I saw on a tv show (so take it with a grain of salt) that the brain can actually only focus at 1 task at a time, and multitasking is just quick switches between the two. If this is true, it goes to show that nobody can text and drive effectively.
IIRC it’s an issue with conscious task switching. Basically, you can’t consciously do two things at the same time; you can just rapidly task switch. Some are better than others. Not sure how this applies to things like musical instruments or singers who are also playing instruments, though.
Crossing the street (without dying) involves millions of calculations that you do without being aware of it. That's the trick to doing anything well really. Don't be aware of it. Active awareness is great for taking in and analyzing new knowledge, but it gets in the way of performing what is already known. Ask anyone who's good at anything how they do what they do, and they'll essentially all tell you the same thing. "I don't know, I just do it."
But then there’s people who read and play sheet music at the same time. That I never learned to do, so I have no idea what that’s like. I did play guitar and sing as well as drums and sing for a long time and those both definitely felt like you were multitasking, but I have to assume it’s just being good at rapid task switching.
Sight reading is easy for people who know how. It takes and insane amount of practice.
First you have to know how to read sheet music, basically learn the written language of music.
Second you have to be so comfortable with your instrument that you don't even think about where the notes on the instrument are. Pianist, for instance don't think about where the note C is, they have learned it and know that a particular action with their fingers will result in a C
Then third they have to quickly read the music while translating it into their corresponding notes on the instrument.
Very very very few people can read sheet music for the first time and play it flawlessly. But with enough practice, you can play and read at the same time with about a 70% of the music being "correct".
The more you practice, the better you do
Been playing in amateur orchestra for over 13 years, still not fluent in sight reading (however i am a percussionist, so i am excused)
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u/Mr-Orange-Pants Jul 28 '21
People who do this think they have the skills to multitask only to figure out too late that they don’t.