small periods of enlightenment

[mycatmarti]

Last night I was noticing when I finally relax my right hand technique greatly improves. My fingers relax my hand raises up off the bridge and my ring and pinky rest on the pickguard and I can play much faster. But then it's gone and I choke up. But at least it's happening enough that I know what it feels like when it's right.

Newby mandolin player
Oldie cello player
Occasional guitar player

[Chip Booth]

Relaxing and letting it flow is what it's all about. I have those wonderful moments for seconds at a time and I sure hope someone is listening or the tape is rolling when it happens. I think that is one of the differences in a pro and an amatuer, a real pro can go there on demand, the rest of us are still trying to figure out how to make it happen.

Chip

[berkeleymando]

I've recently had a similar sensation - when I get in the relaxed state I am able to articulate the notes cleaner...tough to let go of the tension in the hand muscles sometimes.

[mandoman15]

some nights when i've been playing for three or four hours straight, i sort of zone out and just start playing really fast and clean...wierd but i don't realize i'm doing it. Only listening back over the tapes of my jams etc. do i realize i was doing it...hmmm mando-hypnosis???

[duuuude]

Yeah, sometimes it takes hours, sometimes less, to get into a groove, I guess getting there at will is the goal. But things sure seem easier when ya quit thinkin' so hard and just do. Maybe it's some kinda karma thing where for every hour of concentrated practice you'll have 10 minutes of groove time comin'.

[mycatmarti]

I've always thought that dead musicians hear us practicing and we channel them. Actually we've talked about this on the Internet Cello Society chat board and some of those folks have found that when you're really tired and mello, it's easier to get into the groove. Your body is more relaxed and your brain quiets down and it's easier to concentrate and let the music move you.

[mandolinearth]

Do altered states of consciousness help? lol I really need to loosen up with my right hand technique especially to keep the flow of up/down strokes going smoothly. I find that sometimes I can get relaxed enough to where that happens but generally I'm emphasizing the down strokes too much. The other night when I was practicing, I concentrated on just chops but trying to do an equal amount of chopping on the up-stroke. Then, when I went back to picking the melody, my up strokes were emphasized more. My goal is to reach the point where I can spew out those up/down strokes so my leads are a lot faster and less mechanical. As a side note, I wonder if meditation would improve mandolin playing?

[arbarnhart]

#As a side note, I wonder if meditation would improve mandolin playing?

Absolutely! Mindfulness, grasshopper...

[ira]

ooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
relaxation is always the diff. for me. i can't improve my talent level or limited theoretical/fretboard knowledge in the course of a moment, but my state of relaxation and comfort are a huge effect on my playing. a guitar playing buddy once told me, he can always tell how chilled i am when we play, by the quality of my solo work.

[gnelson651]

My wife says that when I practice in my sleep, I sound like Bill Monroe, Sam Bush and Ricky Scaggs all round up in one...

Too bad I can't hear it for myself #

[sirtwangalot]

I found this post VERY interesting- getinginto the zone, picking up speed and accuracy during the playing session. This is compounded for me because I am naturally a lefty who was forced to convert to righty for reasons I won't go into here. What keeps me from quitting is that the magical moment DOES happen somewhere after 1/2 hour or more, it just falls into place, the speed and power just manlke their entrance. All I can say is it is comforting to know I am not the first to experience this, and rather than worry about it, just be thankful it happens at all. Otherwise I fear people like us might quit. Best wishes