Music and"tunnel vision", "runners high" in relation to concentration and meditation ( WHOA it rhymes!!)

When i was in highschool in grade 11 i had to take elective courses. I wasnt interested in any of them, but i knew I could play a little guitar, and the trumpet to some extent. Who would have thought that 3 years later when i graduated, i can play trumpet, baritone, sax, trombone, and now am an avid guitar player.

I had a very good teacher, he even went to Berkley. He always told us to be great musicians we have to "feel" and understand what were playing. I found that this came somewhat naturaly to me. Concentrating on the mood and emotions in the piece, feeling the wound envelope you when your surrounded by an full orchestra, and then feeling the emotions come out and putting in into your music.

Now fer the past few years i play guitar everyday, for at least 30 minutes just to keep my "chops" up. Now when I put the feelings etc when I play, im essentialy concentrating very hard on what im doing, and incidently, all outside sourced that dont have anything to do with what im doing basicaly fade out. I cna only really see a few feet in front of me. This is called tunnel vision.

Scientificly, becasue im feeling so happy when im playing, and im putting so much effort mentaly into what im doing, im esentialy realsing endorphines and other feel good hormones into my body. Runners get this as a "runners high", due to more physical exertion, but any of us who have excersided profusly, or ran a few miles can understand what I mean by this.

What I have commed to realize is that they are all different forms of concentration. And now Ive noticed that meditation.concentration on meditaion, brings out the same feeling. It makes it much easier to meditate when you can concentrate intensly. Ive read that some people even get this sewing, or knitting, walking, drawing etc. So can it be safe to say that most forms of concentration are a form of mediatation?

To take it a step deeper, I would say you are describing “being present”.
I believe many are lost in the mind of endless chatter and living in the “now” can easily show how wonderful it can be to just “be”.

I am a backyard portrait artist on the side and I always look in amazement at my finished work because they always look and feel like some else did them! That is how absorbed I get into drawing when I am doing it. It is like a high!

The jury is still out in my mind as to “being present” being the way to be always because as much as enjoy just “being”, I also enjoy daydreaming and letting my thoughts wander.
Peace and Blessings,
WhiteShaman

IT sounds liek were talking about the same thing! I was more talking about it as a form or exersise. To be trueley in the now would be interesting for a bit lol

Sounds like you are very passionate about music and playing musical instruments. I can definitely learn a great deal from how you blend in to the music you are playing. I do feel this is a form of meditation, i have come to realize that meditation can be practiced in many forms. We tend to think that meditation is only done with eyes closed and legs crossed. But mediation is the experience of quieting the mind and just being as WhiteShaman said. Keep up the good work canadianmind

Many Blessings

Ah thanks for the words of encouragement! I hope it helps everone out!