Make It/Let It is one of my all time favorite Games for Song.  It is about finding the flow state; the perfect balance.  This game utilizes the skill of being able to Sing / Touch, so try that first.

If no one else is around to play this game with you, then you can always play Make It/Let It by yourself, which as it turns out is really fun.

First set up a simple groove by playing Count Circle, Circle Music, or Hey.

After you have gone around the circle once or twice, the first player volunteers to play a solo. For your solo, start by playing one interesting thing. As you play, sing each note inside your heart and inside your ears and let your instrument follow your intention, just as you would when playing Sing then Play. This is called “Make It”.

Then to continue your solo, return to your simple repetitive motif, and get back into the groove with the group.  Relax and listen to the group groove and clear your mind. This is called “Let It”.

Then Make It a little more – play one more meaningful thing.

Then Let It – settle back into the groove.

Swing back and forth between Make It and Let It. Go back and forth and each time, Make It becomes a little more like Let It.

And each time, Let It becomes a little more like Make It.

Go back and forth until Make It and Let It become one thing for you. Until they become the same thing.

Everyone playing provides deep psychic support to the Make It / Let It player. When they are Making It you are imagining playing every note with them, while on your instrument you continue to keep the “Hey”. When they switch to playing Let It, you are absolutely there to catch them, support them and hold them as they go through this journey.

As the Let It / Make It player, you might think that you are taking too long. Release that thought. Your group supports and loves you. Play until Make It and Let It truly come together for you. Take your time. Take your time. Really feel it.

Go around the circle until everyone has had a chance to do a Make It / Let It solo. Do not play this game unless you have time for everyone to have the opportunity to solo.

Also. You can plan ahead so that you end the last phrase of your solo a little before the group cycle ends. Leave a moment between the end of your last phrase and the end of everyone’s cycle.  This is called a  Silent Bow, and leaves a moment for gratitude.

Also.  Rather than each player completing an entire Make It/Let It solo before the next player gets a turn, you can take turns Making It just once and then returning to the collective Let It.  You could go around the circle, or if you are feeling advanced, you could use Listen / Play to decide who gets the next Make It/Let It turn.

This game is really fun to play by yourself.  If you have a multi-track looper, you can record some loops by playing Hey, and then play Make It/Let It over this recorded background.  Or just play without any background.  It’s really fun either way.