Mental practice away from piano

[SandyMC]

here is an interview by James Bastien (you know who he is..) to Adele Marcus

Just a short story, Adele Marcus is a faculty member of the Juilliard School in new york. her fantastic teaching capabilities have sprouted such prize winning students as Byron Janis, Augustin Anievas and etc. Miss marcus studied with Josef Lhevinne and Arthur Schnabel and was Josef Lhevinne's assistant for seven years.

And this is the problem,
Once in the interview, james bastien asked to A. Marcus:

How do you feel about mental practice away from the keyboard?

And A. Marcus answered:

I think it should go on all the time. In visualizing a score, I think a big talent usually lives with a great work-he must think of it constantly. The study away from piano enhances a certain security, not only in the interpretive concept, but also very often in the memorization. I believe in it one hundred percent

Then, J. Bastien asked again:

Do you think even a young student can be taught this type of practice?

A. Marcus replied:

Definetely. I always say that a student  should learn to "hear" through his eyes and "see" through his ears. In other words when he hears a score, he should be able to visualize how it might work look on the printed sheet, and when he sees the printed sheet, he should hear what it might sound like from lookin it.

My question is:
1. What is your opinion about Mental practice away from piano? how do you do it? do you have any example?
2. How to teach or at least let our student know about what it is? It is impossible to tell 5-year-old student same words as what Adele marcus anwered to J. Bastien question?

[bernhard]

My question is:
1. What is your opinion about Mental practice away from piano? how do you do it? do you have any example?
2. How to teach or at least let our student know about what it is? It is impossible to tell 5-year-old student same words as what Adele marcus anwered to J. Bastien question?

1.   Mental practice is the most important aspect of practice. Have a look here for more discussion on this subject as well as definite procedures on how to do it:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,1894.msg14707.html#msg14707
(very interesting interview with Glenn Gould – who did most of his practice away from the piano).

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2458.msg21365.html#msg21365

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2615.msg22522.html#msg22522

2.   With 5-year olds you must be sly. You must lead them into mental practice without ever needing to mention or explain it. A lot can be accomplished at this age through games. You know that a 5-year old is doing some sort of mental practice if they sing/hum their pieces when away from the piano. My 5 year old daughter does this all the time. Also listening to CDs of her pieces is also mental practice.

This leads us to an interesting observation: It is actually impossible not to do mental practice, since everytime you think or remember /recall your piece you are practising mentally. Teaching is also a kind of mental practice, since you are usually not actually playing as the student plays for you – this explains in part why you can learn a lot at incredible rates when you teach something to someone else.

The problem with this kind of “unconscious” mental practice – like with “unconscious “normal” practice – is that it is very inefficient and poorly structured. So you do not get as much from it as you could.

On a side note, have you ever seen the movie “Madame Sousatska” with Shirley Maclaine as an irascible piano teacher? I am told that the it was inspired by Adele Marcus.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[BoliverAllmon]

I memorize and learn everything away from the piano. I look at the sheet music and picture myself playing it in my head. It is real cool and doing phrase just 5 times or so HS and it is memorized. Then when I go to the piano I am really only working on technique and coordination of playing the notes.

boliver

[franz_liszt82]

  I can't do mental practice with hands together. How can we do that?

[bernhard]

  I can't do mental practice with hands together. How can we do that?

Insist.

Then persist.
 

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[bernhard]

OK. I will be a bit more helpful.

Go to the piano and carefully observe how you do your hands together practice at the piano.

Then close the piano lid and do it in your mind.

If you get stuck, open the piano and again go through it at the piano.

Close the lid and go through it in your mind.

If you insist and persist eventually you will be able to do it in your mind without having to resort to the piano.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[franz_liszt82]

The problem is that I can't imagine two things at same time. I can imagine me playing wich hands separate, but when I try HT I find impossible.

[bernhard]

You don´t have to.

That is why I suggested that you do it at the piano first and observe what is it that you do when playing hands together.

Then do the same in your mind.

Best wishes,
Bernhard,