It’s a tough subject to really nail down, this concept of playing on a “higher plane,” because quite frankly, it’s what I almost always need to achieve, especially when playing live. There are times I can achieve it when practicing also, and that is always helpful, because, since I am totally self-taught, I do need to get to a higher sense of playing to be able to take new steps forward. The “academic” approach only goes so far with me, as I really need to get on a more emotionally “felt” level with whatever I am learning, so it really sinks in and has a more profound impact on my style and technique.
It’s for this reason that when playing live, I can reach such heights that I will certainly play something that I most definitely NEVER, ever played before, and I can really blow my mind when I listen back to some tapes and say, “where’d THAT come from?” No question about it, reaching that higher sense of consciousness is imperative if you really ever expect to take some serious steps forward in your playing. It’s really as if one needs to be hit on an emotional level in order for the full impact of a learning experience to sink in as real, and permanent knowledge. I guess the only other semi-odd thing about this is that even though we have now learned something new, it may take some of us a while to get back to that “higher level” to even be able to play those passages again! These kinds of licks and ideas can, at times, be quite elusive, and even though they can be understood in an academic way, they’ll never sound the way we first created them, on that “higher plane”.
Odds are, that also when you reach this plane again, you’ll probably open up to something totally new and different yet again, which will have you moving forward in even more new directions than you’ve ever dreamed of! So, on with your playing, and more happy discoveries!