Lasting Changes

Lasting Changes

Recently, just before a rehearsal at the Athens State Orchestra where I work, a colleague of mine, a violinist, sought my advice on a problem he was experiencing with one of his students regarding string crossing. The student was performing an uncomfortable movement that she found difficult to correct. We didn't have much time to discuss it in detail, so I quickly shared a couple of ideas with him, and our interesting conversation ended there.

However, this brief exchange lingered in my thoughts throughout the day. I pondered how one can change a habitual incorrect motion and ensure that the change will last. I have observed in my own students, as well as in those of other teachers, that despite their serious efforts to improve their technique and seeming successfullin doing so, they often revert to their old habits. Especially when they are under pressure. Like for example, in a performance or even worse in an audition.

In this article, I will focus on how one can change a habit and make it last.

The Power of Habit

A habit is something a person does repeatedly and automatically. As string instrumentalists, our habitual handmovements constitute our general playing. These movements can lead to positive outcomes (correct movements) or negative outcomes (incorrect movements). These habits are created and ingrained into our subconscious mind after extensive repetition or as a result of other issues in our technique. For example, a tense left-hand shoulder can result in a very tight vibrato. An incorrect movement in string instrument playing is often very difficult to change because it is a well-ingrained habit. It is a neural pathway we have formed and need to break to establish a new habit. It is common that even after working on the change and feeling confident about overcoming the old habit, under pressure—such as during a concert or, even worse, an audition—the old habit resurfaces, undermining our performance.

The Mental Image

The movements we perform while playing a string instrument are merely reflections of their corresponding mental images. The hands simply execute the mental image. Therefore, to change a movement, you must focus primarily on altering the mental image rather than the hand movement itself. D.C. Dounis, who lived in the first half of the 20th century, was a great advocate of this idea, which has evolved into the popular practice known as "mental rehearsal." I have written an entire article on mental rehearsal, which you can access here.

To change a mental image and its corresponding movement, you usually go through four levels of learning:

• Unconscious Incompetense (Ignorance)
• Conscious Incompetense    (Awareness)
• Conscious Competense.      (Learning)
• Unconscious Competense.   (Mastery)

You start from a state of ignorance, where you are unaware of a bad habit or the cause of an unpleasant sound or inconvenience in playing. Then comes this moment in the lesson when the teacher indicates something that you do wrong and your reaction is either “Oh, I didn’t realize I did that” or “Oh, that’s why it felt uncomfortable”! You become aware of your bad habit, and it bothers you. Strangely so, you start to see it in other violinists too. Then you move to the next stage where you deliberately work on the new habit. Here you concentrate all your thoughts and efforts into forming the new movement and you try to control every aspect of it. At this point you might feel frustrated because you experience setbacks, and you think that you will never succeed to change this habit. Gradually, the new habit is rooted in your mechanism and becomes automatic. The time needed for this process to complete depends on the individual and the habit they want to change. Some people make a change almost instantly. Some others take time. I believe what matters most is how concentrated and committed the violinist is when they try to make a change.

Let’s Get Practical

So, how should you work to integrate a new habit into your playing? First, identify in detail what you are doing wrong. Analyze your movement and understand why it is incorrect. Consider how it affects your sound, intonation, or overall feeling when you play. Next, focus on building the new habit. Now you must put your imagination into action. Use the instructions provided by your teacher to create a mental image of the new movement in the slightest detail possible. (Note for the teachers: Your instructions must be simple and clear).There are three ways to do this.

The first one is to visualize yourself performing the movement from the player's perspective, as if you were on stage or in the practice room. The second is to visualize it from the outside, imagining you are in the audience watching yourself perform. The last one is to picture your favorite violinist executing the movement.

You shouldn’t rush this process. Especially the first time you try it, it will probably be difficult to create a detailed mental image of the desired movement.

Now, move on to the actual movement. Try it on the violin and compare it to the mental image you created. Use a mirror or a video camera to check your performance. As I discussed in my article about "Faulty Sensory Awareness," what you think you are doing may differ from what you are actually doing.

Try again. Imagine the movement and then perform it on the violin. Repeat this process until the new habit becomes automatic.

Make it Last

The final stage of mastering a new habit in playing an instrument is testing it under pressure. Perform in a concert or audition to see how it holds up in a high-stakes environment. Often, when we're under the pressure of a performance, our bodies feel threatened and revert to familiar routines—namely, our old habits. You might have experienced a performance where your playing was surprisingly different from your practice sessions.

If you pass the concert or audition test, then your habit is well-formed. If not, continue to reinforce the new habit until it becomes second nature. However, even if a habit seems well-established, periodically check to ensure it remains ingrained.

As a final note, I want to remind the performers reading this article that playing an instrument is primarily about making music and expressing emotions. Our sound ideal should come first, with technique serving this ideal. Too often, we focus excessively on technique, hoping the ideal sound will follow, but it's crucial to remember that technique is there to serve a goal. A good sound and intonation validate a technique.

 Thank you for reading until the end. As always, I would love to receive your comments and ideas. Until next time!