Autism and music

My sister has Asperger syndrome. I'm so sorry you have to go through all this, and endure daily difficulties, especially in this world with a lack of empathy and compassion. Sam(my brother) found himself into music and enjoys playing the guitar and with voice. In the beginning, it was tricky for him to play in public, but with patience, he is handling it pretty well. I found this one of the music promotion companies that helps him promote the songs we're recording. It would be best if you continued what you're doing no matter the price. 

this discussion is 2 years old .......  just saying .......but maybe u want to bring it back

There are different levels of practice. Because an instrument's essentially a body extension, the core learning's building muscle memory, so your mind wants to do "this" and your body delivers: support for that's essential, much as a dancer remains at the barre however fine a soloist they may be. But just staying there keeps you frozen to Czernay and a limited choice of classics.

I was a very early adopter of the Irish low whistle, the instrument you hear in Lord of the Rings and Titanic. It came about after Finbar Furey had a Brazilian whistle crushed, so he had a tenor whistle designed, which he only played South American music on. Dixons heard about it and made some, a couple of which fell into my hands. They were sticking out of my pack at the Edinburgh Harp Festival one lunchtime when a Leprechaun by the name of Paddy Maloney stopped by, asking if he could sit in. Only the Chieftains' piper! So a couple of minutes pass and I discover he's spotted my whistles. "Do you play?" Well,seconds to Jimmy Galway recordings, so he starts easy, basic melody, which I decorate, on to follow-the-leader, where I drop into seconds (the harmony line) and start complementing his playing, he realises this isn't per a written arrangement, which is exactly what he was looking for, because I'd mastered slides he'd normally do on his uileann bagpipes, and off we went. Pure research, questions from him in his music, can you go here, I'd show him.

This is where session music comes in. You work out your bugs, and learn musical empathy. You can explore, musical off-piste skiing. And that is what music should be. If you want Beethoven V, buy the CD. Me, I'm part of a thousand years of development, one of the team which got Mike Oldfield started, and then Kraftwerk, which got picked up by William Onyeabor who did the same to Highlife (a somewhat westernised take on West African folk, courtesy of the Hotel movement picking up on Lounge Jazz in the 1930s). That was then picked up by Fela Kuti and a growing movement in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and came to David Byrne's ears. It then returned to me in the choir he had to use, we sorted his dots in rehearsal, but never rehearsed with the band. On the night, I realised we needed choreography, so I told the singers to shuffle-dance, and it worked. We added to the vibe, and were rolling so fast we couldn't stop. The Choir Director had her back to David, I was vocal lead at her side, She missed his go-around, I was left guessing and had to take a flyer as she panicked, because it hadn't been rehearsed, and guessed right: 180 signers came in a screaming curve behind me! It's now a staple of funk.

This is what BGT, The Voice and the rest miss. It's not about one performer. It's about a dozen or more, coming at it from different angles. The gig's here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFr5Zw4JPnA I sing Renaissance polyphony too, because we use a broad palette. I can expound at length on Dufay's L'Homme Armé Cantus Firmus mass of c1435, which is the greatest hit of all time, it's been resampled roughly 80 times down the centuries, the last being Sir Karl Jenkins The Armed Man, A Mass for Peace, written for the MIllenium: I'm covertly one of the dedicatees, as I was at the cutting edge of the Peacemaking Movement, it fell to me to complete Gandhi's unfinished work. From there, it went into Beatbox, Shlomo's March Peace, at the request of a beginners choir he was commissioned to work with: I'd been called in to mentor embedded in the choir. Shlo got lost halfway, after the dirge, and I gave him the idea for the second half, the peace pean, using a CounterTenor I'd found in the ranks.

Right now, the population's screaming for attunement, musical lead to reform around. 

Idk music just feels kinda normal for me i hear it i understand the rythmm and the notes played but nothing more . Its less likely that i feel anything of it .

To stay focused long term, heres a few things that work for me

- set small goals each week, they are less intimidating than big goals and you get the satisfaction of hitting the goal each week

- commit to regular practice, i work fixed shifts so i practice as soon as i get home. Some people get up early and practice in the morning

- set aside 1 day each week to just play for fun. We all need a break from the hard slog, playing should be enjoyable. I set aside sundays to ignore lesson stuff and just play jazz and improvise and mess with my loop pedal

-watch youtube vids and listen to lots of music, i find this inspires me to learn new pieces and discover pieces ive never heard before

Im afraid i cant help with planning practice, as focus has never been an issue for me so i dont really plan my practices.

