-
Hi Peter,
Sounds like good progress with the centering! Interesting question about the mistakes. Can you tell me a bit more about the mind going blank part? Did this happen before the mistakes? Do you remember what was going through your mind before mistakes happened? I wonder if these were times during which you “spaced out” or weren’t as focused on what you were doing. Often, we aren’t quite sure what to focus on when we’re playing. We know that thinking about worst case scenarios or micromanaging our technique isn’t helpful, but it’s not so clear what ought to be going through our minds during performances.
I’d practice listening to yourself and your bandmates more intently. For instance, if you were to stop whatever you are doing now, and sit quietly for a few minutes, listening to all that is going on around you, you’ll quickly realize how much there is to hear – and how unaware you were of it until this moment. That level of listening, or focusing on the present moment, is key to ensuring that our brain knows what it’s supposed to do at each moment in time. Much like we are more likely to make a shot in basketball if we see the basket (than if we are shooting blind), our brain is more likely to rise to the occasion for us if we remain focused on our target – i.e. the exact sounds we wish to produce.
Centering will help, but work through the exercises in the focus lesson as well. And when that has become easier for you, it might be good to work through the resilience lesson as well, which will teach you how to get back on track quickly when the inevitable glitch does happen.
