Re: Dreaded Endless Loop Memory Slip

On Feb 12, 3:06 pm, la...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Feb 12, 1:42 pm, GuitarsWeB <Guitars...@xxxxxxx> wrote:



On Feb 12, 12:11 pm, "ag" <calatrav...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<la...@xxxxxxxxx> ha scritto nel messaggio news:05320026-d2f7-4479-88f2-

What I am interested in is the how that focus changes over time
and how that differers from student to student. Certainly those most
capable of sustaining high levels of focus are worth understanding but
understanding the impediments to those who are not as capable is more
to the point of my post. Self conscience focus is the major problem
for most beginners but once they get into the music their focus is not
constant and places like repeats need more work. I think knowing the
places where students get confused hold the key to much of learning
and teaching.

.................

Concentration goes along different paths when playing from reading and when
playing by memory.
If you refer to playing by memory, concentration largely depends from what
one has memorized: if the whole of the music in itself (notes, aurally and
visually, dynamics, agogics, expressions) and "the gestures" (fingerings and
body attitudes), or mainly the second ones (by endless repetitions), with
the music as an attachment.

If a student is educated from beginning to learn music in itself, and to
build up in his mind a complete model of how it should sound, including
fingering in his notion, then concentration will be focused on a real
target, something which exists in his mind before it becomes an actual
sound. If, on the other way, a player cannot produce in his mind a complete
model of the music without his instrument, concentration will have to deal
with much more a difficult task.

Actually, we do not play the music "as it is" (nobody knows how it is
exactly, not even the person who wrote it), but according to how we are able
to represent it in our mind: in other words, we depend from a model which is
not the music on the stand, but the construction we elaborated in our mind
from it. If such a model is complete, detailed, articulated in each detail -
exactly as it happens in the mind of a conductor who approaches the
orchestra before giving the first command -, then we have something upon
which we can really focus our attention when playing; otherwise, we have
only a rather uncertain result to aim to, and the only bridge to reach it is
a series of gestures (fingering) memorized by repetitions. This makes
concentration much more difficult.
In other words, the quality of the concentration, and its resistence, are
largely decided by the quality of the learning-interpretating-memorizing
process.

Of course, the game is not all in this process - there are other factors
influencing the concentration, but I feel able to deal with the strictly
musical ones, and only from those which I experimented on the field.

ag

Maybe some of you can enlighten me....what is this "focus" thing? Now,
when I'm learning a piece, I focus. But, once it is in the performance
realm, I don't think think about it, well, not too any degree. Focus
while performing? Actually I tend to daydream a lot. My point being;
if you're going to perform a piece, you had damn well better know it
inside and out; be able to start at any point. If you stumble, you
know the piece so well you just grab the next chord. Most people wont
even notice. Try and keep the meter going. The javelin thrower doesn't
run up the runway and think (focus) left, right, left, now crossover
plant...Oh, keep my head up and follow through. The same goes for a
golf swing. All of this must flow,come natural, do to a lot of
practice and muscle memory, etc. Maybe I'm off base, but I don't
really grasp all the focus talk.
Paul McGuffin
Paul McGuffin

Focus is simple and necessary for any activity that requires us to
move is time. During a professional car race if you drift off during a
hairpin turn you may not get another chance. If you don't care it's no
problem and you crash and burn. During performance where you are solo
on stage and not at some noisy gig you may not find this very
comfortable and might give you the heebee geebees about performing in
the future.

Recording can be cruel if you have not vetted your repertoire for
such glitches. At gigs you can literally stop....

... nobody cares so why should you?

For me, I use gigs to practice sustaining focus in the midst of the
din but that doesn't all translate to playing solo on stage when you
can hear every note in vivid detail, and so can everybody else.

.... nobody cares so why should you?

For me, I use gigs to practice sustaining focus in the midst of the
din but that doesn't all translate to playing solo on stage when you
can hear every note in vivid detail, and so can everybody else. >>>>>

Okay, you're absolutely correct. There's a world of difference between
a restaurant gig and a concert hall setting. In gigs, I can carry on a
conversation while playing. But, I can't chew gun and walk at the same
time.
Paul McGuffin
.

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