There is a stereotype of a snarky movie critic that hates everything. You have such a critic in your brain. His job is to look for patterns he can reject. Broca is the gatekeeper and will only let interesting stuff get past. Everything else has to be rejected. There is not enough room in your brain for everything.

When you surprise him you don’t just get past, you get a reward. Surprise brocha and your audience leans in. Since so much gets rejected, what gets through is special. That means you are special.

It can be a unique word or sound or the way you pitch up when it seemed you’d pitch down.

Shocking isn’t your goal, surprise is.

In a room full of beautifully dressed women, the girl in the bikini stands out. On a beach full of bikinis an elegantly dressed woman stands out. A really fancy armchair in the middle of a field gets your attention. How often have you seen that?

See, I just did it. I told you several things and then asked you a question in the same paragraph. Your brain had to switch gears and recall those images.

If your song is un-predictable or surprising or if the imagery is unexpected, you can surprise Brocha.

Once that door opens, it doesn’t slam shut quickly. You have a chance to get other stuff past. Have you ever seen a comedian follow up after a big laugh with several more? The other jokes may not have worked on their own, but he kept you laughing.

That’s Brocha!

It works with anything. A director shows you the world in a way that gets past Brocha and you like Tim Burton movies. You’ll pay more attention when his next one comes out. It may not be as appealing, but you’ll carry over from the one that got you.

And that’s how you become a legacy band with fans that stay with you for life. Surprise that part of their brains and stay interesting. It’s so easy. Why doesn’t everyone do it?