This week I look at the idea of “inspired play”. This takes the traditional idea of music practice and turns it on its head. In inspired play, we are simply looking to get into the groove and find our way.
We also tap into the primal need for play which is evident when we spend time with cats and dogs who get into “play postures” before they wreak havoc on you and the house.
I named this method after Trey Anastasio who was kind enough to share his morning routine in a video.
One of the core tools for getting in there is really just playing along with other music. It’s not that complicated and I go into more detail about it during this week’s show.
What interests me about this method is how it can be applied to other disciplines such as writing and painting, as well as areas of life.
It makes me wonder, is there any way to bring inspired play to our day jobs? I often find it sad when we resign work to being drudgery that pays the bills. We throw our hands up and say, “they call it work for a reason”.
I don’t have the answers here but one of the best starting points in life is to begin with where you are. And this is why I always encourage people to pick up an instrument or something adjacent to music. The holidays is a great time to take a crack at it.
The Trey Anastasio Method for Inspired Play (Elliott’s Podcast)
Watch or listen to this one on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (audio only).
There are useful tips for people at all stages of playing music in this episode, including a critical holiday gift for the guitarist in your life as well as a life-changing app for practicing jazz and blues music.
If you are interested in attending a live jam session with me to help get you into the groove of playing music, then you can fill out this interest form.
Film Recommendation
In the world outside my own head, I enjoyed watching the film Stutz on Netflix this week about Jonah Hill’s therapist who has lived a fascinating life filled with plenty of metaphors and theories to help people who are struggling with mental health issues.
I was reluctant to watch it because I don’t like many things that involve celebrities but it was good. You can also view his website that shows a listing of the mental tools.
Thanks for reading and see you next week!
I’m looking forward to the holidays and plan to record/finish a few pieces of music then. What are your plans for this year? Write me back and let me know.
Elliott