Imagery III

In this final post on imagery for musicians, I offer some tips and conclusions:

A combination of practice and imagery yields the best results, and like technical skills, imagery skills can be developed. Three times per week is a good start.

Physical practice can be limited by injury, fatigue, or over-training the body. Imagery can be done when the body needs to rest.

Authors of a meta-analysis examining imagery and performance concluded that 20 minutes is the optimal duration of imagery practice.

A big question is whether you should relax before doing imagery. With the PETTLEP model (see previous blog), you probably shouldn’t. Relaxation is often inconsistent with the excited arousal stage of performance and may conflict with the desired realistic emotional component. That said, if you aren’t able to control the image or concentrate on what you are doing, some authors suggest that relaxation can help clear out distractions for imagery beginners and help them focus.

Avoid when using negative language in your imagery. “Don’t fumble this fingering” or “don’t lose the phrasing” are examples. Our brains cannot process negative language without examining the very thing we do not want to see or do. Focus on and use words that reflect only what you want to do.

But you don’t want to imagine everything unrealistically perfect either. Also imagine performances under realistic adverse conditions, such as feeling nervous, or imagining yourself bouncing back from a mistake to finish a performance well. Before performances, however, keeping your imagery and focus on excellent execution is best.

Avoid imagery without a goal. Each imagery practice session should have a specific purpose. There is a triple-code model of imagery that highlights three essential components: the image itself, the somatic or bodily response to the image, and the personal meaning of the image.

Using imagery you can practice focused attention, physical arousal, and emotional control. You can review past performances and evaluate your decisions and actions. Research has also found imagery to be effective in healing by imagining the process of physiological healing, or seeing yourself as healthy and fully functioning.

The motivation to practice often gets in the way of successful imagery practice. An imagery program takes a lot of time and effort to be successful. It is up to each musician to decide if the gains are worth the investment. It helps to understand the measurable performance improvement that can be had through the real physiological changes that occur with consistent imagery rehearsal.