OK, methods to use during sitting meditation. Say you hear music or other people speaking and instead of noting "hearing, hearing" and coming back to the meditation subject; you are getting caught up in the sound of the music, or the people's speech. Fine, note "hearing, hearing", and come back to the meditation subject. If you are still getting caught up in that sound, or if you are drifting with it, then there is a hindrance present, right? Try to note it again, and then come back. Try to note it three or four times, and then come back.
If you are still getting caught in it, change the technique. You might try Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation concerning the current situation or how we are reacting to it. For example, when hearing music, if we're actually hearing the words of the song, what is the song about? I've heard that about 78% of songs are about sad love stories? By hearing the words in the song, you might start to use the words of the song for reflection purposes. The majority of songs are about Dukkha. So you might open what you are experiencing up for Dukkha reflection, having Compassion/Lovingkindness with the people involved in it.
You might reflect about the music industry. Thinking about all the pain that's related to it. Thinking how many people are overdosing, committing suicide, and so on. All sorts of mental states, craziness, whatever. People taking tons of drugs that they don't need. The pain, and the suffering involved. You might bend the experience, in that sort of way, with your Compassion/Lovingkindness reflection.
If it's the Disco music coming up from the hill, you can reflect about the young people who are running the Discos. You can reflect about how they are possibly going to afford to buy hearing aids when they are forty-five, after they've wrecked their hearing by listening to such loud music. You can reflect on the people who are at the parties. OK, some are stoned, wiped out, and they are wasting some of their life. In a sense they are taking some of the money out of their bank account and not putting any in, whereas all of you are putting something into your bank accounts. So you might open your heart and have compassion for all these people.
In regards to using the Compassion/Lovingkindness technique when hearing a sound or hearing somebody speaking, it may be simply that some of the Thais have to do some business. Mae Chee Ahmon lives just across the street. She just has to do some business sometimes. So if you get upset at this situation, then have compassion for yourself. Why do you get upset? She runs this place, she opens it up for you. To be bothered by the fact that she is talking, when you don't even understand what she's saying, is not considered beneficial, and it is not necessary. Just get back to your practice of doing Compassion/Lovingkindness for yourself. If you are hearing Westerners talking loudly outside, you might have compassion for them. Maybe they didn't read the sign. "Please be quiet..." You can open up the Compassion/Lovingkindness to all these people. Then come back to your meditation subject.
OK, You have the mental noting technique. If that doesn't work, you have the Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation technique. If that doesn't work, if you are still getting caught up in the sounds, you can switch into one of the Five Reflections.
You have the reflection on How Fortunate You Are. What's so fortunate when you are sitting in meditation and you are actually hearing the sounds that interrupt you? Can you actually think of one thing that is extremely fortunate at that moment of being interrupted? You have your hearing! Would you rather not be able to hear anything? Think about that. You are actually fortunate to be able to hear that sound. Other people can't hear it. If you were to go into any old retirement village and look at everybody's ears, then you might find that 50% of the residents, maybe 70% of the residents, I have no idea of the percentage, they have a hearing aid in their ear. You don't have a hearing aid in your ear. So thinking about how fortunate you are is another technique you can use to let go of the hindrances that have arisen in this situation.
If that doesn't help, you can use the other reflections. You can reflect on Death and Impermanence. Reflect on Actions and Results of Actions. You can reflect on Dukkha. You can reflect on the Relationship between Compassion and Equanimity. You have all these different techniques to use. If the mental noting technique doesn't help, and you can't let got of the hindrances, try all the different techniques that you've been taught.
Now as to this particular question of wanting a powerful method. Powerful, the word "powerful," doesn't really apply here. It's more that you're going to test the methods. You have this big toolbox, and you have methods that will work for various different situations and experiences in life. Some of the tools will work on the same item, some won't. You take a hammer and a nail. That's fine. You take a screwdriver and a screw. That's fine. You take a screwdriver and a nail and you have a problem. The hammer can work with the screw, but the screwdriver can't work with the nail. So you have to learn the techniques, and they will become powerful for you, if you know how to use them correctly.