Hi Molly, love your whole series. Thank you for doing this. I'm totally in with you on all you've shared. I'm glad you included the kinesthetic element in mental practice, elevating the process from mere visualization. For me, I've found it essential to include fixed do solfege and, ideally, hearing (and mentally singing) the intervals in at least the main melodic line(s). I think we should also recognize that it may take years of dedication before fully realizing our ability to do this--I am not yet able to mentally practice an entire composition yet myself in one sitting, it can be exhausting. I suspect that virtuoso players are masters of this skill, and for prodigies it may come naturally.
Thank you so much for watching! I'm so glad you've enjoyed my videos! You are absolutely right that mental practicing takes practice and it IS mentally exhausting! But it's totally worth it to improve our skills in this area. It sounds like you are doing great with this - mental practicing as much as you're able to and taking a break when your brain gets tired. :)
Fantastic series of videos, many thanks! I have a question about mental practice. I'm a pianist and for many pieces of music pianists have to control both left and right hand and the right foot for the sustain pedal. Now since these 3 body parts can be doing very different things it's usual to practice just the right hand until that is smooth, then just the left until it's part is good and then put them both together with the right foot controlling the pedal. However I do find find it hard to do this latter stage of practicing mentally since it's very challenging to give your attention to all 3 body parts. The right hand could be e.g. playing stacatto with 4 fingers but with a voicing to bring out the note played by the pinky at say double the volume of the other RH fingers. Meanwhile the lefthand may be simultaneously playing a loud arpeggio with full arm weight and a trill with fingers 2 and 1. Also at this time the sustain pedal is half depressed. If I'm doing normal practice the best way would be to record myself to make sure all the correct things are happening. I can't see how mental practice could replicate this? Thanks!
Thanks for your questions! You are right that it is challenging to pay attention to many things simultaneously - it is the same with string players where the left and right hand are doing completely different things. I would start with a short passage (one phrase) and mental practice just one hand. Make sure you can feel and hear everything (in your head) that hand is doing clearly. This may take awhile (like a few days or weeks) and that's completely fine and normal. Once you can feel and hear everything that hand is doing, then do the same thing with the other hand. Once you can feel and hear both hands separately, add them together. You will likely have to go very slowly and you may only be able to do a few notes at a time. Again, this is completely fine and normal. Once you can hear and feel the whole passage with both hands, then add in what your foot is doing with the pedal using the same process. In response to this comment: "If I'm doing normal practice the best way would be to record myself to make sure all the correct things are happening," I would say that if you don't know whether you're doing it correctly or not without recording yourself, that's probably not good. Recording is a way to hear more detail and catch things you may not have been aware of while playing, but you need to be able to tell if you are doing something correctly or not without recording. If you can't tell, how will you be able to tell when you are performing? Recording is a supplement to what our ears tell us when we're playing, but it shouldn't replace them. You need to be able to hear in real time, while you are playing, if it matches what you want. In this case, mental practicing will REALLY help you because it will force you to clarify what it feels and sounds like when it's correct without the help of feedback from the instrument, your muscles, or a recording device. Hope this helps!
@@DrMollyGebrian Hi Molly, thanks so much for your comprehensive and detailed reply! I will try out your advice and report back :) You really need to write a book about all these topics in your videos, it would be a fascinating read! Cheers
Yes, absolutely! You can use mental practicing to work on memorization (in which case you don't want to look at the music) or you can use it in exactly the same way as if you were physically practicing and using the music. I've learned my part for MANY orchestra gigs while on airplanes and I definitely didn't have it memorized. :)
@@DrMollyGebrian I would totally agree with that sentiment - as you know, I have enjoyed all of your videos immensely, they have been of great benefit to myself, and my students - to see it all in print would be wonderful!
Just finished the series, amazing material!! I wish I had known when I started 17years ago eheh but it's never too late, my practice will keep getting better! I have one question, even though I don't know if you'll ever manage to read this: it's the hour of the day we choose to practice relevant in terms of efficiency? Practicing in the morning vs right before going to sleep has different outcomes? There are studies about this aspect? Thanks in advance, and thanks for these videos!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad my work has been helpful to you! I apologize for my delay in answering your question. In terms of practicing right before sleep, the research appears to be mixed on that - it can be beneficial in certain cases (like for something brand new), but not as a general rule. Time of day matters more in terms of when you are more alert. We all have slightly different sleep/wake cycles (think early bird versus night owl) and if you are practicing at a time when you are not naturally alert according to your circadian and ultradian rhythms, it's not going to be very efficient. I, for instance, am a morning person, so I tend to do my best practice in the morning. I never practice after 8pm because I'm just too tired to focus well. Others feel like they get their best practice done after 10pm. So you need to know what works best for you (and you may need to experiment to find this). Hope this helps! :)
As mental practicing ist definitly without the instument and movement, ist there anything about it, I can do while actually playing - strengthening my focus this way? Do closed eyes help to sharpen the inner view?
