for example, or try a much slower tempo.  Of
course, it didn't always work-- but sometimes it did. :-)

My technical ability on any instrument is very limited, but this magic
has occured frequently enough (with verification from listeners and
recordings) for me to realize that more sophisticated technique is not
necessary-- only helpful.  What matters is the ability to play without
conscious thought, as Trevor points out.

At this point, looping seems to be so cerebral that I'm not sure I'll
be able to reach that level.  Discuss?
 
John Pollock
(removing the Netscape-imposed dashes, and hoping I can figure out how
to send this only _once_)
mailto:johnpollock@delphi.com
http://people.delphi.com/johnpollock (Troubador Tech)