Mental Practice

My wife can attest to the fact that I'm not a very good multi-tasker.  But today, I started my day with a 5 mile run, during which I practiced reciting the Coltrane matrix in my mind, in time.  By the end of the run I could say it through the keys without faultering, changing chords every two steps.

C - Eb7 - Ab - B7 - E - G7 - C
F - Ab7 - Db - E7 - A - C7 - F
Bb - Db7 - Gb - A7 - D - F7 - Bb
etc.

I practice in my mind a lot, but its been a while since I had something this complex rolling around up there.  Kenny Barron told me that he practices mostly in his head, and I think most jazz musicians do.

I remember hearing that olympic athletes are spending more and more time mentally visualizing their routines and races, and that it results in noticeable improvements and rapid gains.

I can attest that my 1.5 hour routine behind the keyboard went a lot smoother today after having worked through the progression both while running and mowing the lawn.  Ever up and onward.