Experiencing 'Flow' in Jazz Performance

Elina Hytönen-Ng

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781317137764
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Jazz Music

The term 'flow' refers to experiences where the musician moves into a consciousness in which time seems to be suspended and perception of reality is blurred by unconscious forces. An essential part of the jazz tradition, which often serves as the foundation of the musician's identity, flow is recognised within the greater jazz community as a critical factor in accomplished musicianship. Flow as a concept is so deeply embedded in the scene that these experiences are not generally discussed. It contributes to the musicians' work motivation, providing a vital level of satisfaction and accomplishment. The power of the experience, consciously or unconsciously, has given rise to the creation of heroic images, in which jazz musicians are seen as being bold, yet vulnerable, strong and masculine, but still capable of expressing emotions. In this discourse, musicians are pictured as people constantly putting themselves on the line, exposing themselves and their hearts to one another as well as to the audience. Heroic profiles are richly constructed within the jazz scene, and their incorporation into narratives of flow suggests that such images are inseparable from jazz. It is thus unclear how far the musicians are simply reporting personal experience as opposed to unconsciously perpetuating a profoundly internalised mythology. Drawing on eighteen interviews conducted with professional jazz musicians from around the world, Elina Hytönen-Ng examines the fundamentals of the phenomenon of flow in jazz that has led to this genre's popularity. Furthermore, she draws on how flow experiences are viewed and constructed by jazz musicians, the meanings they attach to it, and the quality of music that it inspires.

Chapter 1
Unravelling Flow Experiences

In this Introduction, I will outline what flow experiences are, beginning with the work of Abraham Maslow and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Apart from their seminal work, only research relevant to this study is discussed. Psychological research on flow experiences among internet users, for example, has been excluded.1 I conclude the chapter by describing studies focused on flow and musical experiences, as background to the present study.

Abraham Maslow and ‘Peak Experiences’

Psychologist Abraham Maslow began by studying motivation. He divided human motivation into four categories. The first involved physiological needs, such as hunger and thirst; the second concentrated on safety needs such as security, stability and protection; the third involved belonging and love; and the fourth was concerned with esteem and self-actualisation. These categories were arranged in a hierarchy. This hierarchical model posited that the more basic needs had to be met before higher needs would rise into consciousness. Recognising that this model tended to oversimplify human motivation, Maslow argued that the categories were neither mutually exclusive nor the sole determiners of human behaviour. There were also unmotivated behaviours, such as expressive behaviours that merely reflect the personality of the person involved. Higher needs could also emerge after forced or voluntary deprivation, renunciation or suppression of lower needs, such as through asceticism or isolation.2

Through this hierarchical taxonomy, Maslow became interested in psychologically healthy human beings, whom he referred to as ‘self-actualising’. He described them as having high levels of maturity, health and self-fulfilment. To him, self-actualisation meant that that particular person had developed to the fullest degree of human potential or the fullest potential of that particular individual.3 According to Maslow, self-actualisation needs emerged if all the other needs were satisfied to a sufficient extent and generated discontent as well as restlessness if the person was unable to satisfy them for any reason. Humans were compelled to do what they were capable of: for example, musicians had to make music to be at peace with themselves. Self-actualisation was therefore the ‘full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentials, and the like. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing’. These people were developing or had developed the full measure of their capability. Self-actualising people were, according to Maslow, working at something for which they were destined and which they loved. For them there was no tension in the work–joy dichotomy.4

Maslow found that self-actualising people manifested several characteristics that distinguished them from ‘normal’ people.5 They were able to perceive reality more accurately and were not afraid of the unknown. They accepted their own nature, with all its shortcomings and frailties, in a stoic way. They were described as ‘relatively spontaneous’ in their behaviour and ‘far more spontaneous than that’ in their inner life, thoughts and impulses. Their behaviour was marked by simplicity and naturalness. They were problem-centred instead of ego-centred, meaning that they were not concerned with themselves as much as with external issues, feeling that they had a task to fulfil. Self-actualising people were able to be alone without discomfort, enjoying solitude or privacy to a greater degree than the average person. They were also relatively independent of the physical and social environment: that is, they were autonomous.6

