When someone asked Charlie Parker (one of the greatest jazz alto sax players ever), "How can I learn to play like you?" he responded, "Learn everything you can about music, then forget all that shit and play."

When attempting to improvise, our goal is always to have what I call "a religious experience." Whether or not this experience has anything to do with God isn't the point–I simply mean "one achieves ecstasy and time and space evaporate. How do you achieve this state? Well, consider the opposite state–getting stuck in a rut and playing the same tired licks over and over. When this happens to me, I deliberately try to play stuff I've never played before (but I've been doing this a long time and I've learned a thing or two about music along the way–which helps). To avoid cliches, tired riffs, etc., you really have to adopt an attitude similar to what Carlos Santana calls "willingness" though I call it "fearlessness." You have to "not care" what happens. You have to put yourself in a musical position you're not comfortable in and react to that by using your ears and respond to what you're hearing yourself play just as you would react to what another musician you're playing with does. Next, you have to do this all the time, not just as a means of getting out of a rut. When you do this a lot, it is no longer a conscious act and you can access all the ideas you've admired in other musicians you listen to and ecstatically freak yourself out with the new territory you find yourself in. That's it!!! Having "a religious experience" necessitates playing something NEW!!!

This implies that you listen to lots of different styles of music and that you are again fearless about how you listen to music so that you can let yourself be brought to tears or spontaneously break into dance because you've become one with the music you're listening to.

Another important aspect of this fearlessness is to not be afraid to express yourself. I teach high school music and a part-time studies blues guitar course in college, and I constantly see students afraid to play expressively or emotionally–"What would people think if I suck or if my attempt at expression is goofy?" Or, "I can't put a crescendo here–there isn't one there." YES YOU CAN!!!! It's amazing how students respond when I tell them this, at least the fearless ones. They start playing with emotion simply because you tell them that it's okay to give it a try.

So I agree with much of what Carlos Santana says, though I think there are some tangible things that have to happen before you can regularly lose yourself in an improvisational ecstasy. I've mentioned the importance of listening deeply to as many different styles of music possible, but there are other tangible strategies you can adopt that are especially linked to playing with emotion. For example:

• Go out of your way to play dynamically–practice an exaggerated right hand touch, both light and heavy and everything in between.
• When you play with other musicians, make sure you are playing with them and not overly focused on yourself–the more you can focus on them, the more you can together create something beautiful.
• Pat Metheny said a couple issues ago, "Always be the worst musician in the band." Truly, when you play with great players, they will bring out the best in you (if you're willing to let them do that to you).
• Don't learn other guitarists' solos note for note. Instead, listen to them without a guitar in your hands, enjoy them, let them influence you, but don't try to learn every note, nuance, etc. of someone else's playing–just let it trickle into your playing naturally. Listen to the great sax players, the great vocalists–let that seep into your playing.
• "Keep the tape rolling." In other words, if you screw up, or someone else does, that's in the past. Make the best of NOW. If the drummer counts in the tune at a tempo that's not ideal, embrace the opportunity to explore this tempo–let it uncover it's magic. You're playing your least favourite song on the set list? Pretend it's your favourite. You get the drift...ATTITUDE...DETERMINATION.
• Be succinct. If you're tearing up the fretboard, make your exit while you're hot. Many a great solo can degenerate into mediocrity because you went for another chorus but couldn't maintain the intensity.

These are all tangible things you can do to play inspired solos without having to plunge into an austere, monastic way of life and without having to sit in front of the metronome playing scales.

Delete this whole thread.
Playing from the heart cannot be described with mortal language.

I wrote this in response on another thread, but it seemed appropriate for this one too...

There are certain things you can do to put yourself in a place that has a higher percentage chance of good results. Not all of those things are musical knowledge like chords and scales.

Which he prefaced with advice about making POSITIVE statements like "I will do" something instead of negative ones like "Hope I don't screw up!"and the reply he got was;

So...I should say "I WILL screw up!" as a positive statement?

Hmmm.

Not exactly what I was going for there Bill, but an interesting approach, I'll give you that much. And, I can pretty much ALWAYS deliver on it, so I won't be disappointed. Hey, that's turning a negative into a positive! And if anybody comments on my screw-ups, I can honestly say "I MEANT to do that, ya phillistine! Ya just don't understand affirmative self-expression, ya fruit dip!"

Great idea, Bill, can't wait to try it out...

Music is everywhere. Spend time on the ocean, or in the mountains and you will hear music all around you...IF YOU LISTEN. Music is not limited to the instrument, the voice or the musician, it is a collective channeling of the sound (music) that is all around us, ALL THE TIME. This is true in nature and the world around as, as well as the world of notes, chords and compositions that make up all forms of music...The reality is "IT'S ALL BEEN PLAYED BEFORE".

