The Bulletproof Musician

We've all heard stories about famous musicians who had a drink (or two) before performing to calm their nerves. But does this really make things better - or does it actually make things worse? A recent study provides some clues. What Does the Research Say About Having a Couple Drinks Before Performing?More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

What are some of the practice strategies that help the most effective practicers improve faster (and play better) than the rest of us? A University of Texas study of 17 pianists, found 8 specific differences - and 3 in particular, that seemed to make the biggest difference. 8 Things Top Practicers Do DifferentlyMore from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

Cellist Minna Chung describes the three systems of intonation (what?! there are 3?), which one to use when, and how we can all play a little better in tune. Minna Chung: On the Mysteries of Intonation and a Few Things We Can Do to Play Better in TuneMore from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

We often cringe at the mistakes we make on stage - but how many of these do audiences, or our fellow musicians, actually notice? A Yale study of pianists provides some clues - and the numbers might surprise you. How Many of Our Mistakes Do Audiences (and Other Musicians) Actually Notice?More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

It's been said that being in a quartet is like being in a marriage. And like any relationship, there's bound to be conflict from time to time. Research suggests that how we respond to these conflicts may have a significant impact on our relationship satisfaction, not to mention our mood afterwards. So might there be a few things we can apply from the research on marital satisfaction to having more satisfying relationships with our musical colleagues too? Handling Conflicts in Ensembles: A Few Things We May Be Able to Learn From the Research on Marital Satisfaction...?More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

Logic would suggest that when choosing a teacher or mentor, we would select people based more on their expertise and advising experience than anything else. But is this what we actually do? A recent study suggests that we may actually be more influenced by flattery and positive comments about our abilities than we'd like to think... Is This Really a Significant Factor in How We Choose Our Teachers and Mentors?More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

It's often said that laughter is the best medicine. But is there any truth to this? Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be a ton of research on this, but a recent study does provide some clues... Why It May Be Useful to Laugh a Bit More in the Months AheadMore from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

Almost every musician has either had a memory slip or worried about having one at some point in their lives. So how important is it really to play from memory? Is it just one of those things we do for show, or is there real value in memorizing? Pianist Stephen Hough weighs in on this question, and as you can imagine, the answer is rather complex and nuanced - but certainly a meaningful one for us all to think about! Stephen Hough: On the Question “Is Memorizing Music Really All That Important?”More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

I think we all assume that negative self-talk is bad, but the research is actually somewhat mixed. As in, there are some studies in which negative self-talk is associated with the same or better performance. How could that be? Well, a recent study suggests that the answer may lie in how we respond to this inner critic. And there might be a simple tweak we can make to our inner dialogue that could help us become more resilient in the face of the bully that lives in our head. How to Keep the Critic in Your Head From Wrecking Your Practice SessionMore from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses

Have you ever tried to experiment with random (aka interleaved) practice, but quit, because you weren't sure if you were doing it right? Or worried that you were letting bad habits stay in your hands, because you were moving on to other things too quickly? Clarinetist Christine Carter is back to answer many of the most common questions people encounter in trying to incorporate more interleaved practice into their daily practice routine. Oh, and if the voice in your head is like "what the heck is interleaved practice?", this is going to change your practice week for sure! Why the Progress You Make in the Practice Room Seems to Disappear Overnight - PART 2More from The Bulletproof Musician Get the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content. Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage. Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice. Live and self-paced courses