this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2025
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Neurodivergence
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How is it going lately? I am in the same boat RE relying on muscle memory. I want to get a teacher - do you have one? I wonder what a piano teacher would say...
I don't have one; I don't feel able to make that kind of weekly commitment right now, but I'm sure that would make a big difference. It's been going okay; I practice a few hours each week, but it's usually in one go, which I'm sure is not the best way to go about it. I've definitely been improving, not as fast as I would like, but I'm trying to be gentle with myself about that.
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!
Yeah, I'm mainly a vocalist, but I played clarinet for years, so I'm not new to the whole practicing an instrument thing. Piano just has that extra layer of difficulty because my hand eye coordination sucks, so playing two different parts in separate hands while also keeping track of where I am in the music is super challenging for me.
Mindfulness meditation has come in very handy for me at various points in my life. I used to struggle badly with rejection dysphoria before I knew what it was, and mindfulness meditation helped with that. I like the idea of applying mindfulness to this situation. Thanks for pointing that out; I think that could be very helpful!
Sure! And I agree piano is a different beast!