The "intangible" is the players ability to break down all that seperates them from the channeling, and connection with the music that surrounds us, and when allowed, enters into us. When the player, regardless of instrument, medium, or genre, is able to "cast out" (A Santana-ism) and connect with the music, then each note, each phrase, ease expression, regardless of the number of times played before becomes unique to that individual, that moment, and truly posts itself as singular. THese are the moments and performance we remember, From our own playing and when we hear it in others. Whether in the practice room, in a garage, or on stage or in the studio, this is source of the music that moves us. Why can I (or you) play the same piece as someone else, and have one performance trigger feeling and emotion, thought and even social conversation (Hello Dylan, Lennon, et. al) where the other is just a "rehersal" that even if appreciated for its capacity and competence leaves us feeling nothing...that is the definition and power of the intangible.

Every note, every chord, every SOUND has been played before. There is nothing "new", so how do each of us make the sound our own? That is the quest for the intangible...Keola Beamer (Hawaiian Slack Key), Santana, Miles, Coltrane, DiMeola, Robert Mirabal (Native American Flute), Stevie Ray, and of course Jimi not to mention everyones unique "list" of the amazing artists (hopefully yourself included on the right night) that capture this "thing" that can't be catagorized, but makes us feel _____________ (you name it)...that is the intangible.

For me as a player it is my quest, for me as a listener I hope it is your's too, for when we hit it, one note or a scale of dozens, Umm...to quote Dizzy Gilespie, "Thats the sound!"

Hi. I came over to the Guitar Player forums in response to the "intangibles" invitation in the magazine itself. I get the impression that just popping in from nowhere with a thought or an opinion might be annoying to long-time members.

So...clue me in: What's the etiquette for joining this discussion, or the forums in general?

I'll freely admit up front that I am intrigued by the PRS, but I'll also admit up front that, in my own way, I've been thinking about some of what Carlos talks about in the article for some...I guess...decades...

In any case, I'll check back later. Let me know what's the proper way to join in...

Ed

Welcome to the greatest forum on the planet! We appreciate your thoughtfulness. You're in the contest thread now, but just start a thread sayin' hi, talk about your gear, styles, tastes, inspirations, etc. Just read the rules, and you'll have a handle on how we work it here. You already have good etiquette, so no worries. Glad to have ya!

My first true brush with the intangible was at an open-mic blues jam at a bar when I was about 21. I was playing with some very experienced session dudes and a few guys who were quite highly respected on the local scene, and we launched into a Chicago blues groove. Everyone got up and danced, we took a lot of chances on stage with complete confidence that all of the musicians would catch each other if we went off the rails, and afterwards the small crowd went absolutely wild. Being a dude with somewhat low self esteem, I thought "Whoa, they must really have liked those fills the drummer was doing, or something." But after I got off stage, a couple came up to me and said that the whole vibe of the room changed when I got up there, and it started to feel like a party. They said my guitar playing had the ability to make everyone in the room immediately put aside whatever mood they were previously in, and feel happy.

It didn't have anything to do with technique or anything like that, and I'm certainly not egotistical enough to think I was so bitchen that it was really because of me. I think it was partially my excitement at being up on stage with these guys I really respected, and just the whole right place/right time thing. The combination of the players and the audience created something unique, an energy which, while intangible in and of itself, created a very real and observable effect on the room as a whole. It was something unique to that situation, those people, that time.

I find that I get the most positive feedback from non-guitarists when I'm thinking about other things while playing. Steve Vai has often said that he'll tell himself a story or focus on a feeling when he's improvising, becuase it infuses his playing with true human experience, rather than the academic pursuit of notes or the physical display of technique. I first read this when I was about 12 or 13 and it had a huge impact on me and how I see improvisation. I love shredding like a hellbeast, but I play at my best when I trust my feelings, Jedi-style, and try to put a voice to feelings that have no words to define them.

(By the way, I'm not posting here just to win the guitar - I'm in Australia so I don't know if I'm even eligible - I've been meaning to join this forum for a long time and the question posed in the Santana article just gave me a little nudge).

