Digging in.

When I work on something unfamiliar, tricky, or outside my current ability, my first instinct is to bear down, dig in, and hit the strings hard. I try to be overly precise, deliberate, definite, and correct. I tense up, and clear my mind of everything except what I’m trying to do, and try to play whatever it is exactly right.

Instinctive, yes, and also wrong, for me at least. When, instead, I ease up both physically and mentally, I take in more information. I can hear the notes better - not the pitch, but other characteristics, like volume and cleanness and timing. I can pick up more detail from my fingertips. I can respond to what I hear and see more easily because my mind is more open. Just like it’s easier to hear when you’re not talking, it’s easier to notice what’s happening when you’re not trying so hard to make something happen.

It’s easier to conflate concentration and digging in. But (borrowing from Dizzy Gillespie here) concentration is really just digging.