[Here's a question that recently came in through email.]
Subject: Effortless Mastery question
Mr. Werner,
I recently read “Effortless Mastery” and have sincerely benefited a great deal
from it. I have been playing guitar and jazz for some time, and for some time I
have been haphazardly drifting in and out of the “space”. I would attribute
these infrequent successes to really swinging hard, or playing the right notes,
or any number of irrelevant ways of describing the feeling of being truly
connected.
Your book put it all into perspective. The feeling that I would taste briefly
from time to time can be achieved whenever I touch my instrument! Using the
inspiration and methodology of your book, I have been able to reach that
supremely blissful state of being completely detached, yet completely in
control. I am able to play from that space every day.
The problem is that playing from anywhere outside of the space has become so
distasteful that I have developed a fear of not connecting. This often
paradoxically affects my ability to connect which leads to great frustration.
I was hoping you could provide some insight into this persistent issue.
Anything at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Russell Favret
~ [Kenny's response] ~
Somewhere in the book I talk about not tricking yourself into beating yourself up
for not being in the space. Replacing the old hammer of “It’s not swinging enough”
or “It’s not burning enough” etc. with the pastel hammer of “I’m not in the space enough.”
The ego will adjust to your adjustments and manage to instill some version
of its old message of inadequacies.
The thing you should practice in real time is acceptance.
Practice loving your playing and self forgiveness.
Try to practice viewing any thought about lack as merely a thought to be ignored.
Make loving what you play unconditionally a practice.
You can do this at home by playing, stopping and absorbing
without discrimination or thought.
Aim your mental practice at blanket acceptance of whatever comes out.
[This pattern tends to go] round and round because you learn and the ego adjusts.
But your commitment to breathing in any notes you play and breathing in your sound
should over time render the ego more transparent.
You recognize the old feelings of low esteem and say, “oh, that old thing again.”
Changing and evolving is a life long process and the one that doesn’t watch the clock over successes and failures
but is simply involved in the journey of change attains all manner of rewards. Easier said than done, but possible nonetheless.
Good Luck,
Kenny
~
What are your experiences with “The Space”?
Please leave a comment!
~
Thank you for being a part of our
Effortless Mastery Community.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember first reading Kenny’s book and getting immediate relief from the inner critic. Seems after some time I let myself slip back into old habits of being critical of my playing again. Gotta keep at it- love Kenny’s concepts and ideas. One thing I have tried recently is to simply close my eyes and play and I have found it much easier to enjoy my own playing and getting into a space of just feeling and hearing and loving my playing. Hope this helps someone else out there too.
For me, as a vocalist there is no instrument to touch to bring me back to the space. So when I am singing into a microphone, I draw my attention to the center of microphone and quiet my mind. But when I am practicing, I don’t usually have a mic to settle into the space. I then visualize unblocking all my chakras and releasing any tension or fear locked up in my body. Any fear has a tendency to tightened up muscles and the ability to let go.
Closing your eyes too much, I think, shuts out the audience and disconnects you. It’s like putting up a wall. It helps me to look forward to the thrill of not knowing what will happen next with my eyes open. It is really exciting when you are connected with both the musicians and the audience. By having no expectations and becoming one with everyone and everything around you, releases any fear and opens up your energy allowing you to fully enjoy the moment. Loving your own sound leads to that self-acceptance and trust.
I practice Kenny’s techniques as a painter (and blues harmonica player). I find it soothing to know that ’space’ is around me and inside me all the time. Not something that I have to find my way to. I usually become aware of this space as a pool of energy and excitement when I allow myself to just simply play with my art. Mental activity distracts and pulls me out of this awareness constantly until I am really grabbed hold of by that energy. So until the magic begins I make effort to ‘let go let go let go’ of thoughts while my body does the actions. Suddenly I become engulfed by a wonderful enthusiasm and the real art starts.
Hi Kenny
I have read your book several times and continue to find new things in it.Good book. Would you comment on the genre Free Jazz and does it come from the same space you talk about? Do you enjoy 12 tone music and why? And what role does structure play in improvising in your approach to jazz?
thanks
Don
dear kenny,
i read this post-the question and your reply-and was reminded of how similar my own comments were to you when i was playing…and more importantly, was reminded of the immense care and thoughtfulness you shared with me in a generously long and personal letter (similar to the concepts stated here). like everyone else, it of course changed me forever. and my first performance after that letter was indeed not only a better performance, but of course a more enjoyable one. simply starting with the premise to “love the note”, rather than wasting brainpower and emotion and energy on worrying about notes or skill was a concept that was immediately applicable, and that also could be applied immediately, from the very beginning, from that moment on—of anything-performance or practice.
so i am writing for actually two reasons: one, to say that i was indeed reminded of your generous, unselfish, time-intensive gift to me, for which i thank you profusely. and two, to say that even if i am not performing now, it is, of course, a lesson in life, that can be applied abundantly in other perspectives and situations, and so, for that, also, i thank you profusely.
so, kenny, i thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your kindess “back then”…it will never be forgotten. and, the letter sits-treasured-inside the cover of your book, right here next to me.
thank you, kenny, for being such a giving and encouraging person. you’re one in a million. xxoo
Just wanted to thank you Kenny, for your reply to Russell, especially the part about unconditional love for what we play and self-forgiveness. This is really quite wonderful.