After reading the Santana interview, I had to join this forum and make a post...My "evil EGO" would also like to have the PRS.
I have a little different view of the "Intangible" and playing from "the heart".Having made my living as a painter for many years and having played the guitar about the same amount of time;I have noticed that when I do my best work as an artist I am not thinking about technical things or the process of painting. The brush becomes like a guitar pick and my left hand is like the fretting hand. with my right hand I am playing the notes or making the brush strokes. With my left hand I am picking up the colors or forming the chords.
The paintings that touch people and move them to buy are the ones that come out of that zone where the mind is really kind of taken out of gear and some force deap inside the spirit takes over.
The exact same thing happens when some pleasing melody or tune comes out on the guitar. Going to that "zone" either with paint or music always seems like a physical switch being turned on somewhere in the deepest part of the "soul" if you will. Turning this switch on just seems to be a matter of coming to the guitar or canvas with a open mind to just have fun and let whatever comes out come out.
There is my feeling this from a different place. Thank You Guitar Player and most of all thank you Santana.

Intangibles, huh? The philosophy I employ coalesced in my mind after seeing Joe Satriani on his first club tour at the Cabaret in San Jose many years ago. After the show I got to meet Joe, and my then girlfriend told him that it wasn’t until the end of the show that she realized that he hadn’t been singing. Joe responded by saying that was the best compliment he ever received because that was what he was trying to achieve.

This really stuck with me. Music should always compliment the lyrics of a song and instrumental music should also be lyrical in sense. To use this in playing or songwriting I start by placing a finger on any string, any fret or by fretting any chord. I hit the note or chord and choose a word to accompany it (e.g. hit a simple Em and sing "the rain"). I like pronouns (I, he, she etc.), names, nouns (rain, river or anything that comes to mind) or really whatever springs forth in the moment. After choosing the beginning of the line I put a phrase together and play a progression along with it. The first choice doesn’t always result in the final choice but eventually a match is found and a melody is born. This can sometimes result in a song with lyrics or an instrumental piece that matches the chosen words and the mood of the music to create a lyrical melody.

This approach allows me to get in touch with concsious or subconcious thoughts and feeelings and express them in song. When it truly works on an instrumental piece, the listener should hear the lyrics even though there aren't any. I’ll never be Joe Satriani, but I think he might approve.

The point of this topic is to talk about intangibles (that which can not be touched, or difficult to understand or explain). Yet we attempt to explain it anyway. If the intangible could be touched, explained, and utilized at our will, then we would be able to tap into the intangible at anytime. Yet, this is not the case. In spite of this fact, we can adopt a certain attitude that makes it easier to create riffs, melodies, lyrics, and songs. We can keep our mind open to any outside thought, idea, or musical phrase while practicing or going about our daily activities. If we have a practice session where we feel we are not inspired by the intangible we can accept this as a natural part of the creative process and move on to the next moment. Acceptance of this fact will bring peace to our mind, and the inspiration we were looking for. The music we want to express exists within us and we all have the potential to develop as musicians. Any music we create, evaluate, and revise can be done so in the spirit of compassion.

Thanks for the welcome, Bluesape... It is much appreciated...

I've been dipping my toe into a few of the forum threads, which are really fun so far...

I'm also using this 'intangibles' thread as an excuse to slow down and think through what seems true to me, so we'll see how that all turns out...

Ed

The Santana interview struck me because it goes beyond the mechanics of playing and equipment, and points directly to the source of creativity.

My experience as both musician and therapist over the past twenty years suggests that this is an aspect of life that gets unnecessarily complicated. So what I want to contribute to this discussion is my best attempt at keeping it simple.

A good starting point is to notice that each of us has within us a source of inspiration, a source of creative energy. It provides power to create, it provides the power behind our life, and it is a source of innate wisdom. It functions like a deep well that we can tap into for energy and inspiration at any time. It’s essential nature is formless and infinitely adaptable, as ‘willing’ to be the source for a symphony as the source for the design of a backyard shack. It ensures that we can have a ‘fresh thought’, a thought that seems new to us, a thought we haven’t rehearsed, got from someone else, or thought before. It’s important to notice that we have this source within us from the outset. It’s built-in, innate. It’s not going anywhere, and we don’t have to do anything to get one.

This source is called a lot of things. In the kind of psychology I practice it gets called mind, meaning something bigger and more universal than ‘brain’ or our personal mind. It gets called source, it gets called soul, it gets called tao. It really doesn’t matter what it’s called. It’s good to notice that it’s there, that we can learn to rely on it and tap into it. We can also notice that, even before noticing it, we have been tapping into it, in big and small ways, our whole lives. We don’t have to earn it or create it or do anything arcane to find it.

The second thing is to notice that this source energy arises in us in two basic ways. One way that it arises is through what we can call our personal thought, our analytical, “figure-it-out”, chatter-in-the-head, constant-commentary sort of thought. This is the part of our thought that we usually think of when we say ‘thought’. Someone I know calls this sort of thought “listening to brain radio.” It’s chattery, it’s busy, it’s thinking about yesterday, it’s planning for and imagining the future, it’s commenting on the here-and-now. It wonders if you shut off the stove. Did you lock the front door? It’s a natural part of who we are, and very important. It helps us learn from experience, and plan for the future. It helps us stay alive in a sometimes dangerous world. It helps us achieve goals. It likes setting a direction and working out structures. It balances the checkbook.

