Flow State Explained: How Musicians Can Train It
Every musician knows what flow feels like.
Everything clicks. The internal voice fades. Time distorts. Your body seems to run itself while you watch from somewhere just outside of it.
That’s flow.
A state so powerful that one study from McKinsey & Company found executives in flow were five times more productive, and multiple studies report 400–700% increases in creative problem-solving.
That matters in music.
Yet despite the data, flow is still treated like luck or mysticism rather than what it actually is: a trainable physiological state.
In this article, I’ll break down the mechanics of flow so you can start working with it deliberately, instead of waiting for it to show up.
The Neurochemistry of Flow
Much of what we know about flow chemistry comes from the work of Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, who popularised the idea of a “five-chemical cocktail” in The Rise of Superman and Stealing Fire.
Their model suggests a sequence of neurotransmitters:
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Anandamide
Endorphins
Serotonin
Each is proposed to contribute to the broader flow experience.
It’s important to be precise here.
This sequence hasn’t been directly proven in humans. No study has yet measured all five rising and falling in a clean, linear order during flow. The model is a hypothesis that integrates neuroscience, sports physiology, and psychology into a usable framework.
What has been confirmed is that neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine are tightly linked to motivation, focus, and goal-directed attention, all core features of flow.
The Role of Brainwaves
Flow isn’t just chemistry.
It’s also about brainwave state, which in turn influences neurochemical release.
Most daily life is beta-dominant. Beta is fast, analytical, and problem-solving focused. Useful for admin. Less useful for creativity or deep performance.
To access flow, the brain needs to slow down.
The next step down is alpha.
Alpha dominance feels calm but alert. The internal narrative quietens. Focus improves. Distraction drops. It often feels like the doorway into flow.
Flow itself tends to sit at the boundary between alpha and theta.
Theta is slower again. It’s where subconscious processing lives. Time distortion appears. Self-talk disappears. Attention narrows. Heart rate settles lower.
This isn’t accidental.
Slower brainwaves change how the nervous system behaves.
Flow Is a Whole-Body State
Flow isn’t just in your head.
It’s a whole-system response involving the autonomic nervous system.
That system has two main branches:
Sympathetic (fight / flight)
Parasympathetic (rest / digest)
Sympathetic dominance means:
Faster heart rate
Shallow breathing
Faster brainwaves
Blood shunted to large muscles
Louder internal dialogue
That’s useful in emergencies.
It’s terrible for flow.
To enter flow, the balance has to shift.
Slower breathing lowers heart rate.
Lower heart rate signals safety.
Safety slows brainwaves.
Slower brainwaves allow the chemistry of flow to emerge.
Simple in theory.
Hard in practice.
Especially in high-pressure performance environments.
The Psychology of Flow
There’s one final piece.
In the 1970s, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined the core equation of flow:
Flow = challenge slightly above skill
Too easy and you’re bored.
Too hard and anxiety takes over.
Staying in the flow channel requires constant recalibration as skill improves.
This is also the logic behind Performance Conditioning.
Your current skill level is a leading indicator of your brain’s development. When ego and the idea of “innate talent” are removed, training becomes a process of applying progressive overload to both physical and cognitive systems.
Do that well and flow becomes more accessible.
From the outside, it looks like natural ability.
You and I know better.
That’s the work.
That’s the point.
And that’s the essence of Performance Conditioning.
