Psychological Aspects

There are three main inner dispositions that get in the way of accessing the flow-state while practising: playing with fear, over-ambition and impatience. These attitudes are predestined to cause physical tension and therefore hinder the free flow of energy in the body. The previously described subtle contact to the instrument is impeded.

The excessive striving for perfection and the desire ‘to get everything right’ are other mental pitfalls. A fixation on a technical or musical concept, for instance, may hinder the process of exploring and experiencing. The practising then becomes strained because it is primarily driven by a preconceived idea and is exclusively result-oriented.

On the contrary, practising in flow focuses the awareness on the process: namely, the path which is guided by the right body feeling. The goal here has a directing function but does not dominate the whole working process.

practising in flow offers an approach to instrumental practice, which connects the player in a subtle, creative and physically satisfying way with his or her instrument and desire for musical expression. Therefore, it can help professional musicians to combat tendencies of alienation and withdrawal arising from their permanent physical and mental demands. Time and again, it reconnects one to a way of playing which draws solely on creative resources.