Thread: Practicing an instrument in dreams

I'm sure there must be people here who do it, just after stories or tips

I was playing a clarinet made out of a carrot in a non-lucid last night. But I've never practiced an instrument. This should be moved to lucid experiences, there are probably some people who have jammed out. I'm going to go ahead and guess that since the majority of the DV members are 15-19 years old, you'll get a lot of guitar responses.

I've played many instruments in my dreams, from pianos to guitars (no, im no teenager). Most of the time the music I make is also extremely good (to me, anyway). At times I also compose whole songs with different layers of music. Just wish I could remember those songs after I wake up.... In waking life, I do make music, but only with software, not with any music instruments.

Shift guessed correctly on me:

18 year old guitarist.

I have played guitar in my dreams but without remembering what I was playing after waking up.

being a musician myself, i have to admit how frustrating it is to not be able to remember something you create in your dream. all i wake with is the feeling that i composed something amazing... but id say this is naturally because even while jamming during the day, i can very easily forget a riff or a melody i created ten minutes earlier.

What about working on stuff you already know instead of creating new stuff, perfecting ryhthm and technique, drilling scales etc into your memory? Any advanced dream jammers out there?

Originally Posted by Xetrov

I've played many instruments in my dreams, from pianos to guitars (no, im no teenager). Most of the time the music I make is also extremely good (to me, anyway). At times I also compose whole songs with different layers of music. Just wish I could remember those songs after I wake up.... In waking life, I do make music, but only with software, not with any music instruments.

would you agree that the practice in your dream has had a significant impact on your ability/ awareness of music in waking life?

I was once playing a synth in dream and I was desperately trying to play one melody but key c# was out of tune . It was really fun.
Well I think that playing in dreams can reflect in waking life.

Originally Posted by JzAcK

would you agree that the practice in your dream has had a significant impact on your ability/ awareness of music in waking life?

I wouldnt really call those dreams "practise", as I was merely jamming away in a random music scene... only one time I actually remembered a "riff" and recorded it into software just after I woke. Unfortunately, last few years I havent had much time to do any music, mostly due to work. Im not sure how it would affect my awareness of music in waking life, what do you mean and how does it affect you?

I don't know, i havn't tried it yet, its at the top of my do to list i just imagined that if you are jamming in a lucid dream it would open up a world of possibilities for closer examinations (through inventive or abstract means that wouldn't normally be possible) of sounds and movement, gaining a better understanding of the way music works, the way your instrument works and the like.

Originally Posted by Shift

I'm going to go ahead and guess that since the majority of the DV members are 15-19 years old, you'll get a lot of guitar responses.

You say that like guitar's a kid's instrument...

Anyway, I've played bass a couple times in my dreams, and it seems like the mechanics of it all are the same as IRL, but I usually don't remember much about those dreams at all.

I remember once I played the intro to Welcome to the Jungle on an electric guitar (which I don't play), and I was just like "Huh. This isn't at all as hard as it seems."

It's not a kid's instrument, but there's no instrument, in my experience, that teenagers get into as they do the guitar. Whether they keep it up or give it up after that age is besides the point- I just meant that because that's the main age group on DV, and because the majority of teenagers I've met do begin trying to learn the guitar around that age, that's why I'd suspect that you'd have a lot of replies regarding people beginning to play this both in RL and also dreaming about it.

I was watching this documentary on dreaming the other day. There was a researcher who was getting people to play Alpine Racer skiing game, and then seeing if they improved the next day if they had dreamt about playing it (he would wake them to see what they were dreaming about). It turns out (rather unsuprisngley) that we do improve if we practice in our dreams. But It would be pretty boring to practice playing an instruement in a dream, unless maybe you were playing in a fantastic setting such as at the 'restraunt at the end of the universe'. I make music myself on computers, so I'm keen on this topic. I spend hundreds of hours working on a single tune, often i get stuck though- so one thing i will try when i can lucid dream is to try and solve the problem in the song that i'm working on in the dream. Not sure how yet though...

i think one of the most striking aspects of lucid dreaming practicing is that it gives you more confidence, largely because it 'sounds better' in the dream than it would in real life. this explains people not playing an instrument IRL and then being really good at it in a dream.
so, i'd say one of the main uses of dreams for practicing is just getting confidence on your instrument, especially if you get stage fright or have a big performance coming up or whatever.

I can't see why some people are suggesting that music/ playing insrtuments in dreams would be boring, it's only as boring as you make it.

I managed to play a few chords last night, and yes they did sound perfect. I can definatly see the confidence angle having some credit. Time to build on my dream environmet a bit though i think and make it more interesting. Going to try Jamming with some famous musicians, asking for tips etc, might even try observing from their perspective.

From now on is waffle so skip if you like...

I would like my guitar (thats right i play guitar, and what? ) to have some control on the environment around me depending on how i play. There is an old chinese(?) story that goes along the lines of;
There were once two good friends, one always played the harp( i think), the other one always listened, the listener would always know what the player was playing about without being told. If it was about water he would know, if it was about mountains he would know etc etc. Much more poetic than that im sure but it made me really want to be able to play/listen to that degree.

Case and point: I think in an LD i could try and manifest around me what i am thinking about/my inspiration though my interaction with the instrument. So, for example, if my inspiration was water, i would literally play to create water, the more i am 'in tune' with the idea of water, the more detail i will see around me, the increasing detail resulting in more musical depth. Maybe i could controll the aesthetic/practical aspects of the water with the style of play. I don't know, i've had a few drinks and am just thinking out load in text.

That's a very cool idea JzAcK- Keep us informed of your progress with it.