I have the same problem practicing alone too, and i have a thing about having the door closed to whichever room im practicing in. If the doors open i get nervous people can hear me

Wow! That's very impressive! I started playing piano when I was six and I've only achieved five grades so far. Just need Grade 8 for the clarinet. I like to challenge myself too, but one particularly issue for me is staying focused on my goals, as I have an awful habit of getting side-tracked or distracted. Do you have any tips on staying focused on a long term basis, cause I'm not working right now and I need to keep myself occupied while also looking for work. Any tips also for setting up an efficient practice routine as well? That would be a huge help.

I also know what you mean about playing in front of other people. For me personally, it affects me most if I'm practise in my own time or if an instrumental teacher asks me to play a piece in front of time. I get quite anxious, so sometimes my nerves get the better of me and I end up slipping up a few times? Does anyone else feel like this when practising on their own? if so, please comment.  

Thank you, i mainly play classical but also have an electric violin and dabble in Jazz/fusion

Congrats on working towards grade 8! What kind of music do you like to play?

Another musician here! Ive been obsessed with music from a young age, through school i would try any instrument i could get my hands on, and age 9-17 played trumpet to a good level, but then i quit music after a bad experience.

5 years ago age 27 i took up learning the violin and have been obsessed from day 1. I practice for hours every day and am working towards doing grade 8 exam at the min (maybe next summer). I find it helps me to have something to focus on other than work, and i like a challenge!

I hate playing in front of other people though, including my teacher, i still struggle to play on my own to him even after 5 years of lessons, usually he has to start by playing along with me the first few times to build up my confidence a bit

I dont know if my obsession with music is linked to autism as im not diagnosed yet and have only recently been referred for assessment

I should really tell people I'm musically dyspraxic. I can't seem to process mental inputs and outputs rapidly enough to even begin to look slightly competent. (Yet another Cubs badge that never happened!) And yet I'm fascinated by most things avant-garde or experimental.

I learnt my recorders by ear as a child. I can read music but playing my ear is so much better for me!

I don't know, but in my family the ones with the most autistic traits are the most musical.  I took some music exams as a child and got high marks on my pieces but failed to score the minimum 10 points on any sight reading to get the actual exam certificate. 

I wonder.....is playing by ear an ASD thing? I used to play my recorders by ear and could do so easily. Sight reading is my bete noir and that frustrated me so I forced myself to learn piano "properly" and had enough success to satisfy me. I always fancied playing sax as I'm damn sure I could ad lib & jam - maybe I will take it up :-)

Hi

nice to see a music thread. i'm at work though, so can't jump right in today.

I play piano , flute, guitar and drums and i can't read music but i play by ear.  I self taught from the age of 4. I see music in 3 d shapes (like Mr Plastic ) , it's a kind of geometry with keys and chords, whereas melody lines are like graphlines.

My fingers can't do as skillfully what my brain wants them to do but given i work a lot, I can't complain. My skill recovers quickly when i start playing again.

I have been really obsessed with music at times, and I've chosen not to work in music because (a) i can't teach anyone to play like i do and (b) i would probably have a really unhealthy lifestyle where the day and night never end but just blur into one another. 

I don't particularly like other people listening to me but i have performed in a band . i like to jam, providing others can play by ear or have their own chords / whatever

I'm really tired these days as we have a huge pressure at work, so i'm quite depressed due to having to stay away from my love of music for some time . When i do jump in, i immerse myself and don't come out for ages. it swallows me whole. I miss having any friends to jam.

People often try to get me to read music but i can't.  I see the music, so i can't both see the sound and the notes, they would get in the way of one another. I tell people I'm musically dyslexic. 

I learned to play synth - I can't play piano or any real instrument - but using a computer and a few synths I can create electro music.    I know 'technically' what to do - I just can't actually do it - so the computer means I can download my brain and create and assemble music in step-time, one note or chord at a time - it's slow & laborious but that pleases me - think early Depeche Mode, Numan or Ultravox - big sounds in big soundscapes.   I 'see' music in 3d - all the individual tracks next to each other and the wiggly path the notes take form worm-like repeating strands.

I've dabbled a bit, sometimes I feel quite creative and I learned piano to grade 5 as an adult. Also learned the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata so that I could play it and concentrate on the expression without the pain of having to look at (and physically handle! i.e. page turns etc.) the sheet music. But once I'd achieved that lifetime goal, I ran out of impetus to do more. I've looked at Clare de Lune many times but once the ridiculously fast arpeggios start I stop.

I used to play recorder as a child and once collected most of the variants from soprano to tenor (bass?). Every now and then I get into transposing, arranging etc but haven't for years. I have sometimes been fascinated by music theory as it can be slightly esoteric. I always wanted perfect pitch and used to try to train myself, but I just don't have it :-).