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Author Topic: Concentration  (Read 1715 times)

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Christinemaenad

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Concentration
« on: January 16, 2018, 12:59:45 PM »

I find concentrating once I know a tune difficult. I quite often go wrong due to lack of concentration. Does anybody have any helpful suggestions/tips they can recommend?
Thanks,
Christine
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Helena Handcart

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2018, 01:04:01 PM »

Nope, but if you find any good tips that work pleaaaaase pass them on.  I have an uncanny ability to not be able to count to two three times in a session situation.  I'd kinda like to improve on this.
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jorden

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2018, 03:29:09 PM »

I find concentrating once I know a tune difficult. I quite often go wrong due to lack of concentration. Does anybody have any helpful suggestions/tips they can recommend?
Thanks,
Christine

When practicing or performing? When practicing your attention might wander because there is no clear goal (so your mind doesn't need to concentrate really). Or is playing the tune boring you once you know a tune enough to not really have to focus that much anymore?
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Martin P

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2018, 04:19:45 PM »

Common problem I suspect. I get distracted whilst playing at home when mind wanders considering how the piece I’m playing might be fingered differently, especially when playing cross-Row. When playing out, I’m easily distracted by things going on in the audience. We are meer humans.
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george garside

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2018, 04:27:49 PM »

It mig ht help to concentrate on 'listening' to what is coming out of the box as so doing will probably prevent the mind from wandering.  It will also ,all being well, help to improve ones playing  as the 'feedback'  via  'listening' will/should enable constant very small adjustments to be made to rhythm, dynamics, phrasing etc etc  .

Put simply it can help to keep the mind on playing the tune musically rather than just the right notes in the right order

george

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Steve Coombes

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2018, 04:36:26 PM »

I get distracted playing out and I think things are going well, I then start to look at the crowd, I smile at them, then go walking around I start to move with the music then, oops where did the tune go. All you can do then is keep the beat going and focus completely on the dancers and hope your fingers work out what to do next.
Like Martin says when in the home if your attention wanders try something a bit different, play it faster or slower, try a new base sequence, switch the key, run into another tune then back again, tryout a twiddle, have a cup of tea watch some other people playing it on YouTube.
Steve
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george garside

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2018, 04:40:34 PM »

When I am playing for dancers , whether ceilidh or whatever brand of morris or stepping  I put the whole of my attention into watching the dancers feet. That not only prevents any distraction creeping in but  also helps tho make musicians and dancers 'as one' with each other.

george
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Theo

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2018, 05:12:11 PM »

I put the whole of my attention into watching the dancers feet. That not only prevents any distraction creeping in but  also helps tho make musicians and dancers 'as one' with each other.


Spot on George,  and while watching the feet I'm also listening to myself and listening to the other musicians to keep in time, and listening out for the band leader to call changes. 

I find concentrating once I know a tune difficult.

I think there is another clue here.  Do we ever *really* know a tune to the point where we are no longer interested in developing the way we play?  Once one knows all the notes in the right order you could say that one "knows" the tune, but with folk and dance tunes especially there is so much more than that. Giving the tune "lift" if playing for dancing, phrasing, ornamentation, making variations in the melody, varying the bass line, including right hand harmony and chords, dynamics, getting the tempo just right, leaving spaces to punctuate the phrasing, adjusting how staccato or legato are use and varied.  Phew, there is no time for relaxing and letting the mind wander. (:)
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george garside

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Re: Concentration
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2018, 07:52:38 PM »

to quote Sir Jimmy Shand  ''watch the feet of the dancers and it sort of comes back to you and helps you''

to quote the  the famous mouthie ( and Shand morino) player Will Atkinson.  '' ------ not just the feet of the dancers but also those sitting out. If you have not got their feet tapping you have got it badly  wrong''

it definitely helps to head both these pieces of advice!

george
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