Lucid music – A pilot study exploring the experiences and potential of music-making in lucid dreams.
Melanie Schädlich, Daniel Erlacher
Dreaming May 24, 2018 DOI: 10.1037/drm0000073 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Musicians who reported lucid dreams involving playing instruments and singing |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Singing and playing instruments mostly worked well in lucid dreams, which were often accompanied by positive emotions and led to waking-life benefits such as facilitated guitar playing and enhanced confidence. Participants emphasized the creative and inspirational potential of these dreams. The authors suggest musicians could use lucid dreams to improve their skills, though the interviewees prioritized pleasure and inspiration over deliberate practice. |
Abstract
In a lucid dream, the dreamer knows that he or she is dreaming and can thus deliberately carry out actions. The original goal of this study was to investigate musical practice in lucid dreams and its possible effects as well as the quality of the experiences. A total of 5 musicians were interviewed about their lucid dreams in which they had played instruments and sung. However, the interviewees were more interested in pleasure and inspiration than in actual practice and skill improvement. Therefore, the results provide more general information than planned. It could be shown that singing and playing musical instruments mostly work well in lucid dreams. Lucid music dreams were often accompanied by positive emotions and led to several positive effects in waking life, like facilitated guitar playing and enhanced confidence. Two interviewees especially enjoyed improvising solo in lucid dreams. The participants also emphasized the creative and inspirational potential of lucid music dreams, which is worth further investigation. Combining previous research on athletic practice in lucid dreams and the clues obtained from this study, it is likely that musicians could use lucid dreams to improve their skills. Future studies should further explore the potential of lucid music dreams for both creativity and perfor- mance in waking life.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-Level Control in Lucid Dreams Adults who experience at least one lucid dream per year | 2020 | Qualitative study | n = 107 |
| Dreamers as agents making strategizing efforts exemplify core aggregate of executive function in non-lucid dreaming Archived cross-cultural dreams | 2012 | Qualitative study using grounded theory | |
| Exploring the range of reported dream lucidity Participants who implemented mnemonic training lucid dream induction methods at home | 2021 | Observational study with qualitative component | |
| Methods of Exploring Transpersonal Lucid Dreams: Ineffability and Creative Consciousness | 2020 | Mixed methods (quantitative, phenomenological, art-based inquiry) | |
| It's like a dance between the dreamer and the dream : supernatural agency in lucid dreaming Rêveurs lucides | 2026 | Thèse de doctorat (recherche mixte quantitative et qualitative) |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Detecting Lucid Dreams by Electroencephalography and Eyebrow Movements. Sleep Science December 1, 2023
- Lucid and Liminal Dreaming for Creative Writing: Interdisciplinary Investigations and Experiments 2025
- Lucid dreaming practice as a sport performance enhancement and self-developmental tool in adolescents Queensland University of Technology 2023
- A way to operate a smart home from lucid dreams PsyArXiv March 25, 2024
- Two-way control of a virtual avatar from lucid dreams PsyArXiv January 26, 2024
and 1 more in the library