Mental Practice and Imagery for Musicians a practical guide for optimizing practice time, enhancing performance, and preventing injury by Malva Susanne Freymuth, D.M.A. Integrated Musician's PressTable of Contents, cont'd, Table of Contents, coat’d, Chapter V References . Why and How Does Mental Practice Work! Category 1: Strategies for Reinforcing Cognitive Aspects of @ Skill Category 2: Mental Practice During Ditferent Stages of Leamting ....... 56 Category 3: Physiological Aspects of Mental Practice... 38 Category 4 Hilvets of Mental Pre-performance Strategies... 62 Summary 2.07 Chapter V Further Mental Practice Strategies... 2... 69 Perspective, . cee -. 69 Manipulation of Tempo of Mental Rehearsals... 71 Mimutig asa Supplement to Mental and Physica! Practice "4 Eliminating Negative Mental Representations... 73 Imagery for Musical and Technicat Inspiration... 79 Summary oe vee 82 Appendices Introduction to the Appendices... 85 Appendix A; Teaching Mental Practice Fechniques to Young Students... 86 Appendix B: Relaxation ., 89 Appendix C: Using Imayery to Support Heating and Rehabilitation of Injuries 96, Closing Comments beens lotCHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Did you know. that mental practice goes fur beyond just hearing a piece of music in your head? that it is a skill shat is useful during every stage of musical learning and in preparing tor performance? _tlat mental practice has been the subject of much research and that its effectiveness is solidty supported by scientitic evidence? Often musicians develop some rudimentey mental practice skills on their own, but only a rare teacher will actually teach stedents to use theseMental Practice Amd Imagery For Musicians valuable skills. fortunately, few musicians rea ive what tremendous impact mental practice can have on their work and those who wre interested often Find thet informacion on the technique is bard to come by * proliferation of rescarch studies on menial Pevetice ean he found in the sports. psycholog Mteratare, but uniess you are motivated ta do a lot of reading und independent thinking, these materials will not be immedintely helpful Vo remedy the Situation, this book focuses primarily on practical applications for musicians. “hile alse providing some basic research back ground, Only a small portion of sourves is speci cally efted in the text. The bibliography lists sources that have played some role in shaping thy ideas in this book and provides direction for further study of the reseasch aspects Background AL this point a backyround sketch of my own work with the technique is in order. Over the course of many years. my tendency t “play musie in my head” developed into a potent and multicfaceted Practice strategy. [was initially motivated by a vase of tendinitis: that severely curuiled my physical Practice time and forced me tw find akemative micans to maintain my musical skills, As a result. | teamed that mental practice is far more than a last- ditch solution. It can alse be used daily as a powerful technique for optimizing. pra eeereEelUlUlUlUlUlUl~—~—— Introduction And Background enhancing performance, and preventing musical inju « Beginning Mental Practice Skills As a dedicated tee violinist, musie continually occupied my mind. For example. 1 would mentally play through repertoire while walking through the beautifil foothills near my home, Music was on my mind during sehool to. and I'd tune out boring teachers by mentally “hearing” and “tecling” myself play. If a memory lip occurred, I'd simply pull out the printed music and use it for guidanee. | also put in many Rours of physival practice each day. often playing until hands ‘and lingers ached ‘ Tendinitis Enters The Picture My intense practice habits and tendeney to play With excessive muscular tension eventually caught up with me during preparations for an upeoming performance. At first T played through the sharp pains that were shooting through my hands and forearms, but three days belbre the performance the pain could no longer be ignored. The injury was clearly serious and required immediate rest Desperate, I slathered my arms with liniment. put the music on its stand, and began practicing mentally Through this experience. | developed a variety of techniques for mental practice. { would imagine my ideal sound and recall the sensations of playing. I would mentally play along wo various recordingsMental Practice And Imagery For Musicians of my repertoire. | would hum the music and mime the actions of playing. | would even dance to the music, moving my entire hody in creative way’ that somehow deepened my experience, When the performance date arrived, 1 was ready and it was a success. And while there was sill a lot of pain. f was amazed to find that F act rally sounded better than Aefure I took my enlorced “vacation Unfortunate! my initial bout swith tendinitis wasn't harrowing enough to foree a change in my overall practice habits. The experience taught me that developing a more relaxed nstrumental eehnique would probably solve my problems, but | didn"l want to take time away from fearing new repertoize, Not surprisingly. tendinitis became a recurring fact of li and mental practice continued fo be a stop-gap measure. | simply didn’t know bow (o make menial praetiee am integral put of any daily musical work, * Debilitating Injury Afier @ year in college. | attended a iusie ajo imp and festival, The competition was stift and | felt driven 6 practice endlessly while ignoring painful signals from my hands and atras, What a mistake! I developed such a debilitating case of cendhinitis that playing was out of the question. The pain bad become so acute that T could havdly bution my own shirt! very task that required the use of cither hand became an ordea), My instrument stayed in its ease and J abandoned imy plans for a degree in violin performance. For my B.A. 1 wrote a thesis, 16 EE EE EE EE Introduction And Background emitled, A Summary Of Common Medical Prablems Of Musicians, Their Treatment, And Their Preven- tion, which reflected the things | had learned as a result of my injury ¢ The Long Rehabilitation Process Once the