Have you ever been playing with a group of musicians and all of a sudden, something “clicks”?
You feel like you were able to connect with other musicians in the room and something is different from this point on. You all feel like you can read each other and have an idea of what the other person is thinking and what they’re going to play next? Or how your foot just seems to know what the tempo of a song is only after a few moments of listening to it?
That feeling is entrainment.
Synchronicity And Entrainment
Turns out that feeling is not just a coincidence nor is it just something that’s in your head. The phenomenon was first observed by a Dutch physicist named Christian Huygens in 1666 when observing the “odd sympathy” that seemed to occur when two pendulum clocks matched each other any synchronized. The phenomenon was called entrainment.
Subsequent research of entrainment found that there was in fact something going on here when two items matched oscillations. Typically, when two bodies are out of sync, they release small amounts of energy to produce a negative feedback. But as they sync, that feedback gradually reaches zero and that resolution is that feeling that occurs when a pacemaker syncs to the patient’s natural heartbeat or when we tap to the rhythm of the song.
A Lesson in Entrainment and the Psychology of the “Click” Moment
Though the concept was applied to physics for a number of years, it wasn’t until the 1980s that entrainment was applied to nature and the study of biomusicology developed. The field of study used the idea of entrainment to explain the rhythm of why firefly flashes occur and why mosquito wings clap at a certain rhythm. This topic was brought up most famously in bassist Barry Green’s book, The Inner Game of Music. where Green cited research pointing to this reality among concert musicians and the feeling generated between each of the musicians, the musicians and the conductor and the ensemble and the audience.
Ever Been to a Concert? You Witnessed Entrainment In Action
I love the band, Phish. It is still the only band I have seen more than once in concert (5 times, actually) and their live show is something I put as number one in my book. Why? Because each show is, unique, exciting and there is an unmatched energy about the venue. So unmatched, I’ve never been to a concert where I’ve experienced anything like it. Phish’s guitar player, Trey Anastasio, has made known in a number of interviews that energy is the main aspect to their shows. To Anastasio, the band could be playing terribly, but if the energy is there, it’s a great show.
That energy – that feeling of synchronicity between people and the band – is another example of entrainment. Now, I ask you: have you ever been to a show like this or played in a show like this? Where you and your band mates are absolutely feeling each other and the audience is totally into what you’re playing? How did that experience feel? Is there a particular song or band who gives you that feeling?
Trey’s concept of energy is something I take to heart whenever I play a show or even compose a backing track for myself. There needs to be that “hook” in there – that thing that gets people to feel and feel you.
Conclusion
So, it would turn out that that feeling you get when a room of musicians, whether a concert hall of musicians or your basement with your band mates and that feeling clicks, there is actually a physics related reason behind it – you’re all oscillating together at the same frequency!
For me, this is a song that consistently delivers energy and a feeling of connection. See what it does for you:
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