The Secret Current
I saw this guitarist named Leo Kottke.
In speaking he mentioned something called The Secret Current. He said it is something that is there before the performance happens. It has the flow of how the performance should go. And that it's when the performer tries to manipulate it, and taking total control of its course is when bad things happen. He also added that it's something that we are all involved in (performer and audience) and a part of.
Have any of you had an experience like this or have any further insights to this?
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I've heard this being referred to as being "in the groove". There could be a number of factors contributing to this. Some that occur to me are:
Intuition - Often, when you've played an instrument for a while, you come to a point where you play by "feel" or by intuition. You aren't necessarily thinking about what notes or chords you're playing, or what the timing is, because it all comes from feel; it's similar to how, when talking, you don't consciously think about exact tongue placement or individual chest, throat, and facial muscles. If you then try to switch out of this intuitive mindset, into a more analytical mindset, it's like changing gears, and the brief cognitive dissonance can take you out of the moment.
Being "in the moment" - Often, musical performers (and hopefully the audience as well) get into a certain mindset where they become hyper-aware of the present, without thinking of the past or future. This also clears the mind, and can contribute to a sense of time "slowing down". This is probably related to (if not the same as) a meditative or trance-like state.
Entrainment - It's been shown that brain waves can become entrained to a musical rhythm. This means that the performers and audience can end up thinking "in time" with one another.
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