The learning process. And 'genies'...

When I began to focus more on vocal improvisation, I found I often heard a little voice inside of me. My job as an improviser was simply to follow it. It always seemed to come up with beauty. To follow it was a smooth pleasure.

Now I have been studying vocal improvisation for a year, with David Eskenazy. I don't hear that little voice any more. I haven't for a while. My hunch about why this is has been pretty much the same as Jo's, but she explains it very nicely...

"We never got back to talking about how your voice connection to the 'genies' has gone.  My take on this is that while you are learning a new skill the genies go away.  This is so that they don't interrupt the dialogue that you brain is having with your body.  Once you reach your new desired skill level and feel confident in it the brain will be able to go back onto autopilot and the genies will come back.  PROMISE!

"It's all about the progression from unconsciously incompetent to unconsciously competent.  The steps in development are:

1) Unconscious incompetence (or old skill level)
2) Conscious incompetence
3) Conscious competence (new skill level)
4) Unconscious competence

The genies can only speak when the action is so well established that it can be performed unconsciously."