Practice and/or “mindfulness”

[Bob_Ross]

To play your best you need to be thinking of nothing but playing.

Fixed it for you.



...but seriously, a lot of musicians and teachers and mentors etc. will tell you that "thinking of nothing but playing" is just a waypoint along the path to "thinking of nothing" ...or simply, "not thinking". The goal (ideally, in the Platonic sense) is to be so immersed in the music that all of the mechanics of executing on your instrument are completely subconscious, and your mind is freed to attend to the more spiritual task of being a vessel for the music to flow through [sic]

...and I won't deny that ^^^that sounds like a load of New Age fru-fru baloney. But it's a surprisingly common theme in musicians of the highest caliber. Sometimes you need to get out of the way of yourself in order to be connected to the music. Thinking About Nothing But The Music is a step towards that goal that comes before Not Thinking About The Music...or Not Thinking, period.

 

[kesslari]

Yes and no.
A teacher of mine once said "learn it so that when you're on the bandstand and your rent is due, your car is in the shop, your beautiful ex-gf who dumped you walks in with another guy, and the keyboard player just walked off the stage, it still comes out right".
Presence when you're playing (call it mindfulness) is ideal.
But IMO what separates the pros from the non-pros is the ability to play it right regardless of what distractions are happening.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Mindfulness is something that should be present in al of our activities. Practice is what it takes to keep from screwing up on the gig

 

[HolmeBass]

It seems like the term "mindfulness" is floating around right now because of a meditation practice of the same name. I can't say that I've ever experienced it. But it seems to be a much more elaborate thing than just paying attention.

For me, the times when I've been disciplined about practicing are also when I've been able to let my mind wander during gigs without messing up. If you have to think about what you're doing, it's too late. Thinking can be for the higher level aspects of playing, such as interpretation, the overall sound of the ensemble, interacting with band mates and the audience, etc.

Admittedly I'm skeptical about anything that's a substitute for practice and technique. I've got a gig 2 weeks from now, that will require all of my technique, plus practice, just to play the parts. If I haven't gotten the parts down, no amount of concentrating on the gig is going to help me.

Mindfulness - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I don’t think it is intended to be a replacement for practice, but rather a useful addition to practice and performance.

I definitely play best while in a flow state. Being able to more easily enter flow state, and to re-enter after being disrupted, is the idea behind mindfulness meditation. At least for me it is.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Back in the late 90s & early 00s I was playing quite a bit and began making “unforced errors” more frequently. This was a real problem, because I was in a three piece band, and mistakes stuck out very clearly.

I thought it might be the result of getting older (I had no idea how young I was at that time…). It wasn’t, or it wasn’t about any physical changes from age.

What it ended up being is what I’d describe as “daydreaming”. I had been playing with the same guys for years, and we had been making our set lists from a master list of about 200 songs we had been playing for several years. I had already passed through the “auto-pilot” or “muscle-memory” phase of playing the songs and had fallen into the trap of being distracted by anything & and everything other than the song. When I focused on the song, the note I was playing, the next note / segment, the errors actually didn’t fade away completely. I started making timing errors. I knew the songs well enough to play them in my sleep, so focusing on the note & next note messed up my timing.

The solution was to clear my mind of most everything, try to relax, and LISTEN.
Lack of focus or OVER focus on detail can both cause a distraction.

 

[Killing Floor]

Yeah.

I think the 2 things that helped me are practicing (handing your business at home) and having a clear enough mind on stage that (not if but when) mistakes don’t derail your performance.

I believe they are connected. Aside from any comments about musicianship OR showmanship, the more you know your own part, the less a clam or soft note or doubled press is going to affect the next note. Nobody is perfect. Do your best.

If you know your material a single missed pick or muffed fret board won’t “raise the dogs” in your mind.

 

[Shenron]

Seems a stupid matter but, as an overthinker, as I am, is a vital part of performance. Every thought generates a mistake and every mistake generates a thought so things can get really messy…
I think this is valid in live situations, where you need to do a good job in front of strangers, but in rehearsals also and practicing alone as well.
In my opinion “mindfulness” is one of the skills that defines a pro musician from an amateur, more than technique and acrobatic chops.
Am I the only one?

