Getting to the root expressive inhibition to become fluent
In this video, I explain why fluency can be so elusive, even for students who grasp the model and practise focusing on it. Music expresses inner feelings and we often believe that the permission to express them is denied. We can feel embarrassed, silly, or we might just perform over them inauthentically. To become fluent in any language requires that we express ourselves unselfconsciously. Music is no exception.
A musical trip into the magical darkness
In these videos I explore the inner realms of consciousness that music has the power to uncover. As a fluent musician, I use the language of rhythm and tonality to explore and express inner consciousness spontaneously, and this can open up a portal into a magical realm, taking me out of the mundane, daily grind. In this piece, the realm I go to is a dark one, yet beautiful and compelling too. I hope you like visiting it with me…
The Primary Blockage to Flow
Flow is not a conditional state based on an outward result but rather a deep, powerful, inward feeling that exists naturally at all times. We just need to access it directly. Accessing this inner feeling in all that we do is the goal or path of life.
The ego shoots for a different goal – not an inner one but an outer one. It seeks measurable, predictable, repeatable material results (control), which is a persistent distraction from our true goal of feeling flow on the inside. The error that good results create good feelings keeps us focused on those results – the wrong goal. In reality, the inner feeling of flow can include things that the ego thinks are insufferable; but love and kindness are feelings that depend on loss and sadness, even pain. Compassion, the heart’s primary feeling, needs us to acknowledge the shadow of vulnerability. So, we just need to feel whatever is truly there inside, and perhaps even better, express that feeling naturally.
With practice, we can access the inward, flowing, natural feeling just by stopping and tuning in (meditation), and also through many outward pursuits. Music is especially powerful for accessing and expressing inner feelings. However, practising anything can trigger the ego: our goal becomes doing it well to achieve good or perfect material outcomes. We’ve missed our true goal of inner flow and are left in an emotional state of fear and hunger, feeling insecure, pressurised, inadequate, and demoralised. The comfort, satisfaction and approval that achieving good results promises are never felt very deeply inside, and the hit of these very superficial emotions is very short-lived and addictive.
So we must LET GO of our ego gremlins’ goal of achieving good material results. Letting go also encourages us to feel DEFIANCE, which is a really great feeling – an emotion that transcends fear, shame and anger. Of course, when we feel good inside, favourable material outcomes appear as natural by-products, but don’t let them seduce you into making those results your goal. Defy those gremlins!
Darkest Green – Emerging from the Shadow
Darkest Green is an original piano composition from my project Butterflies, which has nothing to do with their aesthetics but rather their symbolism – exploring themes of transformation, emergence, inner metamorphosis.
This piece explores the hidden beauty of change, and the fragile power of transcendence, as it moves through shadows and feelings of uncertainty, with fluttering textures and expansive sweeps that reflect the tension between darkness and the fertile possibility of becoming.
Thank you for listening — I hope this piece says something that is relevant to you.
Two kinds of creativity: Aesthetic or True Expression
In this video, I explore two very different kinds of artistic creativity: aesthetic creativity and what I call true creativity. Aesthetic creativity is driven by stylistic manners, clever inventiveness, under the supervision of the critical mind. True creativity, on the other hand, comes from a deep, feeling and perhaps even spiritual place — the soul.
These two forms of creativity are not necessarily opposed, but they are different in essence. One can create amazing, excellent, inventive work from the top down — but true artistic power often comes from surrendering to something much more mysterious and heartfelt, coming from the deepest place.
Whether you’re a musician, painter, writer, or any kind of creator, this video may interest you, inviting you to wonder how your creative impulses and processes really work and where they come from.
Why wanting to play well can block your musical growth!
In this video, I explore a surprising but important truth: the desire to play music well—to impress, to achieve, to be perfect—can actually stand in the way of learning music as a language of feeling and self-expression.
Music is not just a performance art. It’s a way of communicating emotion, energy, and meaning. When we get caught up in status, ego, or perfectionism, we lose the spontaneity and fluency that real musical communication requires.
This video is for musicians, students, teachers or anyone at all who wants to reconnect with the deeper purpose of playing music— not to impress, but to express.
If you’ve ever felt blocked, tense, or disconnected from your music, this message could help you unlock your inner child’s creative voice.
How to Make Syncopated Rhythms Groove & Sit in the Pocket!
Struggling to make syncopated rhythms feel stable, flowing and cool? Whether you’re a drummer, instrumentalist, or vocalist, performing off-beat rhythms without sounding awkward or sloppy can be a challenge — you need to know how to practice getting them to sit in the pocket. In this video, I break down how to approach syncopation so it feels expressive, groovy, and flowing deeply and securely in the groove. I’ll explain:
- How to avoid sounding rigid or off-time
- Tips for developing internal feel and timing
- What separates clumsy syncopation from professional groove
- Exercises to help you master it
This isn’t just about getting the rhythm right — it’s about FEEL.
Deeply reflective piano music – the happiest place is now filled with great sadness
In this deeply felt piano performance, I tell a story of loss – of how being in a familiar beautiful place – last visited with someone loved and lost – can cause an avalanche of bittersweet memories. This original composition is both a reflection on longing and absence, but also the beauty of remembering. Before I play, I speak briefly about the creative process. If you’re experiencing loss and sadness, or just need a quiet moment of inward reflection, I hope this might bring you some solace.
What kind of music is best for training fluent musicianship?
To fully internalize the language of music in order to become a fully fluent musician, you must find the mindset of a child to be full of awe and wonder. The music we practise in this state is unsophisticated, yet it feels very deep and powerful, especially in the early stages when the language used must be very simple. To do this, we must let go of our adult musical taste and the associated repertoire, styles and genres, as well as any theoretical ideas of what music is or how it functions, and focus on the very simple model of musical language that I teach, practising in a pure, playful, unselfconscious state, like a small child.
MUSICAL CONFIDENCE – how to discover yours
Confidence is the most important asset you can have when doing music (maybe when doing anything). The key to musical confidence is to find genuine, honest self-expression. This takes courage and compassion!