And the only problem is that this part of us, important though it is, is only a part of us—and it thinks it’s the whole ball of wax. It’s our ego-mind, as Carlos correctly points out. It sees its job as keeping us safe, watching out for danger, and preserving its own standing. It can get caught up in being fearful, anxious and self-protective. That’s one of its jobs.

The third thing we can notice is that the other way this source energy arises in us is in a different mode of thought, the sort of thought that arises when we would say we’ve got ‘nothing much’ on our mind. I sometimes get into it when biking. I also sometimes think of it as “hammock mind”. This is a sort of thought that is present, very present-moment oriented, very much in-the-moment. It is by nature flowing, and, while attentive in a very wide open way, is also relaxed and at ease. It’s that kind of mind that we refer to when we say we’re in the zone or in the groove, when we can’t miss the basket from the free-throw line or can’t play a wrong note. People have been noticing that it exists, discovering and rediscovering it, forever. What tends not to be seen is that this is our natural state, our default state. We’re actually built to spend most of our time in this relaxed, attentive, present state, and to drop into the more analytical space for brief moments of goal-oriented cogitation. The problem is that in our culture, and most cultures, we’re raised to do it the other way round, to consider this flowing state, in which we have relatively easy access to inspiration, to be the anomaly, the thing that needs to be earned, found, traveled to, discovered.

The good news is that this is our natural state. It returns, buoyantly, any time we ‘clear our minds’, or any time our mind clears naturally, as effortlessly as an ice cube floats to the top of a cup. The further news is that it the feeling associated with this clear-minded state is a very good feeling. We feel free, we feel loose, we feel clear. Complicated things seem simple. All notes have their place. Falling into this state of mind has a quality of ‘coming home’ about it. We like it. When out of it, we miss it and yearn for it.

The bad news is that when we don’t know it’s our natural state, and our birthright, we go looking for it wherever we last saw it. If we cleared our mind one afternoon with a shot of tequila, we can get to thinking, “Hey, I know—it’s in the tequila!” If we found it in a joint, we think that’s ‘the secret’. If we cleared our mind when in a relationship, we think we need to have someone to love to have that feeling. If we cleared our mind when in a period of celibacy, we think that that’s the secret. If our mind cleared while we were running, or biking, we think the secret’s in the running or biking. Ever know anyone who is absolutely crabby, impossible and out of sorts if they couldn’t have their morning run? That restless, searching dissatisfaction is what drives addictions, among them musician’s addictions.

And all the while, “that for which you are seeking is that with which you seek.” The only secret, if secret it is, is that we have within us a source of clear-minded, wide-open and inspiring being, a state of peace, the capacity for which never leaves us. We return to it naturally any time our busy personal minds settle down, any time we let go listening to ‘brain radio’, any time we let go our attachment to our own thinking and drop into the present moment, free and clear. It’s what we’re looking for, our natural mental health, our muse. We may find it on a walk, or while playing, but its source is always within us.

Remembering this, coming back to our natural, wider, more universal sense of self, is more important than any of the (admittedly important and fun) minutiae of tubes, strings, cables, gear and scales. I think that it is this formless source of creative energy within us to which Carlos is pointing when he talks about ‘intangibles’: it’s the source, and it’s within us all the time.

I haven`t read the Santana interview but I know he has been intensely into exploring what we usually think of as `intangible` forces for many years. The contest-whatever. I`ll just throw in a comment and also concur with Ed`s statement.
My take on it is that the intangible and tangible are inextricably, intrinsically linked. Much smarter people than I have known for a very long time that each of us has a lattice of centers of vibration, associated with our sense of individual selves, our sense of others-the `collective self`, our capacity to empathize with others, our emotions, our spirituality. when we talk of music we often hear people talk of `playing with emotion`, but there are those rare individuals who, listening to them play one has a sense that they are playing with spirituality. Someone who could make you laugh, cry and think all in one go. From brute aggression to universal love, all involve tapping into that place in ourselves. By expressing ourselves through music, art, whatever we allow others to tap into it as well.
Oh, and-not that anyone here would do this of course-but it`s important to distinguish `intangible` (cannot be felt by touch)
from `imperceptible` (cannot be detected by the senses). Music itself, once produced, is an intangible.

