The Mental Approach to Mastering Music

Kinsey Elliott

Fri Aug 12 2022 | 5 Minute Read

Mastering your music isn’t always the mountain it appears. It can be broken down and categorized into a mental map. This map is critical to achieving your musical goals by setting you up for success in the long-term.

Key Takeaways

 

What is a Mental Checklist?

Your mental checklist is your best tool when learning, memorizing, playing, and performing your music. It’s no secret shortcut, but rather an effective tool to master your music in a more efficient and more effective manner.

So what is your mental checklist? We touched briefly on the subject when we discussed how to prepare for a performance, but we’ll take a closer look here. A mental checklist can be defined as a list you have in your head, at any given point in your music, that contains points of focus for that section of music.

You can think of it as road signs you may see on a road trip. They’re signs containing information about the section of road ahead. It prepares you for the upcoming passage, and brings your focus to those points.

Noticing Tendencies

Now that we’ve covered what a mental checklist is, let’s talk about what belongs on your mental checklist.

All musicians are human and therefore are susceptible to messing up. Creating a mental checklist is the best defense you can have to battle against these mistakes. When you make the same mistake over and over again (i.e. playing the wrong note, playing a rhythm incorrectly, missing a dynamic shift) we call it a “tendency”. Being aware of your tendencies and placing the correction for them at the top of your mental list will keep you from falling into the trap of making the same mistake over and over again.

Keep in mind, your mental checklist doesn’t need to consist only of your music. If you are in a performance art, adding body motions and facial expressions to make your piece more expressive are fair game for your list as well.

Creating Checkpoints

Checkpoints are different areas in your music where your mental checklist changes. It helps you focus on the upcoming passages while playing. In our road analogy, these would be the physical signs, letting you know what’s coming up.

There are different methods of placing checkpoints in your music. Sometimes you need a checkpoint for a passage, but other times you need it for a measure you struggle with, or a place you want to put more emphasis.

A great way to identify checkpoints is to take note of what areas you need to breakdown further during your practice sessions. These are all areas that need a little bit more mental energy devoted to them to achieve your desired level of quality.

The Long Game

Undoubtedly, the best way to ensure you are gaining the most traction towards your musical goals is by aiming for what will ensure your success in the future. By playing “the long game” you are preparing yourself to succeed not only in the here and now, or even the near-future, but further down the road.

Exercising and practicing the creation and maintenance of your mental checklist will help you take steps in the direction needed to push you towards your goals.

Bottom Line

Mental checklists are invaluable tools to any person in a musical setting, regardless of if you are a performer or not. Having a structured roadmap to approach your music will allow you to face the challenges that come your way with confidence that you’ll overcome them!

Happy Practicing!

 

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