Self-actualisers were able to appreciate the basic goods of life. Most of them also attained ‘peak experience’ – a condition which Maslow described as ‘transient moments of self-actualisation’, or mystic experience – relatively often. Self-actualisers felt deep feelings of identification, sympathy and affection for the human race and had a genuine desire to help their fellow humans. Maslow also argued that self-actualisers were democratic in a very deep sense, as they showed humility and respect to everyone irrespective of class, colour or education. They also had deeper as well as more profound interpersonal relationships than other people.7

Self-actualising people had strong ethics, although their notions of right and wrong were often unconventional. They were unperturbed if 95 per cent of people disagreed with them.8 Self-actualisers recognised the difference between means and ends but focused on the ends rather than the means. Their sense of humour was not of the ordinary type. Without exception they possessed a distinctive creativeness, originality or inventiveness in certain areas. Although comfortable with their culture in many ways, they resisted enculturation maintaining a certain amount of detachment from their surroundings. They also had a clearly defined value system.9

Maslow stated that not all self-actualising people experienced peak experiences. These ‘non-peakers’ tended to be practical yet effective people who did well in the world. The ‘peakers’, however, seemed to ‘live in the realms of Being’, of poetry, symbols and transcendence, as well as of mystical and personal religion. Non-peaking self-actualisers were more likely to be improvers of the social world: politicians and reformers. Peakers were more likely to work in poetry, music, philosophy or religion.10 Obviously, as Maslow argued, people who are not self-actualising could also have significant transcendence experiences. Practically everyone had peak experiences, but not everyone was aware of it, and some would dismiss them as unimportant.11

According to Maslow, peak experiences change the person and their perception of the world. These experiences were often parallel with self-actualisation, during which the split in the person was at least momentarily overcome. What was of significance during peak experiences was precisely the ‘integration within the person and therefore between the person and the world’. The person became more open to experience, more spontaneous and more fully functioning. These were all essential characteristics of self-actualising creativeness.12

Aspects of the peak experience that Maslow noted were the complete, though momentary, loss of fear, anxiety, inhibitions, defences and control. This overcoming of fear allowed greater openness of perception. During the experience, people were able to accept their deeper self instead of being afraid and trying to control it. They became more integrated and unified. One characteristic of peak experiences was total absorption in whatever they were involved with, so that they could become lost in the present moment, detached from time and place.13

Maslow described the peak experience in the following way:

All his powers then come together in their most efficient integration and coordination, organized and coordinated much more perfectly than usual. Everything then can be done with unusual ease and lack of effort. … In such a moment, his powers are at their height and he may be startled (afterwards) by his unsuspected skill, confidence, creativeness, perceptiveness and virtuosity of performance. It is all so easy that it can be enjoyed and laughed with. Things can be dared that would be impossible at other times. To put it simply, he becomes more whole and unified, more unique and idiosyncratic, more alive and spontaneous, more perfectly expressive and uninhibited, more effortless and powerful, more daring and courageous (leaving fears and doubts behind), more ego-transcending and self-forgetful.14

It was also apparent that although people obtained peak experiences from different sources, the experiences were described the same way. A woman describing giving birth used the same words as others used for cosmic consciousness or mystic experiences, creative process or Zen satori experiences.15

Even though these experiences could be produced by just about any activity; according to Maslow, the two easiest ways were music and sex.16 Maslow argued that peak experiences had ‘much to teach us about creativeness as well as other aspects of the full functioning of human beings when they are most fully realising themselves, most mature and evolved, most healthy, when, in a word, they are most fully human’.17

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and ‘Flow Experiences’

Maslow was followed by other researchers interested in optimal experiences. Perhaps the most famous is the American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who brought research on peak experiences to broader public attention. Csikszentmihalyi questioned the psychological theories of motivation and emphasised the process not the goal. He argued that external goals are often present in the background, but they are seldom the main reasons that people get engaged in certain activities. The main reason for doing things is that the quality of experience is intrinsically rewarding: the activity itself is fun. But this suggestion was not conclusive enough, as Csikszentmihlayi noted that people often described a state of mind while involved in the activity. This state of mind was often described with the words ‘flow’ or ‘flowing’.18

Csikszentmihalyi defined ‘flow’ as a relatively rare experience wherein people feel that they are able to control things and their life. During flow experiences people feel joy and exhilaration. These experiences and the emotions attached to them are seen as examples of how life should be. According to Csikszen...