Well, I have read the Carlos Santana interview twice, and I am going to share it with non-musicians as well as players because I think Carlos has succintly identified the Essence of Artistic Genesis. The Intangibles got me "hooked" (thanks John Lee) in my teenage years and carried me forth for 20 yrs as a pro musician. I stopped playing at that time due to my disdain for the industry and some of the people I had met. Not a God Light to be found anywhere around me at that time. Fast forward some years, I find myself touched by the colors I tasted hearing Jon Butler Trio and his Marshall amped acoustic guitars and banjo. Yes indeed, _Touched_ by the _Colors_ I _Tasted_ when I _Heard_ John Butler Trio....We Humans have more than an opposed thumb to manifest our individual and collective Destiny. We have a gift to transmit Pure Love through our creations. We CAN change the world 2 ears at a time.

I have permanently re-kindled my musician path and when I play now I try to get out that which is inside. First, for myself so that I may recieve clarity in the vehicle(note synchopation riff whatever) then like catching the perfect blue wave or hot air updraft releasing myself (from ego,fear just like Carlos says)to magnify and share it with whomever is destined to recieve it by being there at THAT time. INtangible is " Can't touch it..." Carlos has stated so eloquently that which I believe to be about chanelling (or delivering, words are small and can divide us) Pure Love and Light from Heaven and changing the way we feel and what we think. Taking us closer to that Pure Love and Light. That is why we people love to hear music after all, to take us on a trip to a cooler place.

When I practice now which is a lot, I try to get this inspiration in my practicing. I look for things that I play that I like to hear. Then I work to be as proficient as I can be on the task at that time. I don't measure perfect, I just try my best. If I can hear something I like but I cannot quite get it out, I don't worry. I put it away and remember it is just on the next ledge up when I get a litle bit better. My toolbox seems pretty full to me because I always feel inspired when I play now. I can't quite put my fingers or picks on why, so I guess I will call it INtangible..hmmmm.

I believe there is some great and mysterious force in all of us. It's meant to be used for good that's undeniable. Realization that it is there and the level to which it's understood lies in the individual. It guides in determining what to hold onto, what to let go of. It keeps you moving in the right direction. I try to lock onto this force to guide my creativity in music. I try using it in deciding which notes, passages and/or rhythms I should weed out or keep. This way I feel I move through music in the right direction. I notice that it helps mold the sound seamlessly. I notice it helps create harmonic resolve. I notice that it ultimately helps create something good which in turn elicits something good.

I once heard Carlos Santana say that he likes to pick up his guitar as if he's never played the instrument before. I've always thought that was a great approach -- although, in my case, I've had to worry that the audience might come to the same conclusion. But I can't blame Carlos for that.

Sometimes, once I've gotten past my usual, mundane technical concerns -- humbuckers versus single coils, maple versus rosewood, short scale versus long scale -- it can be inspiring to deal with the bigger issues before I play a note: Who am I? If this were my last day on earth, and I had to make one statement -- something that would people understand who I was and what I was doing on this planet -- what would it be?

Of course, after that, I usually go back to obsessing over string gauges, but for a minute or two -- sometimes -- I can really fly.

Whoops -- I left out a word in my post. Just for the sake of getting this right, here it is again:

I once heard Carlos Santana say that he likes to pick up his guitar as if he's never played the instrument before. I've always thought that was a great approach -- although, in my case, I've had to worry that the audience might come to the same conclusion. But I can't blame Carlos for that.

Sometimes, once I've gotten past my usual, mundane technical concerns -- humbuckers versus single coils, maple versus rosewood, short scale versus long scale -- it can be inspiring to deal with the bigger issues before I play a note: Who am I? If this were my last day on earth, and I had to make one statement -- something that would make people understand who I was and what I was doing on this planet -- what would it be?

Of course, after that, I usually go back to obsessing over string gauges, but for a minute or two -- sometimes -- I can really fly.

Hi. After reading Mr.Santana's spiritual views and his views of "intangibles" I would like to toss my two cents into the mix.I tend to see music in a linear fashion,much like the way it is written on a sheet of paper,following a precise and direct set of instructions the same way that an air traffic controller looks at the radar screen and sees a number of images all lined up in a linear fashion representing air traffic that is coming in from all directions,stacked up on top of each other. This technique forces the reader to view the images in a three dimensional way ,knowing that they are not stacked one on top of each other but have a circular pattern ,so to speak,as to where they are in relation to each other. Written music is somewhat like that to me and this is where the "intangibles" come in to play for me.The intangibles are the notes that you have to go and reach out and get, grab them out of the air,from behind your head or your body and pull them back ,knowing instinctively how to phrase them and make them sound like they belong even though there was no way of writing them into the linear lines of the music.That sense of magic and feel are central to the "intangible" feeling that either Carlos,Hendrix,Page or the kid down the block is always grabbing for ,the sonic movement of notes and sound in which in those few microseconds something glorious happens that can raise hairs.Anyway, just a few thoughts but I guess that is what the "Intangibles" mean to me. Thanks ,Oilerguy

