Striking a Chord with the Unknown | Discovering Free Creative Flow through the Language of Sound

Striking a Chord with the Unknown
Discovering Free Creative Flow through the Language of Sound

AMIHAI LOVEN
MAY 28, 2023

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https://amihailoven.substack.com/p/striking-a-chord-with-the-unknown-fcf?r=1l3ite&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

In this installment of our Free Creative Flow (FCF) series, we traverse the resonant expanse of sound to explore how the practice of FCF unfolds on this vibrant canvas.

As we delve into this aural realm, it's essential to remember that the absence of knowledge—in this case, not knowing how to play an instrument like the piano—can serve as an instrumental advantage in practicing Free Creative Flow. This not knowing allows us to encounter sound directly, unencumbered by preconceptions about right and wrong, harmony and dissonance, or other conventions of musical expertise.

However, similar to writing, this not knowing is both the doorway to and the unscalable barrier within Free Creative Flow. No specific skill can transmute this ‘not-knowing’ into ‘knowing’. Instead, what emerges is a stream of consciousness, a flow that asserts itself in the present moment, following its own inherent rhythm.

One of the singularly appealing aspects of working with sound in the practice of Free Creative Flow, especially when playing an instrument without formal knowledge, is the absence of words. The wavelength that arises from a random sound naturally flowing into the next, indifferent to the sound itself, mirrors our previous discussion on writing.

Just as the white page is the genesis and the writing is the manifestation of the void, so too does silence represent the unknown in music, with the play of FCF manifesting from that silence.

One might argue that as you play, you accumulate experience and knowledge. While this statement holds technical truth, there exists a phenomenon within Free Creative Flow, a beauty that can only be described as a creative movement birthed from not knowing. When this beauty becomes more beloved to you than your own sense of self, you have attained all that is needed in the learning journey.

As you surrender your movement to this free-flowing stream, the solitary skill that emerges is:

The act of listening.
Free Creative Flow cannot manifest without free listening—listening unchained from judgment, expectations, or preconceptions, simply tuning in to the symphony of the present moment.

Stay tuned as we journey further into this unique exploration of Free Creative Flow training. The story of Free Creative Flow is far from complete; our journey together continues.