Mental Practice: The What, Why and How

Hey there! Eleanor here.

Say you could practice without your instrument (say when you need to be quiet, or you don’t have access to your instrument), and still make strong gains? Heck freaking yeah!

Well guess what? That is a thing! It’s called mental practice, and today we are diving right into the what, why, and how of it.

Multi-Tasking? Listen to the podcast episode!

What is mental practice?

What makes music? Your instrument, or you? Well both, but you are the starting point of that sound. If you were to just put your instrument on the floor, it wouldn’t create music, you create the music. Your instrument is just a part of the process.

Mental practice is a way to focus on that aspect: you. Taking the instrument out of the equation makes your focus on your brain, and strengthening the brain connection needed to execute a piece properly.

Why do we need mental practice?

For many reasons!

1. Focus on your brain
   • Your brain is the source of your music. Really honing in on your brain and making distinctions between the notes is crucial.
2. When you need to be quiet
   • This makes it so that you can practice on the bus or the train, or during a lunch break — you don’t need to have your instrument with you!
3. When you don’t have your instrument or you can’t play it
   • If your instrument is at the repair shop, you can still practice!
   • As musicians, we are constantly trying not to over-practice — because that can lead to injury. So if you are done with practicing with your instrument, but there are things you still need to go over — this is a way to do that!

Now, if your body is telling you it needs rest, then let it rest. Mental practice uses brain power, and if your brain needs a break, let it rest.

Here are 2 posts that are all about resting:

• Episode 13: How to Make Time For YOU While Preparing For Auditions
• Episode 7: Embracing the Pause: 3 Crucial Lessons From My Musical Break

How do we mental practice?

It is different for everyone, so experiment with how you want to do it. Here are 2 ways that work for me.

1. The Meditative Way (I call it that)
   • This is when you really focus inward
   • You sit somewhere comfy, maybe close your eyes, put your hands together (or on your knees — it will be different for everyone depending on instrument). I then slowly mime the music — putting a little bit of pressure on the fingers that make the notes.
   • Focus on your breathing while you do it and SLOWLY go through the notes. You are focusing on engaging your brain.
   • You can also do it and look at the music as well
2. The other way (until I find a better name for it)
   • This way is more outward, even through we are still working on our brains. I do this when I am trying to memorise something or understand how it fits with the accompaniment.
   • Get your music out, clap or snap the tempo, and sing your part. You can also count your part to work on the rhythm.
   • I sometimes also play a recording of the music to really understand how it fits.

You know, as I have struggled and worked through audition seasons, I have tested out and collected strategies for all aspects of the auditioning process including mental practice (because we have just scratched the surface in this episode) and this is to go in a special guide book just for you.

If you have any ways of mental practicing, put them in the comments!

Happy practicing!

All my best,

Eleanor