Avoiding injury and stress

Practicing and performing music is a very physical activity.  In spite of all the mental and emotional exertion that goes into it, we must always remember how physical it is.

Below are some thoupainghts about avoiding physical injury and stress while playing music, and here’s a website link that can give you lots of information about this subject, including practical tips, anatomical information, and a list of excellent books.

The exercises in the Technique Video Groups are based on the idea that building awareness through simple physical exercises teaches muscles new movements that can then find their way into your playing.  They are not exercises to do and check off your list, but more like rituals that continue to help your playing at any level.  For example Continue reading Avoiding injury and stress

Physicality: Preventing Injury When Learning Fiddle

Practicing and performing music is a very physical activity.  In spite of all the mental and emotional exertion that goes into it, we must always remember how physical it is.

Below are some thoughts about how to play and learn in a healthy way so you can prevent physical injury from playing music, and here’s a website link that can give you lots hand painof information about this subject, including practical tips, anatomical information, and a list of excellent books.
Continue reading Physicality: Preventing Injury When Learning Fiddle

Is Stagefright Learned?

It’s natural to feel nervous energy when performing.  We know that in performance, nothing is guaranteed, and that’s part of what makes it exciting and fascinating.

But nervous energy is different from performance fear, stagefrightwhich we usually call “stagefright.”  Stagefright seems to happen when performers focus mostly on their weaknesses instead of their strengths.  They worry about what people might think, whether they’ll get through a tricky spot, or whether some unforeseen problem will throw them off.  They might even feel unsure if they’re “deserving” of being out on stage.

In other words, people with stagefright are thinking about themselves, not about the music.

My theory is that stagefright is learned, and can be unlearned.  Often I see advice to people about special tricks Continue reading Is Stagefright Learned?