Mind & Body

[Jp Pagan <jpl_pagan@xxxxxxxxx>]

smokey-joe said:

>Sometimes BOTH mind and BODY are Kaflooey.
> > Sometimes I am "HOT" (like Wednesday). Sorry, but
that means I have
> > about a 25% chance of being any good, and you
can't do THAT if you
> > want to be a *STAR*. The ONLY thing seperating the
good from the
> > really good is "Consistency"..There I said it.

scorch replied:

> I think MOST pros face the same challenges that
"hobbyists" like me face. I
> think that they may face some of them to a lesser
degree, and some greater.
> Probably, most of these are overcome with a strong
work ethic. In other
> words, I betchya that they're just better at
managing that 25% of the time
> WHEN physical & mental come together (or don't).
> 
> Am I right or wrong?

i'm sure this is an issue that affects all artists. as
a one time aspiring writer, i remember full well
nights when i was "on" and nights when the tap was
dry. one thing writers do to try and overcome this is
to schedule regular writing times. in other words, you
write every day, at the same time every day. one thing
this does is it makes "getting into the zone"
something you have to do regularly. after awhile, it
almost becomes automatic. (ALMOST ;)
as a musician, you certainly can't plan a daily gig at
the same time every day, but having regularly
scheduled practice sessions would certainly help. and
another thing: when you practice, practice
IMPROVISING, not just scales and whatnot. i read a
good book that encouraged this very thing: "Effortless
Mastery" by pianist Kenny Werner. (get it, it may make
you a better musician. i lost my copy, i'm certainly
getting another!) his idea was the same as the one
writers use -- by consistenly getting in the zone,
your mind gets used to doing so, and it becomes
easier. it becomes more like walking a well-worn path.

this isn't to say that brilliant solos will pop out of
you every night. i'm sure every great artists still
has moments when s/he can barely think, much less
create (and hopefully, muscle memory alone will keep
them from being totally awful ;), but it is generally
true that the MORE OFTEN we do something, the BETTER
at it we become. my $.02. sorry, it's non-refundable
;P 

  --Jp

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