There's a misconception that everyone out grows ADD, which def isn't the case. I'm not surprised you play an instrument (at least one) and can say with confidence it helped train your brain to concentrate. More accurately, to put things an order (or disorder) that was comfortable for you and that you could connect with. For my daughter it was electrical components. Today she helps design engines for Subaru. Statistically, most people with ADD find thier comfortable connection in alcohol and drugs.
That is true about alcohol and drugs, but fortunately enough of us grow up and out of that to become responsible citizens. Interesting comment about your daughter. I was involved in amateur radio for many years, and my primary interest was building stuff rather than talking to other hams on the air. For me, the license was simply a means of being able to put what I built on the air and then I was on to the next project. Later, I got into engineering. Though I work(ed) as a software engineer, all my work has been down at the hardware level where you have to understand both aspects equally well.
I think, according to your line of reasoning, that we thrive in an environment that provides us with a sense of order and logic since that is not something we generate from within. Music is very logical. The way I have presented it to other folks (and the way I build it in my own mind) is this:
In Western music, we only have 12 unique tones called the chromatic scale, or the set of all possible tones for those into set theory. To that scale, we apply various formulas consisting of interval definitions to extract the scales we typically work with. We apply various formulas consisting of intervals that spell chords, to the various scales to derive chords, which represent the harmony we work with in Western music.
In a nut shell, that is what is called "diatonic music theory". It is very simple, very logical, and explains classical, pop, and jazz very neatly and in a practical manner that we can use to make this music. Everything else about keys, the different types of scales, etc., is built on these simple facts.
One other thing I like to do is to put some boundaries on the "everything else" through applying these two simple concepts:
1. The major scale is the basis from which all other scales can be derived by modifying one or more members and/or dropping certain notes altogether.
2. There are essentially three types of chords: major, minor, and dominant. All other chord types are derived from these by adding and modifying certain notes within those chords.
I base everything I play and know about music on these concepts and you can see how little space I took up to explain it. I am sure there are many here who are quite familiar with how music works. Some of them might come along and say that I forgot this or that. However, that is not the case because whatever "this or that" is, will be found to have come from what I have explained here.
It is this simplicity and purely logical structure of music that provides a sense of logic and order to a mind muddled by ADD. The same holds true for engineering. This is also why, for both fields, one absolutely must get the basics down before jumping into more advanced topics.
Edit: I forgot to mention that, along the lines of your daughter's pursuits, I built my first computer from scratch. I laid out my own circuit board, worked out the logic and addressing, and built the whole thing from individual components based around a Z80 processor. I got a keyboard from a surplus store and rewired it to conform to the logic of my little system. That is how I learn best - by doing.
Tony
