If we can agree that great ideas come in an instant, a flash, an illumination, then we know that spontaneous musical inspiration doesn’t involve much thinking. Rarely are you thinking about something when you hear the answer at the same time. Still, if you are improvising, composing, or playing along with others in a groove, the music has to originate from somewhere. I’d like to suggest that it might not come from two places: not from the printed page, and not from you!

I believe the true source of music is inspiration—what we hear or take in. A lot of great music is inspired by nature, life (and death), a personal experience, an event, place, or person. It comes from outside of us. Allowing yourself to be 100 percent available to the source of your inspiration involves learning how to become transparent, so the message can channel through you. The music has to come into your body, heart, and soul (and mind) and pass back out through you. So you must be careful not to obstruct this process.

That’s right—it’s up to you! If the music has a pulse, is your body grooving with the pulse? Are you moving your feet, knees, hips, torso, shoulders, arms, neck, hand, and fingers? If the music is alive before it gets to you, are you alive and in sync with the music when it is in you? How about your breath—are you holding your breath, or are you breathing with the music? Are you singing along, even silently, while you are playing? Just becoming aware of these obstructions is the first step on an endless path of self-improvement.

Start by turning off your brain (the voices in your head) and listen instead. You can listen with more than your ears, however. Check out your body. Where are you holding tension? I believe that if any part of your body is locked or stiff, it could be trapping some notes inside. Furthermore, if you are holding your breath while playing, you could be blocking the flow of the phrase. Your breath is the closest thing to your heartbeat and should be part of the music. The lesson is simple: Become the music. Let your body, breath, and heart merge with the music.

David Darling (Grammy-nominated cellist and founder of Music for People, an organization dedicated to teaching free improvisation) taught me core musical skills that are common to all instruments and styles of music. Learning to improvise involves studying the voice (breath), rhythm (drumming), and movement (body) to allow the spirit in the music to become alive. The musical forms, structure, theory, and technical discipline are still essential skills, but they become useless if they are filtered or blocked by the body.

If you accept that music has a life of its own and exists independent of your performance, you are obligated to pass it along with minimum interference. Whether you are playing Bach or the blues, music is recreated and reborn with every performance. When you become the music for an instant, your body, heart, and soul become the messenger of its inspiration. Keep it alive by preserving the identity and allowing it to pass through you in your own sweet way!

- Barry Green

Barry Green was the Principal Bassist for the Cincinnati Symphony for 28 years and authored the books The Inner Game of Music and The Mastery of Music. He frequently leads progressive music-education workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area; see www.innergameofmusic.com for updates.