I’m excited for today’s topic, the inspiration for my blog name.

levitate verb. rise or cause to rise and hover in the air, especially by means of supernatural or magical power.

Imagine you are levitating. From your seat, your head begins to be drawn towards the ceiling, your neck elongating to follow. Your rib cage rises and weight lifts off your spine. Just before you begin to float gently up off your seat… that’s exactly the perfect posture to hold at the piano. Your core muscles automatically engaged and subconsciously coordinated themselves to effect a strong yet supple torso for supporting vigorous pianistic activity.

Imagery, a form of external focus of attention, is the technique of creating non-tangible mental images, metaphors, or anticipatory thoughts, to focus one’s attention on. Examples of music-related imagery include imaging the sonority one wants to produce, or hearing the music “in one’s head” before playing it; technique-related examples include utilizing mnemonic aids to evoke the (proprioceptive and kinesthetic) feeling of executing a challenging passage. By encapsulating a host of complex movements into a single streamlined focal point, the imagery serves to circumvent information overload for the learner and to reduce cognitive load during performance.

Core suppleness and stabilization impacts pianists at any level. It also has a particularly personal significance for me. Years of struggling with a back injury had drastically degenerated my strength and decimated my proprioception. One doesn’t realize how much core strength playing the piano requires until one does not have any!

When I first resumed piano, I had difficulty holding a strong but relaxed posture. My back was stiff and shoulders bowed, leading to tension and overcompensation with my forearm and wrist. I puzzled over this problem for a long time. “Maybe don’t let my shoulder sag?” or “Try squeezing my abs?” or “Pull down my lats and puff my ribcage?” I was going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole of internal focuses of attention, which research has shown to be ineffective. Directing my focus inwards to consciously controlling my physical movements disrupted the automatic control process [Wulf, McNevin, Shea (2001), Wulf (2007)], did not promote overall coordinated movement on a high level, and ironically did not lead to ultimate internalization of the complex muscular coordination I needed to maintain an ideal posture.

Instead, I turned to imagery. After experimenting with a couple of different imagery ideas, I eventually found the one that meshed with me the most: levitate! Whenever I start to feel my torso getting stiff, reminding myself to “levitate” evokes the feeling of weightlessness, and the tenseness and strain soon dissipates. Over time, my responsiveness to this imagery became more intuitive and natural, even when stiff and tired after a long day of work, a sign that I’m starting to internalize the movement pattern.

Can I come up with my own imagery?

Absolutely! Experiment to find something that works for you. As with all learning approaches, imagery has to be tailored to each individual. This is because everyone has different backgrounds, culture, personalities and life experiences, and therefore has different proclivities to different stimuli. The specific imagery to use should also be tailored to your current stage of learning, and will evolve as you progress.

If you need starter ideas for alternative imagery for posture, you can try to touch the ceiling with your head; to grow tall or peer over a high fence (I used this for skating); to imagine a string attached to the top of your head lifting you up; to stand proud like “an ancient oak tree, its roots deep in the earth, its branches reaching toward the sky, unbowed by storms, and steadfast through seasons” (thank you, ChatGPT).

I’m not sure it’s working…

Once you have figured out the imagery that suits you, be consistent and stick with it. As with all motor skills, learning is a non-linear process, with some days feeling like you’ve regressed. It takes time to overcome existing habits and internalize new movement patterns. You can trust in the process if you are consistent about applying your imagery. Exercising your imagery “muscle” takes dedicated practice, but it can be taken with you everywhere once you master it!

References

Wulf, G., McNevin, N. H., & Shea, C. H. (2001). The automaticity of complex motor skill learning as a function of attentional focus. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 54A, 1143–1154

Wulf, G. (2007). Attention and motor skill learning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.