Although there's a continuous range of mental efforts I put into my playing I think I can divide this spectrum into three sections:
1) Not thinking at all, shredding off some lick I've practiced inside out.
2) Relaxed intuitive playing along to something of a style and manner I'm familiar with and
3) Hearing the notes in my head and trying desparately to make them happen on the fretboard.
Probably 1 is the most flash, 2 sounds the best and 3 sounds awful but I wish I could spend more time in this stage of mental effort but I don't have much inspiration these days.
I think I need to spend more time "thinking" music to myself. Most of the music I think to myself is other peoples but lots of it used to be my own or form little bridging sections between bits of other peoples music. I don't know if anyone else has found this but the more effort I put into thinking about the tone of what I'm thinking (or even on what instrument it happens on) the more likely it is to tail out or loose volume. I also find that first thing in the morning when I'm in a sleepy headstate is better for this sort of thing. I used to smoke cannabis for this purpose but I'm sure it's not worth the bad health effects the loss of memory and coordination.
As for excercising your mental ear try this:
listen to some unfamiliar music and try and repeat its phrases in your head a bar or so behind taking in everything as it happens. It can be easy or bloody impossible depending on the music. One other thing:
any ideas why it might be that I find it easier to hear classical music in my head than rock music even though I'm a rock guitarist? Could it be simply 'cause my father played so much classical music to me when I was a child?
If I couldn't laugh at myself how could I laugh at someone less ridiculous?
