Let's test your level of perception, shall we?

With your left hand, tap eighth notes and with your right hand, tap triplets. Now switch. Keep switching. Do you notice how your focus might switch from one hand to the next as you switch patterns? Try this exercise again. But this time, make your awareness panoramic. Take in more of what's around you. As you notice the setting in which you are creating as the patterns switch from hand to hand, you might be aware of how your focus doesn't switch from hand to hand but sees "the big picture." Try this exercise now.

What did this illustrate? In the beginning, if you focused on one hand more than the other, then your hearing was incomplete. But as you widened your focus, your level of perception expanded.

Instead of fully experiencing sound, we often find a barrier between us and the music. Sometimes it's a critical voice and sometimes it's the humming in our head, but this separation of creator and art often occurs before we've actually finished creating.

To attain pure perception, you must transcend the act of creating and witness both the creator and the created. This is "the zone" where everything becomes effortless.

Here or 3 listening techniques to help develop pure perception.

• Sing notes and lines: The voice was the first instrument and has major psychological importance. It's like a mirror. If you sing and hate the sound of your voice, then obviously there are some insecurities to deal with. But when you accept yourself, it can feel good to sing. And most everyone has some insecurities to deal with when they begin singing.
  
  But here's the benefit:
  When you transcend your own internal critic, you remove a filter that separates you and perception.
  
  You can also apply the same technique to an instrument. Just become aware of the neurotic part of you that likes to give its opinion.
  
  My advice? Just do it. :-)


• Pay attention to the vibrations: As you sing or play, notice how the musical vibrations affect your body. Being aware of your body while playing is another way to actually transcend the body.
  
  Think about it. When you notice your own body, you aren't exclusively identified with the body. It's like being at the top of a mountain and being able to notice more of the landscape below. From this vantage point, your focus widens and thus your awareness widens.
  
  This may sound metaphysical, but it's very practical. When you become aware of both body and mind, you transcend both body and mind. Thus you become more integrated and less fragmented. The more integrated you are, the clearer your perception.


• Focus on how sound affects the space around you: This technique is similar to the above listening techniques. But this time the focus is without instead of within.
  
  Listen for the rooms natural reverb and sympathetic vibrations. Even become aware of the sounds outside of the room your are in.
  
  Pretty soon you'll be so enlightened that you'll dissolve into a pretty new age rainbow ;-)

I think you'll find these listening exercises to be very valuable. Your level of perception will increase and your appreciation for the moment will fall right into place. But the real benefit to pure perception is pure communication.