Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Do you find your “performance” at sessions varies? Sometimes I can play away confidently playing almost any tune correctly and without thinking and sometimes I can bare cobble two meaningful consecutive notes together.
If I stress about getting the tune’s mode, name, B part and so forth right, I can play like a complete Charlie. Then there are times when you seem to be on “automatic” pilot! These are the times when you don’t even think about what tune it is, it just seems to be inside you ready to burst out of your fingers.
Do you experience similar stuff? How can you make sure you always get in the automatic pilot zone? Practice, booze, drugs, exercise, prayer? How do you avoid Complete Charlie nights?
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
I practise the art of playing a tune I don't know, or don't know properly, a microsecond behind the others. This kids *me* I am playing correctly - I don't know about the others. I should add, the bandwidth of timing in some sessions I attend can be surprisingly generous, and I am usually within it.
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Used to happen to me a lot when I was doing two or three sessions a week. I think I was near exhaustion. Now I don't play at sessions as often, practice alone more, get plenty of rest, and enjoy the sessions I do attend a whole lot more.
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
it sounds like you've visited my session nicholas - I'm one of those who likes to stretch the bandwidth in the other direction. I try to anticipate the next part of the tune ahead of everyone else so they can see that I know the tune. Also if you play right on the beat you can't hear yourself, so I try to avoid that.
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Some of it is practice, some of it is fatigue, some of it is 'finger memory', some of it is the intangible that means it's never the same twice.
Just don't despair on the nights when nothing seems to flow, it'll come back next week.
Or the week after.
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
it's largely context for me. in my regular session, when things/people were right and i felt comfortable, i could surprise myself happily -- didn't matter if there were better layers -- in fact that helped, as long as they were friendly and i knew i fit in. in a session with hot players where i felt less welcome (out of my league) i played abysmally, mostly. if asked to play outside the context of the music (i.e. parties with people 'outside' the music), i don't really get there. i moved to a different state this summer, and haven't yet found folks to play with, so all this is becoming a distant memory.
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
If you are in the groove, your fingers nimble, the right people around you, it does seem automatic. And the more automatic, the more that you can focus on the dynamics, the tricky bits, the twiddly parts that make it fun and interesting!
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
I fortify myself with liquid courage beforehand.
I used to do that before recitals, concerts, etc, as well. (ssshhh...don't tell the conductor
we all have nights like that. I try to avoid them by only starting tunes I know (or that I know at least one other person knows) and sitting close to the guitar player or piper so that whatever gaffs I make tend to get lost in the wash of sound. I also practice tunes while I watch TV. I've found that if I can play a tune or a set all the way through while watching a show AND I know what the hell is going on in the plot line, then I don't need to worry about starting and finishing that particular set.
Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Do you find your “performance” at sessions varies? Sometimes I can play away confidently playing almost any tune correctly and without thinking and sometimes I can bare cobble two meaningful consecutive notes together.
If I stress about getting the tune’s mode, name, B part and so forth right, I can play like a complete Charlie. Then there are times when you seem to be on “automatic” pilot! These are the times when you don’t even think about what tune it is, it just seems to be inside you ready to burst out of your fingers.
Do you experience similar stuff? How can you make sure you always get in the automatic pilot zone? Practice, booze, drugs, exercise, prayer? How do you avoid Complete Charlie nights?
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by Krick Stahlschwanz
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
practice
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
booze, drugs, and prayer for myself.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by skin&bow
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
There are times to play and times to just sit back and listen.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by dlkes
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Pray and play with a little help from my friend Shiner Bock.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by fauxcelt
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Krick I think you're talking about what psychologists call 'flow'. Interesting discussion on TED talks: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by McDermott
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Pete's bit ^
Amen!
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Krick, you answered your own question.
Your "Charlie-itis" is a result of your stressing about the mode, name, B part, etc.
No stress no Charlie!
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
I practise the art of playing a tune I don't know, or don't know properly, a microsecond behind the others. This kids *me* I am playing correctly - I don't know about the others. I should add, the bandwidth of timing in some sessions I attend can be surprisingly generous, and I am usually within it.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by nicholas
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Used to happen to me a lot when I was doing two or three sessions a week. I think I was near exhaustion. Now I don't play at sessions as often, practice alone more, get plenty of rest, and enjoy the sessions I do attend a whole lot more.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by feardearg
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
I am always superb. Comes from a natural talent and not touching the thing between sessions.
keeps me fresh.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
it sounds like you've visited my session nicholas - I'm one of those who likes to stretch the bandwidth in the other direction. I try to anticipate the next part of the tune ahead of everyone else so they can see that I know the tune. Also if you play right on the beat you can't hear yourself, so I try to avoid that.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by airport
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Some of it is practice, some of it is fatigue, some of it is 'finger memory', some of it is the intangible that means it's never the same twice.
Just don't despair on the nights when nothing seems to flow, it'll come back next week.
Or the week after.
# Posted on November 12th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
it's largely context for me. in my regular session, when things/people were right and i felt comfortable, i could surprise myself happily -- didn't matter if there were better layers -- in fact that helped, as long as they were friendly and i knew i fit in. in a session with hot players where i felt less welcome (out of my league) i played abysmally, mostly. if asked to play outside the context of the music (i.e. parties with people 'outside' the music), i don't really get there. i moved to a different state this summer, and haven't yet found folks to play with, so all this is becoming a distant memory.
# Posted on November 13th 2008 by 'tinamatt
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
i find it's often a question of how much practise, booze, drugs, exercise, prayer you've had the Night Before the session...
# Posted on November 13th 2008 by pipewatcher
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
If you are in the groove, your fingers nimble, the right people around you, it does seem automatic. And the more automatic, the more that you can focus on the dynamics, the tricky bits, the twiddly parts that make it fun and interesting!
# Posted on November 13th 2008 by AlBrown
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
I fortify myself with liquid courage beforehand.
I used to do that before recitals, concerts, etc, as well. (ssshhh...don't tell the conductor
we all have nights like that. I try to avoid them by only starting tunes I know (or that I know at least one other person knows) and sitting close to the guitar player or piper so that whatever gaffs I make tend to get lost in the wash of sound. I also practice tunes while I watch TV. I've found that if I can play a tune or a set all the way through while watching a show AND I know what the hell is going on in the plot line, then I don't need to worry about starting and finishing that particular set.
# Posted on November 13th 2008 by meredithrachael
Re: Playing like a charlie or flying on automatic pilot?
Practise playing like a charlie at home and save your best playing for when you go out.
# Posted on November 13th 2008 by CreadurMawnOrganig