The worst thing a musician can do is think.Sometimes someone will say to you “I’ll be there” , or “I’ll do this” etc etc. Later on a friend might ask you “how did it go with Harry” (or whoever) , and you’ll say “he said he’s gonna do this but I don’t think he will , I don’t know why ,I don’t reckon they’ll do what they said..”. Nine out of ten times you end up saying”I knew they’d let me down ,I should have trusted my gut”.Your gut knows better.When I play , I trust my gut.I don’t care if I crash and burn because the ride is too exciting.I’m lost inside the music.If you think about what you’re going to play next , you’re done.You have already bypassed your gut.The most important note is the one that you play after the note you are about to play.It’s the note that your gut tells you to play.Not your head.I lost my brother a few years back.A few months later , I had a chord progression that I had recorded playing.I plugged in and played.Five minutes later I stopped.I didn’t realise I was crying all the way through.I cried for a while after and when I stopped , something had changed.I don’t know what that piece of music I recorded means to anybody else.There’s no words.I didn’t know what I was going to play.Now I know that the song is about my brother.Don’t think,just play.Play through your laughter , joy , love , pain , tears ……..just play.

Art of all kinds is only true art while it is being created. After the painting is finished or the song is recorded, it is only a representation of the artist. Yes, we can find pleasure in viewing great works in a museum or listening to a recording of a great musical artist, but true art only happens while it is being made. This is why live music is so precious to us. It is true art being created in the moment and it is gone after the note has been played.

I think what would be cool in the realm of 'intangibles', now that there are a lot of contributions, would be if we start doing a little more give and take, and make this thing a little more conversational rather than a series of 'one-offs'...different people picking up on things from each other's posts and musing on them...

For myself, I'm gonna re-read the bunch and see what strikes me...

Ed

"In arts, intangibles commonly refer to the artists unique embodiment of substance and form". -wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Intangibles" that you and I access, arise out of one and only one place, the depths of our bowels. Dig deep into your heart, mind and soul and you just might find an ounce of this gift that none can offer but yourself. Either you have it or you don't. If you have faith in God, how do you know it? You feel it, much like the pain that you feel when a dentist pulls your tooth out. You feel it, but you can't prove to anybody that you feel it. When I write a song, compose a melody or come up with a riff, I don't sit and map out my progression, I don't think about the I chord, the IV chord or whether my melody is a flat 5th in relation to the harmony. I just play! It is like an endless spring of energy, passion, and conviction that molds my being. When I am emersed in my "intangible" world, it is as if I am naked, my mind, heart and soul is exposed to all, there is no ego, no thoughts about what is right or wrong, no thoughts about what scales, notes, or chords I am playing. I am as a blind man, I have to let go off all my inhibitions, have faith and trust that I will arrive at my destination. I strongly believe that if you don't dance, laugh, experience joy, pain, anger and or have balled your eyes out while creating your "unique embodiment of substance and form", then you have not experienced the gift of the intangible nature of music that only "comes from the heart". So next time you play a note and it doesn't hit you like a ton of bricks, close your eyes, let go, and without a doubt, listen to your heart. Unlock this gift and you will offer this world what no one else can offer; your mind, heart and soul!

jaime enrique

What are the personal "Intangible" that come into play as you develop melodies , riffs and song? First I think you have to have a true desire to create. So that you will follow through then trust your instincts to what inspires you. Then use you imiganation to come up with ideas that you can use in a creative way to express your inspiration.

Intangibles ( Nonphysical )
Deisre
Instinct
Inspiration
Imagination
Creativity

Intangibles and tangible are part of the process one supporting the other.

What mysteries do you dip into to create your music?
Example: Express moods, emotions, with words or chords,
recreating an environment use effects
comming up with lyrics use unusual word combinations


It helps to describe or recreate in a more poetic sense. What I mean by that is to strip away as much as possible leaving only the details or essentials to descibe what it is you have become inspired by. You can create with something interesting that has been said or seen. Let you instincts be your guide. Does not have to be profound just something cool like asparagus.

I think the reason Einstein said imiganiation is more important than knowledge is because knowledge is finite and imiganiation is infinite thus using your imagination rather than using known knowledge gives you a infinite source of resources to create from.