Yes, closing your eyes will help. Playing extremely slowly so you can really hear and feel ahead very clearly will also help. You will find, though, that the more you mental practice, the more your inner view with sharpen and strengthen even when you are playing.
Just rewatching this video: were the brain studies on the varying practice groups done before or after the mental practicers were given a piano on day 5?
The part of the study that measured how their brains changed (using a technology called TMS) was done at the end of each practice day. On Day 5, it was done before the mental practicers were given a piano.
@@DrMollyGebrian Indeed! Audiation is currently a big struggle for me, as I mentioned on your mental practice series comment thread, but it's worth giving it a go!
Hello, your presentations are just amazing! I'd love to do one presentation to the students of my school, based on your videos. Would it be possible? I'll have to translate your talk into Portuguese and use your graphs/pictures. May I do it (giving you all the credits, of course)?
thank you so, so much for this valuable series. i've got lots to think about -- and am excited to try this stuff out!!
Thank you so much!
How lucky we are to be able to access all this research through your videos!!
Thanks so much for these series!
Thank you very much for these series.
Love how you broke this down and explained it. Thank you!
Thank you! I really enjoyed your video, i am just starting learning piano and took notes of you teach, it has enlighten me…
I'm so glad! Enjoy your journey with learning piano!
Hi Molly, love your whole series. Thank you for doing this. I'm totally in with you on all you've shared. I'm glad you included the kinesthetic element in mental practice, elevating
the process from mere visualization. For me, I've found it essential to include fixed do solfege and, ideally, hearing (and mentally singing) the intervals in at least the main melodic line(s). I think we should also recognize that it may take years of dedication before fully realizing our ability to do this--I am not yet able to mentally practice an entire composition yet myself in one sitting, it can be exhausting. I suspect that virtuoso players are masters of this skill, and for prodigies it may come naturally.
Thank you so much for watching! I'm so glad you've enjoyed my videos! You are absolutely right that mental practicing takes practice and it IS mentally exhausting! But it's totally worth it to improve our skills in this area. It sounds like you are doing great with this - mental practicing as much as you're able to and taking a break when your brain gets tired. :)
I also recommend the book : "Music in your head" by François L. Richard on this topic.
Thanks for this series of interesting tutorials. 👍
You're very welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! :)
Fantastic series of videos, many thanks!
I have a question about mental practice.
I'm a pianist and for many pieces of music pianists have to control both left and right hand and the right foot for the sustain pedal.
Now since these 3 body parts can be doing very different things it's usual to practice just the right hand until that is smooth, then just the left until it's part is good and then put them both together with the right foot controlling the pedal.
However I do find find it hard to do this latter stage of practicing mentally since it's very challenging to give your attention to all 3 body parts. The right hand could be e.g. playing stacatto with 4 fingers but with a voicing to bring out the note played by the pinky at say double the volume of the other RH fingers. Meanwhile the lefthand may be simultaneously playing a loud arpeggio with full arm weight and a trill with fingers 2 and 1. Also at this time the sustain pedal is half depressed.
If I'm doing normal practice the best way would be to record myself to make sure all the correct things are happening.
I can't see how mental practice could replicate this?
Thanks!
Thanks for your questions! You are right that it is challenging to pay attention to many things simultaneously - it is the same with string players where the left and right hand are doing completely different things. I would start with a short passage (one phrase) and mental practice just one hand. Make sure you can feel and hear everything (in your head) that hand is doing clearly. This may take awhile (like a few days or weeks) and that's completely fine and normal. Once you can feel and hear everything that hand is doing, then do the same thing with the other hand. Once you can feel and hear both hands separately, add them together. You will likely have to go very slowly and you may only be able to do a few notes at a time. Again, this is completely fine and normal. Once you can hear and feel the whole passage with both hands, then add in what your foot is doing with the pedal using the same process.
