Hey all, I'm trying really hard to get better at playing the piano, but it has always been difficult for me. I end up relying way too much on my ear and muscle memory, which gets me fairly far, but then I get lost in my own thoughts and have no idea where I am / how to recover if I make a mistake. It feels like the better I get at playing something, the more susceptible I am to completely biffing it because I got there by relying on my crutches instead of actually processing it the way (I think?) it's supposed to be learned, if that makes sense. I can read music and all that, but between the attention span and the hand eye coordination issues, I start to glaze over the actual notes on the page. Any good pianists with ADHD? Any tips? I know slow and steady is the main thing, but the glazing over makes that so hard to manage. Maybe I just need to accept that this will always be difficult for me, but I would love to hear others' perspectives. (Also this community seems pretty dead, so if there are any more active non-meme ADHD communities that Beehaw federates with, please point me in the right direction!)
Yeah, the commitment can be tough! I will say that muscle memory is a big part of learning any instrument, so if you naturally rely on it, I don't think that's bad. I am not a teacher, but I got really good at guitar and saxophone when I was younger; so I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts on reading, muscle memory, etc.
If you keep playing and build up your memorization skills, that is a very good thing IMO. Reading is important too, but maybe you don't have to get really good at everything all at once?
Also, remember to have fun! 😊
On a general note, I as a fellow ADHD-haver, I have found that a consistent mindfulness pracrice has been a game changer for my focus. Have you tried mindfulness meditation or had a mindfulness practice? Playing music and reading music are both very mindful activities, so building your "mindfulness muscle" could be a good way to help you stay in the moment and not get lost!