Drawing from research in sport psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, two British researchers developed a 7-point checklist of the key factors which influence the effectiveness of visualization.
1. Physical
Perhaps the most important of the guidelines, the idea is to make your visualization experience as physically similar to playing as you can.
2. Environment
If you’re doing visualization to practice a passage or solve a fingering issue, it may not matter so much where you imagine yourself playing.
3. Task
We all think about different things while performing; your imagery should reflect this too. Do you focus on your fingers? On the quality of sound? On phrasing? What toppings you’re going to put on your celebratory pizza?
4. Timing
Generally, it makes sense to do imagery in real-time. Not rushed, or slowed-down, but with the same exact rhythm and timing as the physical execution of every shift, bow change, and exhale.
5. Learning
As we continue to learn and grow, so too will (or should, anyway) the content of our imagery. Why? Because as we become increasingly skilled musicians, the level of detail and awareness we have about our playing continually expands.
6. Emotion
Most of us don’t perform in a relaxed, totally chilled-out state. So visualizing ourselves performing in the biggest audition of our life, supremely calm and relaxed, doesn’t prepare us particularly well for the reality that we’ll ultimately be experiencing.
7. Perspective
There are two perspectives or points of view we can use to “see” ourselves in action. An internal perspective is where you experience yourself playing as if you are looking through your own eyes.
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