mental practice

[ladychopin]

mental practice - what is it and how do you do that?

[hfmadopter]

Helps to know the score. I guess if one had a photographic memory it would be best. That not being the case for me, at work I can mentally go over sections of my music and visualize in my mind playing those sections of a piece. I can hear my playing of a piece in my mind ( or someone elses for that matter) and I can sense timing and hand coordination with rhythm ( majot moves not total finger coordination). I also get brain storms about arranging popular pieces sometimes when away from the piano, I wish I could get more of them when at the piano !

I'll let someone else give you the real definition though. But those are things that happen to me mentally when not at the keys and I consider all of that a form of mental practice.

[dcstudio]

a study on this

https://quantumintegrallife.com/2012/12/11/quantum-connectedness/

[ladychopin]

hfmadopter: can you hear everything or just the melody?... can you imagine the combination of both of your hand?! how?!

dcstudio: if it effects the same so way should we do that?... I was thinking that maye mental practice makes you learn the text faster, but if it only effects the brain the same as a normal training so what's the point?

[dcstudio]

...well, when I can't be at my piano--visualizing the music and feeling it in my hands really helps.  It is almost as beneficial as actual practice...almost..lol  that study seems to support my claim if nothing else. 

[hfmadopter]

I hear the melody and some sub parts. If I've been working intensely at the piano I may be able to put those parts together in my head and visualize my hands playing that part. I hear harmony if I concentrate enough or at least I feel the sense of harmony and rhythm if that makes any sense to you.

I don't know how it is that I do this, can't explain it. It's just there, not that it does me a whole lot of good because I'm not so great at channeling it.

[bronnestam]

It's a great thing to extend your practicing to any moment when you have some spare time, like when you're sitting in the bus, even when you talk a walk or clean the house!    It will give you more quality time when you really are at the piano, I think.

One big benefit I have discovered with it is that it enhances my motivation quite a lot. I spend time away from the piano dreaming about the music, reading the scores (my photographic memory is rather good) and playing it in my head, and finally I cannot wait until I'm at the piano and can play for real. So, mental playing puts me in the right mood.

[evitaevita]

mental practice - what is it and how do you do that?

Many interesting information in this thread:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=2458.0

I think it's helpful.

[rmbarbosa]

Mental practice is also a way of imagine how one can play a piece with all its beauty and expression.
We all know that Glenn Gould played many times singing what he was playing. "To sing" mentally our piece, giving to it its dynamics, expression, tone, "nuances", etc... - that is mental playing. Also we may "visualise" the sheet music when we are "singing" it. All this is mental playing.
Best wishes.

[faulty_damper]

From a learning & memory POV:
Mental practice is simply another term for recall, the part of memory that is required to perform any task.  The more you recall, the better the behavior is ingrained.