Mental Practice

When learning an instrument we are often told that 'practice makes perfect', but practising badly does more harm than good. It is easy to go through the motions of practice, trying to improve our playing, without getting the results we wish to achieve, and, if we're unlucky, we might even create bad habits along the way.

Before we get to this point, it can help to step away from our instrument, and look at the music we are playing. Start to ask some questions about the piece we're trying to master: What is its structure? Where is the high point of that phrase? Where is the climax of the piece (perhaps we should play that section before a bit less to highlight the fortissimo a few bars later?) Will understanding the historical context of the work give us new insights into how we are playing it (maybe I should read up on the musical period)? Which aspects of my technique can I use to create a different colour here to highlight the emotion of this music? Is there a specific sound for this composer that I want to create? 

These are just a few things we can start to ask ourselves when learning a piece of music (new or old!). Hopefully, if we continue challenging ourselves in this way, we will find new ways of playing our piece, and improving our playing. When I say practising badly - I mean practising without thinking.

Mental practice should be a part of every musician's practice routine, but all practice should engage our brains fully!