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It is commonly said that nearly all humans only use a tiny portion of their brain's actual capacity. Whilst it is quite difficult to prove that, I think it is probably fair to say that most of us could stimulate our minds more than we do and be more open to allow ourselves new ways of thinking.
Perhaps, more often than not we just need to allow our brains to do their jobs without getting in the way. I recently became interested in the idea that the brain is really a highly advanced multitasking processor. Whilst I am writing this article, what I might consider to be my 'point of focus' is the content of what I am writing, but simultaneously part of my brain is going over everything that happened to me today and analysing events, another part is giving motor instructions to my finger tips to tap the keyboard, another part is thinking that I would rather like a hot chocolate right now....the list goes on.
What if one could use more of one's brain power by learning to dedicate different tasks more effectively to different parts of the brain? My feeling is that a lot of people try to play an instrument using only one 'core' (computer processor analogy), rather than allowing different information in the learning process to be sent to different parts of the brain. I believe that it is possible to improve this process through mental coordination exercises. For example, if I am practising a scale, I could choose to use a single, 'higher-conscious' core of my brain to 'think' about the exact distance between each of my fingers and the exact angle of the bow, the position of my right arm as I cross the strings etc etc, but if I processed the information like that I would be an absolute wreck and I can guarantee the scale would sound pretty awful. If I evolved a step from there and managed to say treat the intonation as a sub-conscious listen and adapt process, but am still 'focussed' on the angle of my bow perhaps, or my worry about sounding good, then I will actually still be limiting the potential for that scale to be executed in the best possible manner. If however, as I have found recently, I force myself to gradually encourage my brain's multitasking ability by performing more complicated mental tasks simultaneously whilst playing the scale, each of the things I was 'focussing' on previously actually become easier without me noticing it. For example:
Take a scale. Start to play it, perhaps a bowing you don't normally do, maybe two separate notes followed by three slurred at the tip of the bow (or something unconventional like that). Incorporate dynamics if you feel like it. Now whilst you are playing try doing something else like picking different objects in the room to look at and appreciate every detail of. Now play the scale again (all the time of course listening with open ears to your sound) and look at different things and start to speak in full sentences to describe what you see, with complete independence to the rhythm of the scale. This will probably seem very difficult at first. Play the scale a little slower if it helps to do so, but try not to interrupt the rhythm of the scale whilst you talk. Now perhaps try talking about a completely random subject, or a memory, or to push it further try doing some complicated mental arithmetic! I know this sounds crazy, but if you really try this properly and then play the scale without all the extra challenges, you will find it much, much easier and your brain will have developed a tiny bit more coordination.
I don't believe that this concept is just something to improve technical challenges either. If you increase the multitasking power of your brain, you can help develop creative, imaginative thinking during the most technically complex passages. The strange thing I have found about exercising my brain like this is that it actually makes me relax whilst I am doing it! I imagine this is due to the awareness and coordination of everything I am doing being increased.
Anyway, I hope you find this useful! If the human brain was a computer processor, who knows how many cores it would have...or perhaps the number is limitless!
