Hi Dr. Gebrian, I am a professional trumpet player and teacher in NYC. I have been interested in neuroplasticity and performance improvement for some time. Your videos are absolutely amazing! Thank you for your work.
Hello Dr. Gebrian! This series of mental practice is fantastic! Since I was little, I found that "practicing in my mind with my fingers move a little in the air while watching my teacher show me how to do it" was really helpful and my teachers always comment on how quickly I learn during the lesson! I never thought about it until I watched your videos (I have one more left), and I realized it is actually a well-founded method in science! I have one question regarding whether the ability could be improved through practice (the study you discussed at the end of the second video): The study shows that tennis experts have better skills in mental practicing about playing tennis, but is that because they do more "actual practice of playing tennis" or because they do more mental practice of playing tennis? I really want to know if the ability of mental practice can be improved by mental practice alone. Thank you in advance!
Great question! Mental practice is an integral part of most athletes' training, so I assume in the study you are referring to that the tennis players had more experience actually playing tennis as well as mentally practicing tennis (although they don't specifically say this in the study). I don't know of any studies that test specifically whether mental practice can be improved by mental practice alone, but I will say from my experience as a player and a teacher that the more one practices mentally, the easier it gets to mental practice. I have had many students who play at a very high level who have never mental practiced before and at first, they are sometimes not able to vividly imagine how it feels or sounds to play something. But as they mental practice more, they get better at it. This was certainly true for me. I started mental practicing when I was an MM student at New England Conservatory and at first, it was very difficult for me. But the more I mental practiced, the better I got at mental practicing. Hope this helps!
Pretty amazing Molly I’m speechless I also feel like I’m lazy to make this effort although I’m sure while I’m practicing physically I am also practicing mentally and trying to follow with my fingers a preconceived notion of what I want to try to play that is proceeding my fingers by milliseconds and I’m trying to copy that does that make sense? you can’t get away from mental practice But you need to be very conscious of it in more and more detail Good stuff!
If you think "you can’t get away from mental practice", then the thing you're doing probably isn't "mental practice" in the sense that Dr. Gebrian is talking about. That sounds similar to the difference between "playing" and "practicing". Even if you can "play" a piece, unless you try to find and fix the imperfections (i.e. "practice") you won't get better. The best thing about mental practice, though, is that we can do it when we can't practice our physical instruments. When you're on your way to work, or in the middle of the night when you have to be quiet, or whatever, you can do mental practice!
Molly I’m in the middle of your part 2 and you’re saying basically you don’t hear or visualize (I forget what you said) but I’m thinking when you dream you must remember visual images or sounds right? or not? and is it the same as when you try to visualize in waking hours? Hm mmm.
Aphantasia is fascinating and I'm just starting to learn about it. I do dream with very vivid images - my dreams feel like real life and always have. But there are some people with aphantasia that do not have a visual component to their dreams.
Hi Dr. Gebrian, I am a professional trumpet player and teacher in NYC. I have been interested in neuroplasticity and performance improvement for some time. Your videos are absolutely amazing! Thank you for your work.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Wow! The knowledge and info that you're sharing in your videos are really amazing.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you've enjoyed my videos!
Don´t know why this is not viral! thx si much! helps me and my students greatly!!!
Thank you so much! :) I'm so glad you and your students find my work helpful!
Hello Dr. Gebrian! This series of mental practice is fantastic! Since I was little, I found that "practicing in my mind with my fingers move a little in the air while watching my teacher show me how to do it" was really helpful and my teachers always comment on how quickly I learn during the lesson! I never thought about it until I watched your videos (I have one more left), and I realized it is actually a well-founded method in science!
I have one question regarding whether the ability could be improved through practice (the study you discussed at the end of the second video):
The study shows that tennis experts have better skills in mental practicing about playing tennis, but is that because they do more "actual practice of playing tennis" or because they do more mental practice of playing tennis? I really want to know if the ability of mental practice can be improved by mental practice alone. Thank you in advance!
Great question! Mental practice is an integral part of most athletes' training, so I assume in the study you are referring to that the tennis players had more experience actually playing tennis as well as mentally practicing tennis (although they don't specifically say this in the study). I don't know of any studies that test specifically whether mental practice can be improved by mental practice alone, but I will say from my experience as a player and a teacher that the more one practices mentally, the easier it gets to mental practice. I have had many students who play at a very high level who have never mental practiced before and at first, they are sometimes not able to vividly imagine how it feels or sounds to play something. But as they mental practice more, they get better at it. This was certainly true for me. I started mental practicing when I was an MM student at New England Conservatory and at first, it was very difficult for me. But the more I mental practiced, the better I got at mental practicing. Hope this helps!
@@DrMollyGebrian Thank you so much!
You must have to have the music in front of you if your piece isn’t memorized right?
Yes, correct. I address this in the final part of this series. :)
Pretty amazing Molly I’m speechless
I also feel like I’m lazy to make this effort
although I’m sure while I’m practicing physically I am also practicing mentally and trying to follow with my fingers a preconceived notion of what I want to try to play that is proceeding my fingers by milliseconds and I’m trying to copy that
does that make sense? you can’t get away from mental practice But you need to be very conscious of it in more and more detail
Good stuff!
If you think "you can’t get away from mental practice", then the thing you're doing probably isn't "mental practice" in the sense that Dr. Gebrian is talking about. That sounds similar to the difference between "playing" and "practicing". Even if you can "play" a piece, unless you try to find and fix the imperfections (i.e. "practice") you won't get better.
The best thing about mental practice, though, is that we can do it when we can't practice our physical instruments. When you're on your way to work, or in the middle of the night when you have to be quiet, or whatever, you can do mental practice!
Molly I’m in the middle of your part 2 and you’re saying basically you don’t hear or visualize (I forget what you said) but I’m thinking when you dream you must remember visual images or sounds right? or not? and is it the same as when you try to visualize in waking hours? Hm mmm.
Aphantasia is fascinating and I'm just starting to learn about it. I do dream with very vivid images - my dreams feel like real life and always have. But there are some people with aphantasia that do not have a visual component to their dreams.