I differentiate between playing notes, and playing music. In a similar line, it's the difference between reading words on a page, and performing/acting.

Until/unless you can play notes, (read a script out loud), you will find it hard to play music, (perform/act).

 

I like to come up with my own solos for cover songs for this very reason. With the exception that if the solo, note for note, is essential to the song. Many are.
But even if learn it note for note, after getting comfortable, technique can start to put my own spin even if the notes are copied.

 

Your concious mind is not able to do 2 operations at the same time...people that claim that they can multi-task, over-estimate their abilities.
If you are concentraing on the technical aspects of playing the notes, your concious emotions are unable to feel the music that you are playing.
After much practice, the technical side becomes a subconcious activity and you are able to concentrate on your musical expression, through your emotions. I believe that it occurs with many activities. It happened to me when I learned how to surf...yeah emotions do occur with that activity.

 

pretty much this. When you are first learning the guitar your mind is concerned with how to play something. as you get better you think more of what to play

 

You have to allow your Mojo to work instead of just playing notes.
When I tackle a new piece, I do just play notes at first; it really gets
alive when I add some spirit to just playing the notes.

 

In terms of System 1 (automatic or reactionary) or System 2 methodical, I’m in system 2 thinking, but not connected to the instrument in the same way.
I’d love to be able to always catch the wave..

 

Hell no!! I can't answer your question!! All I do is fake it a lot, pretend that I know what I'm doing & I like to think I can actually play music!! I guess I'm good at fooling people because others seam to think I can play music too!! 🤪🙃

 

Sick of click bait posts. Yes. Yes I am.

 

The associated question is "Are you playing music or are you playing the guitar?". If you've ever attended a concert by a high school "jazz band", you'll often hear the difference. The notes themselves may be played accurately, but the feel is largely absent, because the students are unfamiliar with the spirit and history of the music. Even among professionals, one can often hear people you respect simply noodling around, waiting for an idea to come to them.

 

I am convinced that great performers create an emotional atmosphere with each song. Achieving this separates great performances from merely well-crafted or error-free renditions.
Believing this, I more and more try to play to create an atmosphere or emotional state. The things in a song, such as solos, virtuosity, tricky bits of ear candy, and volume, are not important unless they contribute to the intended atmosphere.
As with the French impressionist Claude Monet, the hay stacks in the painting are not important. It is the atmosphere of it that is the subject.
Sure it’s easy to say a song is sad or happy, but much more complex atmospheres can be achieved.
For example, today I was struck by the eerily hollow and foreboding atmosphere of Sarah Slean’s version of the Christmas carol, “What Child is This.” Why isn’t this carol joyous and celebratory? I think the performance pushes the listener to confront not just the glorious birth but also how the story turns out (in Christian mythology).
Do you think about the emotional character or atmosphere of a song when you play it? If yes, can you give an example of a song and the atmosphere you try to create with it?

 

I am something of a disciple of Victor Wootten. He is always talking about how musicians focus so much on the notes, when there is so much more to making music. Somewhere out there, there is a video of him improvising, playing nothing but "wrong" notes, and it sounds glorious.