How do you define playing from the heart?
In my opinion I think playing from the heart is most important because you are relying or trusting your instincts which makes your creation much more personable and reveling of ones self or interself. I think when you use your instinct you are operating on a much more primal level. You have to work in reverse and only when you finished are you truly able to analize what you have done, so you have to trust your instinct to get you there. I also think as a musician your instincts are fine tuned to recognize things you can use in a artistical sense. Just like a boxer is more in tune with fight or flight basic instincts a musiciain uses instincts in the same way. What is important to recognize is your instincts so you can begin to use and trust them.

Music is the language of the soul and an emotional release.

INSTINCTS: Is inherited dispositon of a living organism toward a particular behavior

Unlearned, Inherited, Fixed Action

Intangibles are the kinds of influences that allow the guitarist to be an instrument, which invites the moment to play the player. Ego diminishment and a little courage are the main requirements.

I've played in improv bands for over a decade, and whether in studio or live we always aim to remain open to being carried forward. In that state of flowing surrender there are sections or whole pieces that somehow approach organic perfection. It's amazing to hear a playback of such moments, and when I listen to the guitar part, played by me, I enjoy the fact that I can't picture the fretting hand's movements in my mind. If I could I wouldn't be intruiged because I'd know I was playing it safe.

Sadly, most popularity and attraction from the opposite sex comes soonest to young players who are "re-creational" and not creatively exploring the unknown in themselves.I imagine if Hendrix could meet a young player who mimicked his style he'd say "Yeah man that's flattering and all, but I wish you'd let me hear who YOU are." It would be an insult to offer Jimi anything less.

Playing from the heart is courage - the guts to try things and divert from the present day "cool" sounding guitar styles, which ironically started out as the result of indominable exploratory individuals playing from their heart.

There will of course be moments from every player that sound like another player, but they should come and go as a tip of the hat to that other player who deserves respectful aknowledgment. Anything too lengthy would be like stepping on the other player's toes and refusing to step off. There's always an inspired musical counterpoint that can be found instead, even if several guitarists are playing at once,and to find that I often imagine a playback with my part panned to a seperate speaker. This helps me achieve a complimentary quality while playing.

If I would recommend dipping into the esoteric side of music's intangibles, it would be to open the door to chance and find through synchronicity or serendipity that surprises can happen, and that they can gratify the players and listeners beyond compare. Just slide to that far away note or turn that unfamiliar knob on the effects box and see what happens.

I wanted to think about this topic a whole lot more before posting my comments but I fear the time is growing near to win that PRS single volume no tone knob P90 type git fiddle...my friends all know I'm a Strat player and will tease me if I ever show up with anything else but I'm bound and determined to try and explain the intangibles anyway...I love the fact that GP takes on many different view points on how to play guitar (including one of my idols Carlos Santana), I doubt that many if not any of our readers could walk out on stage with a couple of thousand listeners ready and waiting in the $70 seats and rely on God or any other omen to help improvise their way through the mix...I am more impressed by the fact that such great artists read our forum comments on line and refer back to them in the GP interviews...some players (including one in your latest issue writers Frank Gambale) think that you must copy tunes note for note and that scales are "not music"..while this may be one tactic on learning to play and though it may be a good one Santana would call this person a poser or one who plays by rote...I tell my friends if you want to play just like the original go by yourself a karaoke CD and play with the record...if you want to play with me then let yourself go and play my arrangement, I in turn will play yours or try and play just like the reoord...even Clapton said in an interview that he does not play like the original recording (to incluse sunshine of your love or any other major song riff)...while I find value in both methods of learning I will side on improvisation every time....guitar is a language, the scales, arpeggios, chord voicing, etc., are all just tools to help all players reach their nervana...for me, it's like Santana and Steve Cropper said, you need someone to lay down the rythm or groove and then layer your improv leads over them...this is where loopers or tape player can play a very important role as they allow a whole lot of groove to be layed down and you can't blame the rythm guitar player as you are the rythm guitar player...now you just let loose and write your own leads based on chord voicings and scale patterns...I like what Al Di Meola said "I never fit in to the rock world or the jazz world and I was so happy about that" or John Lee Hooker saying "what really bugs me is anybody telling me how to play".. there are so many great ideas in GP magazine that all you have to do is pay attention...I hope I have provided your judges panel something thought provoking...if not consider this, the rythm guitar has been left out in the power trios as they think only a bass and drums and one great guitar man is needed...but the magic works and dreams come true in groups like the beatles and the rolling stones where the forgotten rythm guitar lays down the groove and allows the lead to really rock and roll... as Kieth Richards said in the Shine a Light...we're not that good in fact we're crappy but when you put the two of us together we're better than any top 10 or 20 guitarists (paraphrazed)...so stop and think about it...lay down the right chords, add some bass and drums, some magic conntection lead and some 3way vocals and you've got yourself a band that few can contend with...so be it...improvise over chords and do your own thing...if you can write some lyrics you've got a hit....take care, Larryz ps. it's like giving a speach at your daughter's wedding, just know the groove and speak from the heart, the riffs will come at the beginning or they will come later...just incorporate them into your life. This is what inspires me, keeps me going and helps me write new songs.