most acute stages of injury had passed. | began working woth a physical therapist, @ Rolfer, and a Rolfing Movement teacher, learning hhow to use my eatire body in a more balanced anc! efficient manner. Over the cousse of many months. # developed healthy pestural habits that would support the specialized movements needed in violin playing, While waiting for the pain w subside funher, 1 read pedagogical treatises on violin playing, as well as namerous books on movement re-education, body work, and other methods of self improvement. | alse set aside time each day for creative visualization and mental practice © A Slow Return To Playing When [ was finally able to pick up the violin apain, | wanted to make the most of the precious few minutes | was actually able to play. By playing a few measures at a time and then practicing them mentally for several minutes, ] was able to distri- bute five minutes of physical playing over an hour's worth concentrated mental work. AS | gradually increased my physical practice time by a few minutes each week, I placed the main emphasis on reworking my technique and learning, to move efficiently. Another thesis paper reflectedMental Practice And Imagery For Musicians this process: Violin Playing From The Perspective Of Mental Involvement And Physical Releave, * My Research Phase Once the combining of mental and physical practice had become an efficient habit, I began tw wonder why mental practice worked so well, Were there Ways of using it even more productively? My quest for information led met the disciplines of Kinesiology and sports psychology which had generated a weaith of research on the Subject of mente practice and imagery. 1 was able tw further my knowledge by taking basic courses in Kinesiology and researching the topic of mental Practice for a graduate sports psychology course. | somplcted my research with a doctoral dissertation entitled. The Application Of Sport Psychology Prin ciples To Musie Learning std Performance * Putting It AU Together By applying what t had leamed about mental Practice to my own practice sessions, | developed specific strategies for supporting and increasing the efficwney of musical learning. For esample. hy allemating bewween meatal and physical rehearsals, immediate goals were always elaritied, and oppor anities for analysis were plentiful, By mentally playing music just beloce physically playing it, my body was programmed 1 respond appropriately Creative images, symbolizing certain qualities, further supported my technical and musical goals OE YE':S”CSC-:SC“‘ OO Introduction And Background ‘The general techniques set out in this book ate the same as those that enabled me to perform ss rests required by my deyrce pagans, and then move on to playing professionally. (I also used mental strategies that specifically addressed violin playing.) Even today, mental rehearsals make un sizable portion of my total practice time, and the benefits remain the same. * Teaching Others Once | began teaching my students how t use various facets of meatal practice. 1 was surprised 1 find that even young students and hewianers were able to respond to appropriate suggestions! La Bet, players of every still fevel can derive benetits trom using mental practice strategies. ‘Te attain a hi level of sophistication, however. mental skills must receive the same emphasis as scales and eludes. Ina teaching situation, mental strategies should be wied out and discussed during cuch lesson Students need to provide sufficient feedback conceming the quality of their inner experiences so that the teacher ean more effectively shape both the aginal work and the related physical changes. * On Starting Mental Training ‘The following chapters will discuss many ways in which mental practice and imayery can be applied. You're encouraged to experiment with the suggestions, altering them to suit yourself. You will probably find that mental strategies are easier to eam and use than they appear on paper 19O_O Mental Practice And Imagery Far Musicians Keep in mind that mental skills need practice and maintenance to retain their effectiveness. Count on spending extra time in the initial stages of ‘raining. and keep in mind that once you've built up “mental musetes” they can be used anytitie. any where! - CHAPTER If RUDIMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF MENTAL PRACTICE Throughout history, musieians have depended on some form of mental practice to kelp them achieve technical fluency and to refine their musical interpretations. One famous proponent of mental practice was violinist Fritz Kreisier, Renowned for his astonishing mental capacities and attendant dis- regard for physical practice, he wooed the world with his brilliant and soulful playing. He would describe learning entire concertos while his violin remained in ity case. Instead of practicing, he would silently siudy scores while on Jong tain rides between concerts.’ He felt that all technique was in the player's head and, as early as 1919, discussed the importance of creating “aMentat Practice sind Imagery For Musicnans mental picture..a sort of master record” of one’s playing actions,” Everything considered, Kreisler’s abilities were extraordinary, and he probably had something akin © photographic memory, But even without stich astonishing capacities. “every musician whether Mucient, amateur. or professional. ean learn mental practice skills to improve his or her musical work The Role Of Mental Practice Mental practice is used as supplement to physical practice, helping you to work more effi- cienUy. By Imagining bow you want to soamt and feel Acfore physically playing the instrument musical goals are claitied and the body is programmed to respond with aeeuraey and precision, By menially reviewing your playing uffer the det, your memory is exereised and long retention of essential clements is enhanced. When mental rehearsals are regularly inter- spersed throughout physical practice sessions. the leaning curve is acevlerated and you are mare Jikely to catch mistakes early, Furthermore, close! spaced mental rehearsals allow for the monitoring of fatigue and tension; this