How to improve concentration at the piano
You play a piece you’ve performed hundreds of times and suddenly you realize you have no idea where you are in the score. Or, you make a mistake and in your frustration you can’t stop thinking about it and thus make a series of mistakes as the music moves forward. Or, external noise, personal concerns, or random distractions pull you out of the flow of the piece, leaving you feeling disconnected from the music. No matter how it manifests itself, the cause of every one of these unsettling moments is a lack of concentration.
Concentration has always been challenging, but in this era of excessive screen time, soundbites, tweets, and social media scrolling, it is exponentially more difficult than ever to remain focused on one thing for a long period of time. Those of us who came of age before the internet remember what it was like to spend long hours immersed in a book or listening to an album of music. Now, almost every aspect of our lives is digital, and in the digital world we’re no longer required to pay attention to anything longer than 30 seconds. This is great for absorbing a lot of information quickly, but deadly at the piano.
Playing the piano is a fully immersive activity. In order to play well, pianists must not only coordinate thousands of physical actions, we are required to be fully focused on the sound world we’re creating. While playing, we’ve got to let go of any notes we’ve already played (especially if we’ve made mistakes) and be present in the moment, while never losing sight of what’s coming next. It requires long-term training to filter out distractions and play with complete focus. Some people are more naturally suited to it than others, but it isn’t an inborn talent. With practice, anyone can improve their ability to concentrate. Here are some things that have worked well for me:
Make a “brain drain” list before you play
I’m a life-long list maker. This is most likely because if I don’t write things down, they tend to disrupt my ability to focus, especially at the piano. During particularly busy times in my life, I’ve kept a pen and pad of paper at the piano so that when some undone task occurs to me, I can write it down, get it out of my mind, and get back to playing the piano. This simple habit has allowed me to practice well even when I’ve got a large number of things clamoring for my attention.
Practice when your mind is fresh
Everyone has their own circadian rhythm and it’s up to us to pay attention to when our energy is the highest and when it dips a bit. If possible, practice during your peak energy hours. You’ll get a lot more done and concentration will be easier to maintain.
Don’t try to practice for too long
It’s really difficult for people to focus on anything for more than an hour at a time. I’m a huge fan of the 50-minute hour—I practice for 50 minutes, take a 10-minute break, and then go back to the piano after I’ve moved around a bit, had a drink of water or tea, or just stared out the window for a few minutes.
Shut down distractions
Silence all cell phone and computer notifications. In fact, move the phone well away from the piano—it’s too easy to see notifications pop up even if you don’t hear that tempting little ping. Ask family members to not interrupt you. Shut the door to your practice space, if possible. This is your time to enter a cocoon of music—a world where you are responsible only to the notes and the composer who wrote them. Everyone and everything else will be there after you’re done practicing.
Embrace silence away from the piano
Part of being able to concentrate well lies in being comfortable with silence. If your 21st century life is full of noise and distraction, it can be very difficult to adjust to the silence required in order to focus at the piano. Start looking for ways to add pockets of quiet time to your days. Get up a few minutes earlier than everyone else in the house. Spend time in a natural setting. Turn off the TV. Sit with this silence until you feel it filling every part of you. This is the foundation of the sound you’ll create at the piano, and it’s where we learn to quiet our inner chatter.
Practice concentrating on other things
Read deeply for enjoyment, not information. Listen to a recording without doing anything else. Take up painting or photography. Lose yourself in a beautiful vista. Make a slow, delicious, wholesome meal. In other words, stop rushing, pay attention, and savor everything. The skill of concentration is the same—whether focusing on a good book or playing a piece of music.
Spend less time looking at news and social media
Last October, after several years of waffling on the issue, I pulled the plug on social media. It was one of the best gifts I’ve ever given myself. It wasn’t until I stepped away from the constant news feeds of the social platforms that I realized just how wound-up I was by the endless stream of information. And I didn’t realize how much it was affecting my ability to concentrate—on my music, on reading, and (most importantly) on the real life world happening around me. And so I suggest this: if you’re struggling to concentrate at the piano, consider limiting the amount of time you spend online.
We’re living in a distracting digital world. Playing the piano, however, is an analog activity, and all the best things in an analog world take time and concentration. By reclaiming our time, rediscovering the power of silence, and working with our own strengths and weaknesses, improved focus brings us richer lives, in addition to better musicianship.