We all know that we play better when we’re focused, and concentration is a key to learning, right?
Sure! Everybody knows what if feels like (and what a disaster it can be) when you’re onstage and your mind starts wandering… you mess up!
Here’s a revolutionary way of looking at focus, though, which will show you that you’re probably NOT focusing in the best way. Here’s the live video I gave today on this topic:
In a nutshell…
- When you DON’T FOCUS….. YIKES! (mistakes, embarrassment, frustration, trainwreck, etc.)
- What do you do when you realize you’re unfocused and not paying attention to what you’re doing? You try harder, right? Not really a good idea, though….. Trying harder means more effort, and what you really want is for your music to be EFFORTLESS, with the minimum tension required to do the task.
- You’ve got to look at HOW you’re focusing, and on WHAT!
- Get your priorities clear: what’s your BIG PICTURE (or general mission… for your life… for your music… why are you a musician, anyway?). THEN you can include your specific goals (I want to play an F# next time!).
- FOCUS on THIS: You will make your best music and learn fastest when you are paying attention to your PRIMARY INSTRUMENT first (that’s why it’s primary!) – your mind-body-Self. YOU are #1!
- You can’t do ANYTHING without your primary instrument, and everything you do improves when your primary instrument is functioning well – with optimal coordination and well-being. Your sound reflects your primary instrument’s state of Being. You MUST make that the most important thing FIRST. It needs to be your PRIMARY FOCUS – and everything else fits into that.
But this is a SKILL! It must be learned and practiced!
Fortunately, it’s REALLY easy to learn this, and I can teach you how to do it! You can learn the first step on your own (for free!) in just 10 minutes, and then it takes just 2 minutes twice a day (with consistent practice) for your brain to start getting it!
Start here: Take my FREE 5-Day Cycle Challenge!
Sign up here: http://bit.ly/bestwarmupchallenge
Let me know how it goes – I’m here to help you feel better and play better!
With Love,
Jennifer
p.s. Make sure to join my free facebook group, where we’re doing the challenge together and much more! JOIN HERE: http://bit.ly/practicetribe
The “Attn. Musicians: FOCUS on THIS when you play!” is very good IMO. But of course the advice is just a start which I began 6 years ago after getting back to piano 8 years ago at 74. It was mainly self taught AT with a helpful boost of 6 lessons from the great Mike Serio. Focus on whole body/mind has been so important to me that I recently realized I wasn’t paying enough attention to what was happening between the shoulders and the fingers. This largely came about from recent exposure to the video “Freeing the Caged Bird” (you have to get the video – Youtube snippets won’t cut it). Once I reach a certain point in learning a piece (I get it memorized early) I start incorporating my “procedure” into my playing. Sometimes its as if the procedure is playing and not me. And when I achieve this state, everything is better. I’m amazed, for example, with the tone I get. Though mainly AT with some directions of my own making, there are other very important aspects of the procedure. However, the procedure is long and has many aspects. I’m convinced that if I can ever get them all going at once I will be a great player. Of course, at my age, time is not on my side. My main enemy is too little practice. But I am finding its a great way to make use of my old age.