After reading some, or many of the posts here, one thing is obvious...too much thinking. It's funny though that this topic came up. I was at a conference not so long ago and the presenter brought up this same topic in another sense. "Intangibles" is when we are playing and we just get lost within ourselves. There isn't any real way we can describe this, it just happens. So instead of sitting here thinking of what to say, I believe some famous guitarist once said..."Just pick up yer guitar and PLAY"!!

My first posting on this forum, but wanted to share my very first and life altering intangible experience. During late summer of 1978, I was 16 and trying to learn Trower's "Daydream" from his Live album and just couldn't get the feel he had for it. Not long afterward, my oft-drunk father came home from a night of drinking and started into a typical loud argument with my mother. I had to leave the house for my own sanity and went for a walk on what was an extremely windy night (it was around midnight). I came upon a large willow tree that was whipping wildly in the wind and looked absolutely amazing against the moonlit skyline.

I have no idea what compelled me to do it, but I removed every stitch of my clothing and climbed as close to the top as I could and found the perfect nest for my body to recline in and I laid out and held on to smaller branches on either side of my body and I let myself relax like I had never done before. The feeling I experienced that night was like nothing I've ever felt before or since. I was being flung and whipped in all sorts of directions at once, but at the same time it was as if I was standing still as well. It is impossible to explain that sensation, but I felt like I was an instrument being played by the tree or that I was music itself that the tree was making. All I know is that after what seemed like a long time the wind died down and I left in something of a daze and made my way home, where all was quiet by then.
I went to my room and without thinking about anything consciously just started playing and I couldn't believe what was happening. Everything I was feeling was pouring out through my hands, the guitar and into my ears, as if I wasn't even physically involved in the process. I played and played until I was spent and really felt I had found what I was looking for earlier that day, which was to achieve a feeling of boundless freedom when putting my thoughts into music. I am certainly not saying that this made me a more technical player in an instant, but it truly transformed the way I approach my craft to this day still.

First, I want to everyone for your thoughts on what inspires you to “get into the zone” when playing from that amazing place which keeps us all coming back to our guitars. Although I already have a couple amazing guitars, I certainly would like to add a PRS to my collection. It reminds me of that old joke, “how many guitars is enough...just one more!”
I am a self-proclaimed guitar hack who has been fortunate enough to have experienced playing in “the zone” enough times to realize I might as well run an IV from my guitar jack to my arm. Your thoughts on playing from a place of honesty, emotions, experimentation, spirituality, communication, and without ego really made me think about my playing in a way I never thought about it before. However, when I think about these “zoneological” ingredients, I realized that they may or may not exist at any one time. For example, I have heard many amazing egotistical guitarists. Likewise, I have played in the zone while never intending to communicate one note to another human. So I could not help but think about the common thread that seems to connect every amazing guitarist I have ever heard. All have something they passionately need to say. Whether it’s a message for a broad audience or it’s that letter you write but never send. Whether it’s a story about bravery, compassion, a psychedelic experience, a broken heart, the absolute joy of love, or anger about the ignorance in the world, every note in every great guitar solo or chord progression sings a message. So I think the best way to get into the zone is to live every day to its fullest so you have something to say. Go see an art exhibit, eat something you never tasted before, have a conversation with someone who thinks differently from you, travel to another part of the world. The beauty of this approach is that 10 different people can look at the same painting and have 10 different things to say about it. This can translate into 10 great guitar solos! Every time I experience something in life that I need to say something about, I find it easy to loose myself in my guitar. Well, PRS or no PRS, this exercise has made me appreciate that it is impossible to accurately describe what it is like to be in that state of euphoria. I think if you can capture that feeling in words, you would not only be a great guitarist, you also would be one of the greatest writers in history.

I think what you're addressing is the paradox, what happens when you think about the state of not-thinking, or try to talk about it... To me, that doesn't mean it's not worth trying, it just means that one has understand that you're never going to nail it in words.

Getting even simpler with what I was trying to say, it's something like, "You'll play best with a clear mind". And following up on that, "Your capacity to have a clear mind is built in--you don't have to go outside yourself to get it." And even, "Your mind gets clear automatically from time to time." It's good to know these things.

I think of that clear mind less as "getting lost within ourselves", and more as "dropping out of our habitual thinking and back into who we really are."

Thanks for a thought provoking post.

Ed