It is not a stupid matter at all.

I am not sure however if what you have in mind is "mindfulness" or instead "flow". I am myself not completely sure of the meanings, but I think "mindfulness" actually refers to maximum awareness of both the outside (environment, in this case sound, rest of band, audience, tactile feedback from your instrument) and the inside (your own thoughts and feelings), while "flow" is that total immersion in action which feels almost semi-conscious.

 

[mikeoso]

“Mindfulness is our ability to be aware of what is going on both inside us and around us. It is the continuous awareness of our bodies, emotions, and thoughts, without judging them."

-Thich Nhat Hahn

One way to understand mindfulness is to perhaps view it as a method to develop a detached type of observation of both your inner world and the world around you in order to achieve peace, balance your emotions, and promote compassion for yourself and the world.

It may be somewhat akin the being in the zone or a state of heightened conversation you mention, OP, but I'm not sure if what most people see as mindfulness, per the Thich Nhat Hanh definition above, aligns with what you're saying.

Cool concept to apply to music either way.

I wonder if they have a band at Plum Village?

 

[BassBrass]

It seems like the term "mindfulness" is floating around right now because of a meditation practice of the same name. I can't say that I've ever experienced it. But it seems to be a much more elaborate thing than just paying attention.

For me, the times when I've been disciplined about practicing are also when I've been able to let my mind wander during gigs without messing up. If you have to think about what you're doing, it's too late. Thinking can be for the higher level aspects of playing, such as interpretation, the overall sound of the ensemble, interacting with band mates and the audience, etc.

Admittedly I'm skeptical about anything that's a substitute for practice and technique. I've got a gig 2 weeks from now, that will require all of my technique, plus practice, just to play the parts. If I haven't gotten the parts down, no amount of concentrating on the gig is going to help me.

Mindfulness - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

part of that wikipedia definition you linked to:
In this meditation practice, one does not try to control one's breathing, but attempts to simply be aware of one's natural breathing process/rhythm. When engaged in this practice, the mind will often run off to other thoughts and associations, and if this happens, one passively notices that the mind has wandered, and in an accepting, non-judgmental way, returns to focusing on breathing.

There's the definition of this word "mindfulness". You can't "still your thoughts and focus" by will, you have to note their arising and not react or judge, just be the Observer.
I'd say that in playing music there are lots of different ways of arranging your "mindfulness" some might be actually letting your body memory or lizard brain take over (because it's smarter than "you" are) and not overthink and become self-conscious (the solo killer). In normal life, if you've "seen it all" you are starting to become non reactionary, and these people are the best sight readers.

 

[BassBrass]

As one other poster hinted at/stated above, in terms of music, we're really talking about focus and concentration on the music itself, above all else, whether it be while practicing or performing. Complete immersion in the sounds you hear in your head prior to their production through the use of your body and instrument, the sounds coming from your colleagues, visual cues and information, tactile feedback from your instrument, awareness of any physical strain or stress that could be alleviated.

At least three senses are providing CONSTANT input, all of which must be immediately processed and acted upon, mostly at a subconscious level if a performance is to go well. To achieve that, the brain can't be cluttered up with extraneous thoughts.

After a great gig with great players, I'm mentally exhausted, but at peace and energized. After a bad gig with incompetent players, I'm physically exhausted, bored, and bugged.

After the usual two or three hours practice session at home, it takes me at least another hour or two to "come down," or get "out of the zone" and get back to normal communication with my wife and others. Fortunately, after 47 years together, she gets that.

Don't need a new age word or new definition to describe what's been around and known to most professional players forever.

"come down," or get "out of the zone" sounds new age, "mindfulness" has been a beginning concept for teaching Buddhist meditation to Westerners for many years, especially smart ones who have a running dialog going on in their brains 24/7 unless very drunk. It's a translation of the word vipasana (among other words in other languages) unless it's a bass brand name I wouldn't expect you to remember that!

