Do you play from the Head or from the Heart?

[mmasters]

I thought this article where Ritchie Blackmore comments on Joe Satriani's playing was interesting:
https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/...omething-wrong

I definitely play from the heart and am always searching for the right note or combination of notes. But I do notice some people play from the head where everything sounds polished and formulaic.

[815C]

Here's a blog post I wrote on this subject...

Practice With Your Mind - Perform With Your Heart

It makes a big difference to play from the heart.

[jpd]

Both!................

[Mooh]

Both. I'm not sure you can have one without the other.

[L20A]

Put me in the both category.
The more that I play a song the more it starts to come from the heart.
It also depends on my mood. If I'm playing a gig it can depend on the audience and how they are reaction to the music.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by mmasters

I definitely play from the heart and am always searching for the right note or combination of notes.

Sounds very romantic but the heart is a pump. Music comes from your head.

Originally Posted by mmasters

But I do notice some people play from the head where everything sounds polished and formulaic.

They are simply bad players.

[tippy5]

If I am lucky it's all heart. Each session has it's own feel.
Nothing wrong with that. I hope today's is nice?

[Tone Gopher]

Start at the beginning, finish at the end.

FWIW, I have heard some pretty terrible music played by people who claimed to be playing “from the heart”.

Bottom line: If the music is musical, what does it matter? I am sooo tired of hearing wannabe hacks judge serious musicians with “but they have no heart...”. How the heck does anyone know what a musician is feeling or what experiences they are drawing on in the moment?

Does John Mayer really feel so much emotion when he’s making those faces, or does he practice in front of a mirror?

[bluesfreek]

I p!ay from the heart. In my head I am thinking about this...

[colder]

Well, the correct answer is both, but if you don't have the head then the heart doesn't matter. I can really, really want to win American Idol more than anyone else and have more heart than anyone in the competition, but if I don't know how to sing it doesn't matter. (and trust me, for me it doesn't matter)

[RedJoker]

I'm learning a few songs from The Head and The Heart. Does that count?

[Athens]

Originally Posted by bluesfreek

I p!ay from the heart. In my head I am thinking about this...

I thought pizza had to be one of the choices when you started a poll thread....?

[Misifus]

Both! Often I need my head to get me to where I can play from my heart.

I’ve nothing against Blackmore or Satriani, but does their playing really inform acoustic playing?

[Ed-in-Ohio]

From the fingers.

[Godfather]

I do not play well enough to know. I just try to learn songs and get to a point that I can get through them without sounding too bad.