Playing music is a completely different experience for me than listening to music. I actually listen to recorded music (unless I'm making a recording, which is

Playing music is a completely different experience for me than listening to music. I actually listen to recorded music (unless I'm making a recording, which is basically playing) a lot less than most people would think. But I play almost every day. I also have a couple of different playing modes - public performance (usually with bands), and private improvisation. The improvisation is a critical part of my mental health. The ongoing stream of planning and surprising myself on the fly is probably the purest mental flow I experience.