Practicing Harp Happiness

Are You In the Zone or Zoning Out? - PHH 076


Listen Later

What’s the big deal about being “in the zone” and how do you get there?

You might have heard the zone described as total focus, as losing your sense of time and space, of being completely absorbed in what you’re doing. People use phrases like, “being able to perform with total concentration” or “losing all awareness of one’s self.” It’s also called a “state of flow.”

From these descriptions, you might think being in the zone is the world’s best antidote to nerves, and in some ways it might be. But the secret to getting in the zone, whether you’re performing or practicing, is really a matter of balance. It’s not magic and it’s not a trip into the matrix. You don’t need a secret mantra or to try to shut your mind away from your playing. Being in the zone is being fully present and involved.

Sometimes musicians try to find the zone by attempting to play on autopilot. You know what I mean. It’s the idea that if you could just let your mind float as freely in performance as it does in practice, you would play with the same level of accuracy and expression. That’s a dangerous game to play, because the moment the unexpected happens - you play the wrong string or the pedal makes a noise or the lady in the front row coughs - you are jolted back into consciousness, and that’s almost never a smooth transition.

The zone isn’t about abdication; it’s about awareness. It’s not paranormal; it’s possible in the right conditions. Even better, it's possible to practice creating the right conditions, so that you can find your way into the zone anytime you want. Well, almost.

On today’s show we’ll talk about the factors that comprise the zone experience, the balance you need to create and the practice strategies you can use to find the focus and the flow that you’ve been wondering about.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

  • The new Spark Practice Journal
  • Related resource Why You Can't Make Music on Autopilot  blog post
  • Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected] 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Practicing Harp HappinessBy Anne Sulllivan

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

15 ratings


More shows like Practicing Harp Happiness

View all
Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,946 Listeners

Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff You Should Know

77,648 Listeners

The Rachel Maddow Show by Rachel Maddow, MSNBC

The Rachel Maddow Show

36,910 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,260 Listeners

The Glenn Beck Program by Blaze Podcast Network

The Glenn Beck Program

25,596 Listeners

VINCE by Cumulus Podcast Network | VINCE

VINCE

63,409 Listeners

Political Fix by Financial Times

Political Fix

150 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,465 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,827 Listeners

The Bulletproof Musician by Noa Kageyama

The Bulletproof Musician

157 Listeners

The Megyn Kelly Show by SiriusXM

The Megyn Kelly Show

38,676 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,979 Listeners

Горящий бензовоз by Вадим Елистратов, Иван Талачев

Горящий бензовоз

31 Listeners