Losing concentration whilst leading a set

Just asking if others here sometimes lose concentration whilst leading a set of tunes.
It happens to me too often that I would play a tune twice through and start wondering if that was two or three times through?
It happens mostly with tunes I know really well and my mind sort of drifts off into other unrelated thoughts. Very annoying and sometimes slightly embarrassing. Is there a way to overcome this anyone? Would welcome constructive comment please.

I lose concentration all the time.
Sorry, what was it you asked?

Seriously, this was discussed a few weeks ago, but it’s natural to feel extra pressure when leading and for your mind to drift (Am I doing OK? Am I speeding up? Should I have another pint and walk home?).
When you’re not leading your mind can still drift but it doesn’t matter so much because you’re just following the music rather than directing it.

Often. So do the rest of our lot, so we usually rely on the trusty Hup or One more time. No more issue.

It helps my concentration to listen to someone else who I know to be a solid (or compatibile) player. I know that means I’m not leading but it tends to keep the set on track. Amazing how many different ways a session gets through a set of tunes. Maybe *we* are all still experimenting with how sessions happen. Just hang on.

For me it can also extend to forgetting halfway through a part whether it is once or twice for repeats

It happens to me. Pity I can’t do something like cricket umpires to keep count but that’s impossible while playing. Unless I cross/uncross my legs each time through…..but then I’d look odd to say the last.

https://thesession.org/discussions/47549

We’ve all been there. Don’t worry an extra A part or B part isn’t going to kill anybody.

A good suggestion I heard recently is to put a little variation here and there as you go through the tune, as a kind of marker to help you keep your place. The variation can really go anywhere. For example, to me the first part of The Banshee (McMahon’s) feels very repetitive on fiddle, so for that first G note at the beginning of the first and fifth measure I will vary by rolling it ~G3, then playing GFG, then sometimes just holding the note in unison against the open G, like … [G,G]3. I don’t necessarily do it exactly the same each time, but changing it up helps me keep place--maybe also by keeping me more engaged with the tune.

just chiming in to say that when I first read the title of this thread, I literally thought it said “losing concertinas” and I was fascinated how that could be a thing.

The way I do it is, when people start looking at you, that’s probably getting to the time to change…figure that’s probably third time through or about time…

Only trouble is I tend to play with my eyes shut…….

I don’t know if anyone else has this, but to me it often feels like an intro, a middle and an ending.

Many years ago a semi-professional in a session I was playing in went kaput in Planxty Irwin and said “Oops! Sorry! I was doing my shopping list”.

Excellent comments all. Thank you.

Ha! Pete H I hope you have read this?!

Ooh, nice tune…Squirrel! Nope. Never happens to me.

I’m always doing this especially not keeping up with how many times I’ve played s as tune through. I’ve started to look across at a person’ opposite for the first time through then the person adjacent to them for the second time through and so on! Better perhaps that you stare at their shoes not their faces or they may get a bit worried!!!! 😂😂😂