I (43M) have been singing all my life, and playing instruments since middle school. In the last 15 years I’ve cultivated a repertoire as a self-accompanied singer who plays gtr, harmonica, piano, etc.
I know for a fact that I am capable of playing several tunes in my repertoire without a single error, because I’ve done it dozens of times…. And yet. Sometimes, I just can’t seem to get it right. I can be playing simple rhythms from memory or comping chords off a chart, and my head kinda wanders off into the sound and my hands, lacking proper guidance, just play an adjacent possible chord, a half step away, or the wrong kind of chord. Or I’ll just forget a chord and be surprised when it’s wrong, even on things I really ought to have memorized by now.
I feel like lack a kind of focus that I desperately want to cultivate.
As for causes: It’s been suggested that I may have had ADHD, so maybe I still do. I also smoke weed, and sometimes that’s the obvious reason for a memory lapse. On the other hand the problem also happens if I haven’t smoked that day, and smoking occasionally helps me get into the zone where it all comes naturally, so… that’s likely involved in some way but unclear how
I’d love to hear strategies from those out there who have dealt with these bouts of flubbed execution in music. How can I get better at focusing enough to be consistent in my delivery?
Submitted May 28, 2024 at 12:43PM by n-harmonics https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/1d2ml4b/q_how_can_i_work_on_my_focus_and_accuracy_as/?utm_source=ifttt