My struggles with ADHD as a musician

Photo by Chris on Unsplash

I have been performing and teaching the guitar for the past ten years or so. I turned my passion and love for the guitar into a career during this period. However, it wasn’t always rainbows and butterflies. I was faced with my fair share of struggles and challenges. It wasn’t until recently, when my therapist diagnosed me with ADHD that I realised that most of the challenges I have faced as a performer suffered because of that. It all made a lot of sense why I behaved in a certain way.

Here is a list of challenges I faced as a live performer with ADHD

• Being unable to focus on tasks
• Boredom
• Hyper Focus
• Substance Misuse

1. Being unable to focus on tasks

Back then, I joined a working band that played in pubs regularly. The first thing I was tasked with was learning a repertoire of songs that numbered in the hundreds. It was a common sight for fresh players like me who entered the performing scene to learn hundreds of songs.

I was unable to focus on that. On the other hand, I preferred to learn the songs with which I resonate or with which I feel comfortable performing. Sometimes, I would spend the whole day practising and learning songs that I liked but lacked the focus to know the…