 

[Pyrrho Epoche]

I can watch a game on TV, and nail a song on bass, I never heard before.... at the same time. Practice, practice...

 

[MuseChaser]

"come down," or get "out of the zone" sounds new age, "mindfulness" has been a beginning concept for teaching Buddhist meditation to Westerners for many years, especially smart ones who have a running dialog going on in their brains 24/7 unless very drunk. It's a translation of the word vipasana (among other words in other languages) unless it's a bass brand name I wouldn't expect you to remember that!

Huh?

 

[tothemax]

It's funny that I had similar thought at practice last week... Over the last month or so, various band members have had personal conflicts and practice has been a little on & off and then we rolled into the holiday. We were freshening up on a few songs from the working set list, and I noticed my mind was drifting and with that came the intermittent clam, or getting off groove. So on the way home, that concept of focus, or mindfulness was in my head. What my 20 minutes self search came up with was basically, songs that you enjoy playing get a better effort than songs you see as "meh" but are still part of the setlist. End result, is that you give the same 100% focus to the "meh" as you do to the personal favorites. That is being a musician.

Seeing this post and the responses, gave me this idea. Musicians mindfulness as similar to where Lucas was going with the "Force" concept. A Jedi trains until they can integrate their actions in harmony with the force. Similar to practicing until the concepts and muscle memory allow you to move in and around the groove at will. Even with the best understanding focus is still necessary as a musical piece is a living object and one needs to be in sync with the other musicians.

Anyway great post... I apologize for the Star Wars reference, watched a documentary on Lucas the other night .

 

[kmon]

I believe that deep attention and focus are akin to superpowers.

 

[MVE]

You’re there to do a job.
Just get your job done.
Nobody bats 1.000.
Walk to the plate like a professional and take a swing.

 

[Topkat13]

I gigged last night. Had some hand cramping…felt like I was ~ 90%…missed a few notes. BFD. Other players in the audience said they didn’t notice and was very complimentary of my playing. I am mindful that 99% of the time what I think is happening isn’t. Play your bass and have fun.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

I wonder if they have a band at Plum Village?

I image they got everything from drum to folk to trance.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

...who have a running dialog going on in their brains 24/7 unless very drunk. ...

/raises hand.
/begins to ponder why raising a hand is significant.
/starts thinking about the etiology of "significant."
/decides it's probably Greek, not Latin.
/begins to wonder how anyone actually knows how to pronounce anything in a dead language like Latin.
/vanishes into own belly button.

 

[Pings Bass]

One of my best teachers taught me that if you have a 3-minute attention span, you'll make a mistake at the 3 minute mark of whatever piece you're playing. And he taught a meditation technique for building attention span. This is especially important in classical, because the pieces tend to be much longer than a 3-5 minute pop song.

 

[HolmeBass]

It's funny that I had similar thought at practice last week... Over the last month or so, various band members have had personal conflicts and practice has been a little on & off and then we rolled into the holiday. We were freshening up on a few songs from the working set list, and I noticed my mind was drifting and with that came the intermittent clam, or getting off groove. So on the way home, that concept of focus, or mindfulness was in my head. What my 20 minutes self search came up with was basically, songs that you enjoy playing get a better effort than songs you see as "meh" but are still part of the setlist. End result, is that you give the same 100% focus to the "meh" as you do to the personal favorites. That is being a musician.

Seeing this post and the responses, gave me this idea. Musicians mindfulness as similar to where Lucas was going with the "Force" concept. A Jedi trains until they can integrate their actions in harmony with the force. Similar to practicing until the concepts and muscle memory allow you to move in and around the groove at will. Even with the best understanding focus is still necessary as a musical piece is a living object and one needs to be in sync with the other musicians.

Anyway great post... I apologize for the Star Wars reference, watched a documentary on Lucas the other night .

I play with some guys who definitely say, “use the force!” Usually in reference to playing a tune we have not played in months, maybe years, or sometimes a tune I have never heard before.

This particular band is almost impossible to rehearse, as a couple of the members have very complicated lives and don’t particularly like rehearsing. When it works it can be magical. But the success rate is pretty low.