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Hi, this is not exactly on topic and yet it is very much so. I urge you, if you haven't already to look into Robert Greene's book "Mastery".

I have posted a blog article in relation to it which you might find interesting. In one of the first chapters he talks about genius and how it's often misinterpreted as something bestowed by the gods. Something unattainable for the normal person. Is that necessarily the case? Over the past few years I've changed my views on that.

You can read a short "essay" about it on in my new blog.

I wish you all a great and inspired new week full of challenges to overcome!

inspiring thoughts

I should get that book. Give it a read.
There are others who talk of the same thing. They've studied it. How to obtain this.
One way of looking at Mastery is called Flow. I have a Coach who speaks of this very much. Also a book I read from a piano teacher talks of Flow. I've mentioned the name a few times, it's: The Art of Practicing Piano.

I listened to the piece you did where you experienced flow. Congratulations.

I can't agree with you more. People really should know that they can obtain this. I also think that people can discover true riches in life that money can't buy. If they chase after money and wanting. That works against their ever discovering this.

There is something in long distance running called "the zone" where you enter into a state of your running/breathing feeling effortless. Sounds very similar to what you are discussing here about "the flow".

There are a few things you need if you want to get into "the zone", you need to be very fit, tiredness also helps but importantly it is the ability to be able to clear your mind of junk thoughts and almost but not quite meditate.

So if you ever hear someone ask a runner why they do it, don't believe anything they say unless they say they are addicted to "the zone" for it is sweet heaven.

I believe piano is an endurance activity, snd one day I will have "the flow"...............in the meantime where do I buy it.

Yes I am familiar with the term, it's also used in other sports. When you are in the zone you feel like anything is possible. Not even feel, but rather know. Everything you do is very effective and any problems that usually make you stumble now just add to the excitement as you conquer them seemingly with no effort.



I am also often times (most of the time) in the same mindset but it's all in the realm of wishful thinking. One day is now, and it matters only what you will do today to get closer to your goal. Not one day. One day may otherwise never come.

That's so true.
Where we truly begin is in disciplining our autonomic mind/nervous system. If you honestly look at your life. So much of that runs our hearts. It should be the other way around. Our heart/mind running our autonomic (base existence mind).
This also extends to our lifestyle.

My Coach has used the example of an extremely successful Wall Street Broker. Does fantastic for his clients. He doesn't know why? He knows he loves his job. The day flies by for him. He experiences Flow in his job.

We can start by enjoying the journey. Don't wait for tomorrow. Know that all our problems, difficulties in learning piano. They are part of enjoying it. Overcome them. Look forward to working on them, now.

Thanks for the book recommendation. The nature vs. nurture debate (talent vs. hard work) has been rehashed too many times on the forum. It is unusual for a person to change their views. Mostly the debates start with a casual remark like the one being made here. However, soon enough the old feuds are resumed and it quickly becomes people metaphorically shouting at the top of their lungs, repeating the same points, pointing to the same evidence over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. So lets not go there again folks.

If not for the sake of the forum, then for the original poster. He has a sonata to learn and less than four weeks to complete the task.

Rule #1: no one wins an argument on the Internet.

I don't feel like arguing about it either. Just recommending a book one can only benefit from. Gaining knowledge on as many topic can only be useful to developing our brain, I think we ought to be open to new ideas, as many of them as possible, so we can develop our ability to think for ourselves and decide what's better for us personally.

I accept the other view that to be really really good you need a ton of talent and no amount of work can compensate. But for me it's detrimental to embrace the idea. Why put limits on yourself from the start. Play a few years and see for yourself what you can and cannot achieve.
Time for day 4 of the sonata project

Gee.... I went to work. Came back. And this somehow turned into something else?
I hope one of my comments didn't get off track.
I hope I didn't make anyone think you cannot achieve Mastery/Flow. You just need to know how. Some stumble on how to do it. They don't even know it.