Hi Kenny -
Thank you so much for this -
It comes at a difficult time and I’m grateful for the inspiration and rope of hope you send me!
Amanda
Dear Kenny.
I am writing you because I had some experience with the space, that I would like to share, not only with you but with all my fellow musicians.
I am most inspired by one phrase of your book and it has been my guiding light in the past couple of years.
You say ” As musicians/healers it is our destiny to conduct an inward search, and document it with our music so that OTHERS MAY BENEFIT. As they listen to the music coming trough us, they too are inspired to LOOK WITHIN”
What a great way to go deeper below the surface, the ego. All spiritual teachings teach us to feel compaction, and help others, learn and live for others. True happiness is to feel and wish for all other beings to be happy. I think that The Space is what connects us and we are all one. It just feels great to know that. Music just connects the space in all of us.
However I just came back from my practice studio with the desire to write you. I have been listening ten of the telewebinars on a roll. I got very inspired and I heard a lot of people being not sure if they experience the space and if they can hold on it while going through the different steps. I had the same feeling up until now, but today I was sure that I did stay in the space for an hour of practice. I did something different and it worked. I decide to share it so my experience may be helpful to others as well.
I listened the whole 4 meditations on your CD at once while sitting affront of my instrument (tabla). During the firs meditation I was relaxing and applying the first step but in a more simple way. I was just putting my hands on the instrument and just trying to notice tensions in my body, and releasing it. No playing was involved; when I relaxed the tensed mussel I put back my hands on my lab. “Establishing the connection whit my instrument” By the end of the first meditation I was in the space. Loving my instrument and touching it with pleasure and feeling of deep respect for the people who made it.
In the second meditation around the part where I had to imaging playing in the big hall with the spot light, affront of many people, I start playing some strokes while staying in the space. Something like step 2. The hands were choosing the strokes and every time that my mind was trying to interrupt, your voice was saying to take deep breath, or to say that I am master or something very comforting. My mind fallowed your voice and I could remain empty of toads in the space. I have been listening your voice so much by now, that it relaxes me immediately, even if you answer a questions online.
I noticed that my hands chose to play a very difficult (unfamiliar I mean) variation of one composition that my mind was straggling with for a couple of mounts. Every time when I made “mistake”, (It was kind of step two, so there are no mistakes) I smiled and took a deep breath. I kept on going relaxing and focusing on the emptiness-the space while listening to your voice. I was accepting not expecting. Effortlessness was my priority. I did not have to imagine that my hands where playing and I was observing, I was actually playing and observing, imagining the big hall, all the people and how my body disappears. The part that I could do in real, I tried to experience and do at that moment in real. Your voice continuously was giving instructions to my mind like “My friend, now please be quiet for a moment you will have your toads after this, but now just relax “, so my being could stay in the space, and feel my hands playing by themselves. Gradually during the meditation 3 and 4, I felt like a master and I found out that my hands were playing the variation perfectly, effortlessly and in tempo, without thought.
My thinking was paying attention to your voice until it stopped. I was in the space, my hands were playing and I field great. In the 4th mediation I took a deep breath and I said “Thank you” while playing and I filed high.
After a couple of minutes I noticed a toad passing by ” Hey that must be the space” and I returned in to the room with a memory of something good, like you just eat chocolate but it is no longer in your mouth but down in the stomach, while you are looking around for some more. I lost it. However the memory was there and I surely will try that again. I do not know if I will succeed the second time, but at least I had the taste of it and I know what to look for from now on.
In short, what I did was to cut the interval of time between listening the meditation CD and actually practicing the steps, so my mind would not have the chance to jump back in with toads within this interval of time. I did not give him a chance.
Well, I do not know if this will be useful to someone, but I field writing it. I hope it will inspire someone. I have being listening to all kinds of guided meditation which could help to subside the mind, but we all have the opportunity with the Kenny’s CD to listen the first music guided meditation.(at least for me) Since we are all musicians why not embrace this chance? If you use some other way to get in to the space Kenny’s CD can be a supplement to it.
Thanks
Stefan
Hi Kenny, It´s kind of strange the day that I bought yor book. It was at a store in NYC. I used to go to Berklee in the 80´s. And, as many students, I received to much information in a short period of time. So, when I read the cover the book´s cover, I felt inmediatly identified with it and became a permanent companion.
You´ve given me the key that unlocks an amount of thoughts and fears that had me worried for a long time and where dragging me down when playing my instrument.
Thank you so much.