“Technique is the ability to play what the inner ear hears.”
Anon.

I love this quote that I heard a long time ago, by a (possibly famous) pianist, because it beautifully propounds the notion that the music conjured by the musician in her mind acts as the lodestar for the mechanics of technical execution. To be able to just think of the music, and then let the hands magically move on their own to play it out, is like reaching a state of Nirvana. This quote has stuck with me ever since, but unfortunately, I cannot remember who it is attributed it to.

The “inner ear” (or, “mind’s ear”) referenced in the quote is the essence of auditory imagery: the envisioning of an idealized rendition of the music, replete with the precise expressivity, sonority, character and emotion, exactly as how one wants to actualize it. It is a very abstract form of external focus, what has been termed distal [Williams (2019)]—that is, far removed from the immediate cause-and-effect of one’s physical movement. At its most powerful, effective auditory imagery is an advanced skill in and of itself, and when successfully engaged, is the epitomic display of the automaticity of motor movements in the service of the music.

Pondering the literature, I’ve observed myself already possessing some of the described traits of auditory imagery and audiation¹ by the time I’ve thoroughly studied a piece. Being at a stage of knowing a piece inside-out is actually super fun, for the spontaneity with which I can now imagine and play the music is truly exhilarating.

How can I acquire the audiation skill?

By all accounts, audiation must be trained. The good news? It can be trained! In the paper Finding Focus, [Williams (2019)], the author conducted studies on a proposed Audiation Practice Tool (APT):

1. Imagine the phrase with as much detail and nuance as you can evoke
2. Sing and gesture the phrase dramatically
3. Play the phrase
4. Play another version(s)^* of the phrase

*Variants of the phrase can include different mood, expression, rhythm, tempo, etc. (See [Williams (2016)] for details.) My own modification to this step is to also imagine how the variant sounds, before playing it.

Although the APT study was limited in scope and timeframe, and does not cover all aspects of audiation, it is nonetheless valuable to have a simple yet concrete template to follow for practicing audiation. The researchers found positive learning and performance outcomes: improved note accuracy, confidence, motivation and satisfaction.

Interestingly, concerning step #4 of playing variants, part of my own process when studying a piece has always been to explore varying interpretations in order to find one I liked. Without knowing it, I had serendipitously been simultaneously honing my audiation skills in the process. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

Can I use APT when learning a new piece?

Yes! The positive outcomes of the APT were also found among research participants who utilized APT when learning a new piece. Granted, the participants were advanced and experienced musicians, but I am sure audiation practice will benefit learners at all levels. The key principles connected to learning theory to draw from the APT are that of

• external focus: focusing on the musical imagery instead of the physical body.
• variability: utilizing different ways to engage with the music—mentally, corporeally, musically (doh!), as well as cognitively (the latter is not explicitly addressed by the APT)
• autonomy: where the learning environment is learner-driven instead of imposed by a third party.

Intentional interaction with the music from a multitude of angles helps to build a resilient mental model of the music. This, combined with auditory imagery, makes up the act of audiation. It serves as the foundation for developing automaticity of motor movements when performing a piece of music.

In a future post, I will delve deeper into what are these mental models for audiation, and dissect how I build my own mental model of music.

Further Reading

For more advanced auditory imagery exercises, I highly recommend the book The Mind’s Ear by Bruce Adolphe [Adolphe (2013)] which contains a wealth of guided exercises drawn from the music and theater world. It is also a rich and entertaining read, and some of the exercises are accessible to a broad range of levels (and even non-musicians!)

References

Adolphe, B. (2013) The Mind’s Ear: Exercises for Improving the Musical Imagination of performers, listeners and Composers. New York. Oxford University Press

Gordon, E. (2001). Preparatory audiation, audiation, and music learning theory. Chicago, USA: GIA Publications

Williams, S. (2019). Finding Focus. Academy of Creative and Performing Arts. (link)

Footnotes

1. Slightly distinct from auditory imagery, the term “audiation” has a specific meaning that encompasses more than just the imaging of the music; it also necessitates a sturdy mental model of the music that is resilient to variability. [Gordon (2001)] More to come in a future post!
2. Music score credit: Bach Prelude in C major, typeset by Pierre Gouin, Montréal: Les Éditions Outremontaises, 2012. (link). Modified with text and pen markup.