Over spring break, I unfortunately couldn't bring my violin along with me since there were 5 people in a van with all of their luggage, no room. As a result, I wasn't able to practice over break... Conventionally.
Obviously, when someone thinks of practicing, they think of sitting down with their instrument (or voice) and pounding out notes until they get them right and sounding good. Is that the only kind of practice we can do? Do we really need our instruments to practice?
This article from Bulletproof Musician says otherwise.
The author in this describes the process in which successful practice mentally can be just as beneficial as time in the practice room. If one goes through a piece without their instrument and imagines everything that they have to do in order to make the kind of music they want, make corrections to any mental errors or distractions just like in real practice, and stay focused and present within the music, the benefits can be fruitful.
I have begun trying this method, especially this week without my violin, and even though currently I have trouble with it since I'm easily distractible, I'm going to keep trying till I see results.
I know what it feels like to not be able to practice when not on campus, because I don't have certain instruments at my house. Mental practice really helped me this week for sure.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this article. I'm going to have to utilize mental practicing a fair amount this summer, so I'll definitely be coming back to this one. I think it's fascinating that the author does this when he has just fifteen minutes to be peaceful. It seems obvious that one could be efficient in that amount of time, but I never thought to try it in my spare 15 minutes before class.
ReplyDeleteI am doing mental practice all the time actually so I love this! I am constantly thinking about my songs and running through words in my head. It is beneficial for me to go over certain notes in my head over and over because then when I can actually get some alone time and sing them out loud, I have already learned them in my head or I have helped myself to be more memorized by going over it in my head.
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