Three (3) Levels of Consciousness While Playing Jazz (or Improvising)

I’ve always felt that playing music is an ongoing juggling act between total awareness, losing yourself in the music, and all of the micro-steps in between.

Here are three levels of consciousness we want to always have at our disposal when playing music--especially improvised music.

1. Self-consciousness

2. Group-consciousness

3. Sub-consciousness

Let’s unpack this further.

Self-consciousness: This is the first place we want to start—with an awareness of what YOU can create musically. The more clearly you can define YOU and what YOU do, the more easily others can negotiate what YOU do in a group context. 

Group-consciousness: Here, you’re moving away from ME-centered ness to WE-centered ness. It’s not solely about what you can do individually, but collectively. It's about taking your energy and creating synergy with others.

Sub-consciousness: Now, we’re getting into a space of just being. It’s not about ME-centeredness or WE-centeredness, just simply being Centered. 

Losing oneself in the music with little to no awareness takes practice. And the best practice is simply playing. I usually say, “If you’re thinking about being in this state, then you’re probably not.”

Ultimately, what you want to do is bounce back and forth between the three. Each will enable you to tap into a different dimension of your artistic expression. And most of all, have fun!