The Bulletproof Musician

Pre-performance routines often consist of a number of different elements. But might simply squeezing a ball in your left hand a few times be just as effective? A Comparison of Two Types of Anti-Choking StrategiesMore 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 is Alexander Technique, really? Will it help our playing? If so, in what way? How do we know if we need it? Learn more in this chat with Juilliard's Alexander Technique teacher Lori Schiff. Lori Schiff: On How Alexander Technique Can Enhance Learning and Performance Under PressureMore 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

How much wiggle room do we have when it comes to intonation? Do pitch issues affect audience (and other musicians') opinions of the quality of a performance as much as we think they do? How Perfect Does Your Intonation Have to Be?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 we should focus on "the music" when performing instead of the notes and technique per se. But does this come at a cost to technical accuracy? Does Focusing on Musical Expressiveness in Performance Come at the Expense of Technical Precision?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

Ever have a teacher tell you to imagine performing to the very last row in a hall? Research suggests that this might be better advice than we realize. A Mental Shift That Could Help You Produce a More Beautiful Sound on StageMore 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

Ever have difficulty shutting off your brain and getting to sleep? A recent study found that this 5-min writing exercise could help. Can’t Shut Off Your Brain and Get to Sleep? This 5-min Exercise Could Help.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

Cleveland Orchestra principal cellist Mark Kosower talks about how he approaches learning music, and describes what exactly he is thinking about when he's having his best performances. For additional notes and links, visit Mark Kosower: On Learning Music, Slow Practice, and the Kind of Focus That's Associated With His Best PerformancesMore 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

Sometimes we have to play music that we don't necessarily love. So is there anything we can do to cultivate some more enthusiasm about the piece anyway? A "Backwards" Strategy for Cultivating More Passion about Music You're Not in Love WithMore 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

When you engage in mental practice, how aware are you of tempo? Might you be rushing or dragging? Here's some research on how that could have more of an effect on your performance than you might think. Should You Be Using a Metronome When You Do Mental Practice?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

Nothing strikes fear in the heart of a string player like a shaking bow arm. Of course, worrying about shaking is a surefire way to experience the shakes. So what can you do to keep your mind from going to the bad place? Why Worrying about Shaky Bow Just Makes Things Worse (and What You Could Focus on Instead)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