[Harp-L] Competion, the ego, and letting go of it

[rmcgraw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Being competitive is part of the equation of what drives many people to
work hard and try to get better....many years ago I lived in Morgantown,
West Virginia..there was one other serious harmonica player in that small
college town: Trip Henderson [a very talented player many of you know
about, now in NYC]. Trip and I were good friends, played together, hung
out,etc...the very friendly competion between us drove me to work harder.
that, I think, was a good thing for me--can't speak for Trip.

Through all my years of playing, my ego and competiveness has been one of
the things that has driven me to practice, and that has been a good thing
for me...but having said that, I make the best music I can make when I am
able to let go of my ego, my competetivness, and be in the moment, the
zone we all know about when our focus is totally on the music, the now.

i have no magic formula for getting into the zone...wish I did..I suspect
that the truly great ones do, that that's one of the gifts they have, the
ability to play from that place on a more consistent basis...but I do know
that when my ego becomes involved, I'm out of that place...this is just my
experience...
WVa Bob
p.s. it also seems as i get older ego becomes less...