ON THE TOPIC OF CONCENTRATION

[rockingthebach]

I have recently begun to realize how much my mind wanders when I am playing, which is bad enough when practicing in general, but really ridiculous when recording or performing.
( With a quality digital piano, suddenly all of us can record any time we want.
So when I say I have been recording, it's not a humble brag, that is what I am talking about).
Just this morning, I was recording the Allemanda from BWV 830 by Bach, and out of nowhere, I hit a wrong note, even though I know this piece quite well.
Upon reflection, I realized I missed the note because I was actually thinking of a funny joke Stephen Colbert made last night.
And while I don't want to use the fact that I have ADHD as an excuse, it definitely factors into the reality that I possess a mind that jumps around and tries to constantly double and triple task, even at the calmest or most focused times.
How do people actually concentrate or focus while playing? Is there a trick to it? I find that I immediately get flustered once I make an error, and instead of concentrating more or return to "the zone", I get flustered, and then I end up recording 30 different versions of the piece, none of which are satisfactory, plus I end up frustrated and ready to punch a hole in the wall.
Can I apply general mindfulness techniques to playing the piano? It never struck me to fuse Buddhist principles with playing Bach, but remembering to breath, and just relaxing while being right there in the moment seems to help.
Is concentration a casual choice we can turn on and off,  or do we just have to learn it consciously? How? I guess the easy answer is we concentrate by  concentrating, but that is like screaming SWIM!!! at someone who is drowning.
Any advice, criticism, sarcastic quipperies?  I will take any input that might be helpful.
Thanks and have a good weekend, everybody.

[lelle]

How do people actually concentrate or focus while playing? Is there a trick to it? I find that I immediately get flustered once I make an error, and instead of concentrating more or return to "the zone", I get flustered, and then I end up recording 30 different versions of the piece, none of which are satisfactory, plus I end up frustrated and ready to punch a hole in the wall.

One thing to consider is that a struggle with focus can be a way to cope with anxiety about the task at hand. If your mistakes makes you flustered and angry, there is probably a degree of self critiscism present and ready to pounce at any time. Failure triggers feeling of self critiscism and low self worth and therefore you have to succeed, but having this pressure makes you anxious and you need a way to cope with that. Like why would you wanna focus on something if every failure means that you get angry and, possibly, beat yourself up over it? So the lack of focus can sort of be an avoidance tactic. "Yeah I made a mistake but it's because I didn't focus anyway" if that makes sense. Yet the lack of focus it reinforces the negative spiral.

I might be barking up the wrong tree here but it's worth investigating how losing focus and getting angry and flustered if you make a mistake may or may not have a causal link. Why do I suggest this? Because it's been true in my case.

Can I apply general mindfulness techniques to playing the piano? It never struck me to fuse Buddhist principles with playing Bach, but remembering to breath, and just relaxing while being right there in the moment seems to help.

Yes definitely. Calm, open breathing helps with everything when you play, from focus to physical ease, in my experience.

Is concentration a casual choice we can turn on and off,  or do we just have to learn it consciously? How? I guess the easy answer is we concentrate by  concentrating, but that is like screaming SWIM!!! at someone who is drowning.

I think you can practice it for sure. It's part habit, part skill, part whatever physical makeup our own tool (i e our body) has. My rudimentary understanding of ADHD is that the brain struggles with executive functioning - the brain deciding to do something and then following through - in a way neurotypical people just don't. So your impulses are more in the driver's seat than you are and it's way harder to control if you have ADHD, meaning it's just harder to just decide to focus on something and then doing it, whereas you can hyperfocus on something for hours as long as your impulses deems it desirable to focus on. I have some ADHD tendencies and actually did an assessment to see if I had it and would be qualified for medication or other assistance, but I did not fulfil enough criteria. Lots of people with ADHD see improvement with this sort of stuff with the appropriate help so maybe you should investigate what advice and help is available for concentrating with ADHD?

[rockingthebach]

Thanks very much for your considerate response. Talking to a doctor about ADHD and concentrating academically or musically without medication is a really good suggestion.
And after pondering the issue, I am realizing mindfulness isn't something you do to impress your friends or to help shift gears before bedtime ( although it's useful in both those scenarios) ; i think mindfulness is definitely applicable to almost any endeavor we undertake.
And, to be perfectly honest, I failed to mention that I am on a deadline to get some pieces recorded before an end of month deadline; and better time management has always been something I need to take more seriously.
Have a great weekend.

[lostinidlewonder]

Listen to yourself, listen to the sound you create. Create a strong visualised story that follows the music.

[rockingthebach]

"...and this is the beauty and strength of the Buddhist teachings; realizing that whatever occurs, frustrating or joyful, does not have to be considered an obstacle, interruption or a place to break from our focus; everything that happens to us is another chance to wake up, to become more present in the moment we are in"...
-pema chodron

[lostinidlewonder]

Right! Focus isn't something you force, it is something you return to by connecting with what's happening now, whether it's sound or sensation. We can use the extra energy of our thoughts to meditate upon, letting it to become a reflection of our inner world and a doorway to deeper presence when creating music.