III · Attention
Words 15 · RF@80 Series. Keynote Accompanying Notes Part 3 of 7 – Alexander Technique Congress. August 4th. 2025. Dublin.
We become present by engaging the active attention. Attention is a natural property of the angels. For us, active attention is a possibility.
There are three qualities of attention: active, passive, and none whatsoever.
Active, that is volitional or free attention, is of three kinds: directed, receptive and neutral. An example of active, directed attention is to listen to ourselves as we speak. For a musician, an example of active, directed attention is to play a piece of music in tune, in tone and in time while listening to ourselves and also the other members of the ensemble. In my professional life, this is notable by its rarity. An example of an engaged, receptive attention: listening to a piece of music that holds no interest for us. For many women, King Crimson does that job nicely. Active, neutral attention is rare.
An example of passive attention is that of attracted attention. Our attention is taken from us. Internally, this is often through associations, such as the whirring of Monkey Mind, emotional reactions, and habitual patterns of behaviour. Externally, as with news headlines and advertising, our attention is deliberately stolen.
Where there is no attention, nobody is home. Alternatively expressed, our head is placed where sunshine never falls while we comment on the weather. Elvis has left the building.
Where our attention is, is where we are. The quality of our attention is all we properly have in life.
A Present Moment: A Present Moment is a moment of presence.
A professional attention span is about 45 minutes. We can hold ourselves in place for 45 minutes, even with topics that hold little interest for us.
An attention span of, say, 90 minutes requires long practice. I associate this with mastery of a specialty or oneself. I apologise for the gendered language, so an alternative word for mastery is mystery. To rephrase, an engaged attention span of 90 minutes is a mystery.
A good professional may commit to a project of 1, 3, perhaps 7 years, depending upon the degree of their personal practice or discipline. A characteristic of the master / mystery musician is that they may engage in extended periods of commitment, perhaps even 21 years.
The attention span of a rock fan, presented with music in which they have no interest whatsoever, is 10 to 20 minutes. An example: on the Satriani and Vai G3 tour in Europe during June and July 2004, I was booed off every night for 18 shows. For my 40-minute slot, audience twitching began after 20 minutes, booing after 30. We shortened my slot to 30 minutes, and the booing began after 20 minutes. Then we shortened my slot to 20. There was still booing, but it didn’t last as along.
Volitional Attention May Be Practised. The good news: active attention may be practised. In Guitar Craft, we practice the Division of Attention.
Example: 5 over 4: We beat 4 in the left hand and 5 in the right. If we’d like to take this a little further, perhaps we beat 4 in our left hand and 5 in the right while having a conversation at the same time. Or alternate the hands. Or recite the factors that affect demand in conventional economic theory. And if we’d like to take this a little further, while delivering the keynote at an international Alexander congress.
Whenever We Make an Effort Help Is Available. As a side comment, one that I am unable to prove but suggest that you consult your own experience, is that whenever we make an effort help is available. And this is a mystery.