My Trip to the "Zone" and Back Again
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, Oct-16-2013 at 11:49am (4953 Views)
Did you ever have a practice session when everything is “golden”? This happened to me recently. I was working on a particularly difficult piece of music and was getting very frustrated. Most of us struggle with voices in our heads that tell us “we don’t have what it takes” or “we’re just not going to get it, no matter what”. At times like that we take a nice, big mental stick and beat the dickens out of those thoughts. We remind ourselves “I CAN do this” and “everything worth having is worth the hard work” and “it’s all about the journey”.
On this particular day the frustration was getting to me and practice ceased to be fun. I put away my mandolin and spent the next couple of hours mentally picking myself up and dusting myself off. I never think about quitting…not ever, and I knew it was only a matter of hours before my enthusiasm returned and I would approach my practice with newly-found energy.
I was watching TV and for some strange reason I began to “see” myself playing that piece of music. I “saw” my right hand picking the notes…my pick direction leading me effortlessly from measure to measure. I “saw” my left hand, relaxed and fearless. It was an amazingly clear vision and I remember thinking, “Yes, that’s how I have to play it!” I could actually “feel” it, that’s how intense it was.
I went back to my practice area, trying to keep that mental picture at the forefront of my awareness. I started practicing and just as I imagined it, that’s what happened. I played the piece perfectly. I didn’t even have to try…I didn’t have to do anything except allow that music to bloom. I guess you could say I was in the zone.
That zone has proved to be an elusive place and one I wish I could visit more frequently. Better yet, I wish that, as soon as I place that mandolin strap over my head and have my pick in hand, I would be immediately transported to that best of all mental places. At the very least, my memory of that experience makes me determined, and no matter how frustrated I get I tell myself, “I did it once..I can do it again!”