I’m sure you’ve seen that famous optical illusion picture that can be perceived either as two faces in profile looking at each other, or as a vase. That image is named the “Rubin Vase,” after Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin, who authored a book in 1915 called “Visual Perception.” This image, and others like it, have stimulated much scientific debate about how our brains understand and process images.

What fascinates me is that moment when my understanding of the image shifts, that instant where I can see the second interpretation of the picture. Naturally, there’s a technical term for that; it’s called a Gestalt switch. A Gestalt switch occurs when you change your perspective from one view of an image, a sound or an experience. As with the Rubin vase, you first saw it one way - as a vase - and now you see it another way - as two faces. There is much debate about the cognitive processes that allow this switch to happen, but there seems to be general agreement that the switch is hard for an individual to control. Sometimes you just can’t see the faces; you only see the vase.

Nevertheless, we are talking about the necessity for you to be able to make that switch in your harp playing.

Here’s the premise for this show. Making your piece sound like music isn’t about what you do; it’s about your perspective. In case I’ve made this sound too difficult, let me reassure you that I am positive you already do this in your playing. You just haven’t thought of it this way before. If you weren’t making this perception change, you would stay stuck on one measure and never get to playing the entire piece.

What we’re going to explore today is how to make that perception shift intentional. Why would we want to do this? Because when we shift our perspective from playing the notes to playing the music, we play the music better.

If this sounds a little mysterious, be sure to listen to the rest of the show, because this discussion will help you find more freedom in your playing. It will help you learn and finish a piece faster and allow you to play with more musicality and confidence. I know that sounds like a big promise, but I’m confident I can deliver on it.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Join us at Back to School Night
• Are you ready to work with a Harp Mastery® Certified Coach? Click and find out.
• Work with a Harp Mastery® Accredited Teacher.
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

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