In response to this comment: "If I'm doing normal practice the best way would be to record myself to make sure all the correct things are happening," I would say that if you don't know whether you're doing it correctly or not without recording yourself, that's probably not good. Recording is a way to hear more detail and catch things you may not have been aware of while playing, but you need to be able to tell if you are doing something correctly or not without recording. If you can't tell, how will you be able to tell when you are performing? Recording is a supplement to what our ears tell us when we're playing, but it shouldn't replace them. You need to be able to hear in real time, while you are playing, if it matches what you want. In this case, mental practicing will REALLY help you because it will force you to clarify what it feels and sounds like when it's correct without the help of feedback from the instrument, your muscles, or a recording device.
Hope this helps!
@@DrMollyGebrian
Hi Molly, thanks so much for your comprehensive and detailed reply!
I will try out your advice and report back :)
You really need to write a book about all these topics in your videos, it would be a fascinating read!
Cheers
@@jules153 Yes, many people have told me to write a book. :) I actually plan to start writing this summer, so stay tuned...
Thanks Dr. This was really enlightening.👍
You're welcome! I'm so glad you found it helpful!
WOW! Great video, Dr. Gebrian! Do you think this would work if you are looking at the sheet music as ypu are mentally practicing?
Yes, absolutely! You can use mental practicing to work on memorization (in which case you don't want to look at the music) or you can use it in exactly the same way as if you were physically practicing and using the music. I've learned my part for MANY orchestra gigs while on airplanes and I definitely didn't have it memorized. :)
@@DrMollyGebrian Awesome! Thanks for the response!
Wow! Amazing!
Thank you so much! :)
Great series of vids, thank you! You should put all this into book form too, it'd be a best-seller!
Thank you so much! Yes, writing a book is part of the plan. Thank you for the vote of confidence!
@@DrMollyGebrian I would totally agree with that sentiment - as you know, I have enjoyed all of your videos immensely, they have been of great benefit to myself, and my students - to see it all in print would be wonderful!
they'd better pay top dollars for the Group who had to stare at the piano 2 hours a day for 5 days
Thank you very much for all the information!
Just finished the series, amazing material!! I wish I had known when I started 17years ago eheh but it's never too late, my practice will keep getting better!
I have one question, even though I don't know if you'll ever manage to read this: it's the hour of the day we choose to practice relevant in terms of efficiency? Practicing in the morning vs right before going to sleep has different outcomes? There are studies about this aspect? Thanks in advance, and thanks for these videos!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad my work has been helpful to you! I apologize for my delay in answering your question. In terms of practicing right before sleep, the research appears to be mixed on that - it can be beneficial in certain cases (like for something brand new), but not as a general rule. Time of day matters more in terms of when you are more alert. We all have slightly different sleep/wake cycles (think early bird versus night owl) and if you are practicing at a time when you are not naturally alert according to your circadian and ultradian rhythms, it's not going to be very efficient. I, for instance, am a morning person, so I tend to do my best practice in the morning. I never practice after 8pm because I'm just too tired to focus well. Others feel like they get their best practice done after 10pm. So you need to know what works best for you (and you may need to experiment to find this). Hope this helps! :)
Great presentation. Sometimes when I wake up at night and can't sleep I practice violin in bed in my head!
As mental practicing ist definitly without the instument and movement, ist there anything about it, I can do while actually playing - strengthening my focus this way? Do closed eyes help to sharpen the inner view?
Yes, closing your eyes will help. Playing extremely slowly so you can really hear and feel ahead very clearly will also help. You will find, though, that the more you mental practice, the more your inner view with sharpen and strengthen even when you are playing.
@@DrMollyGebrian Thank you, I'll try it out.
Just rewatching this video: were the brain studies on the varying practice groups done before or after the mental practicers were given a piano on day 5?
The part of the study that measured how their brains changed (using a technology called TMS) was done at the end of each practice day. On Day 5, it was done before the mental practicers were given a piano.
@@DrMollyGebrian That does it - going to try mental practice more seriously now!
@@AidanMmusic96 It's amazing, right?
@@DrMollyGebrian Indeed! Audiation is currently a big struggle for me, as I mentioned on your mental practice series comment thread, but it's worth giving it a go!
@@AidanMmusic96 Definitely worth it! I also used to really struggle with audiation, but it can absolutely be improved with practice. :)
Hello, your presentations are just amazing! I'd love to do one presentation to the students of my school, based on your videos. Would it be possible? I'll have to translate your talk into Portuguese and use your graphs/pictures. May I do it (giving you all the credits, of course)?
Hi Clodoaldo! Please send me an email and we'll talk! :)
@@DrMollyGebrian clodoaldoljr@gmail.com
Thanks for the videos. Very useful! =)