helps in reducing the chances of music-related injuries. You may. still spend many hours working musically. bul the amount of time spent on physical playing is som what reduced. In fact, more may actually be aveom- plished by a combination of mental and physical erm Rudimentary Principles Of Memal Practice practice than is achieved when the entire time is Spent playing. Sometimes, “esr iy more Mental Practice And Sensory Feedback In creating mental representations* of physical events, you draw upon memories of physical sensa- tions (hearing, moving, seeing, ele.) Because sou have physically heard music, for example, you can Imagine musical sounds. Having experienced the sensations of playing. you ean reall these feelings them. All the different aspects of a physical experience can he imagined. including moods and emotions, Musical learning depends primarily on what you hear and fee! while playing, with visual input playing a supportive role. As you develop mental practice skills, it may help to examine feedback from various senses ~aural, kinesthetic. or visual to identify which ones you can most easily imagine, Try calling up a few sense-specitic representations For cxample, can you imagine hearing a simple song? Can you recall the feeling of sitting down on a soft cushion and then standing up again? What about picturing someone you care about? Which- ever sense scems most accessible may be the best “imagery” are always specified theeughout this book (ie. “kinesthetic representations.” “visual images,” ete) 2BMental Practies And Imagery For Musie wns one to start mental training with. This way, you can gain confidence in your abilities before adding the more challenging ‘senses. (Chapier TIT contains specific training exercises.) Mental Recall And Mental Projection Mental representations full into ane of x0 categories: “meatal recall” and “mental projection” Mental recall involves reereating an ex- perience so that the mental representation is identical to the past event Mente projection is the creation of a men tal “model” that embodies ideals that you sitive for, As your music-making matures, these ideals may chang Recall Mental recall always happens “afier the thet.” When something has heen played very well. mental repetition of the experience helps to secure it in your memory. Recall of the experience also provides « model lor excellent playing skills. On the other hand. if your playing needs improvement. mental recall is a means for analysing difficulties and encrating possible solutions. # Projection In contrast to mental recall, the projection ot a mental model always precedes the physical event It Rudimentary Principles Of Memal Practice may be a representation of what you actually want fo accomplish, oF it ean be a way to explore fature options. When projecting a meatal model just moments before playing, you are progeamming your nervous system and directly influencing the perfor- mance Projectioas also can be used to define intentions. For example, you can imagine what is be accomplished during a practice session. or you can project more long-term goals. When using mental projection in preparing for future events that contain unfamiliar elements. mental model is created based both on personal experience und on information gathered tiem others. Naturally. the more experienced you are, the more detailed and useful the mental model with likely be, However. even nevices benefit, from contemplating situations outside of their own experience. For example, 10 prepare for various performance settings, you might anticipate possible difficulties and» mentally rehearse constructive responses. What kind of adjustment might the performance space require? Does the setting Indicate a change in your typical stage prescniation? Are there any logistical factors that might benefit from mental rehearsal? (If you don’t have first-hand experience of a particular situation, seck out re- sources that might provide some of the infior- mation.)C—O LEE Mental Practice And Imagery Fur Musicians The Basic Three-Step Practice Loup li daily practice sessions, mental projection, Physical practice, and mental recall can be combined into a simple three-step loop Gig. I-1, First, project an ideal mental madel, Nest. try to fateh the model with sour physical playing. ‘Then recall afd anlyze this physieal rendition. You ea incorporate any helptidl observations into the nest mental model and repeat this sequence thoughout Your practice sessions, Be aware that 2 mental feview and analysis is, not abvays necessary. Often, the changes needed become obvious even while playing. On the other hand. projecting a mental model is of inestimable value and should pf he omitted. Intended changes should be clear in your mind hefore yee trv to play them physically - Fig. tll Three-Step Prsctice Loop. Rudimentary Principles OF Mental Practice Vividness, Accuracy, And Flexibility Mental representations must be vivid and accu- rate in order to be effective: they ant filly corre late to their physical counterparts.’ In other words, mental representations need to reflect even the most subtle changes made in pursuit of musical esccl- lence or they won't have the power 1 iniluence physical actions. In fact. if mental models are inae= curate, they can actually have a detrimental effect, Mental representations also need to renin flexible, changing in response to musical growth, #Vividness When pricticing mentafly, take note of any vague or blank aspeets int your representations, Fer example, you may he able te imagine the sound ofa particular phrase, but not be able to recall all the accompanying. sensations of playing. To strengthen & mental representation, increuse pour sensory awareness during physical practice Try playing at a slower tempo. giving yoursell extra time to register all the sensations. The mental Fecail should match the speed of your physical Playing. Or, focus on specilic aspects of the Physical motions and then mentally: rehearse euch aspect, For example, # pianist or violinist might Concentrate fisst on the motions of one band, then the other, before trying to bring the Wwo into simul- taneous awareness 2