Lots of research has tried to break down how music toys with the emotions of any audience, but have you ever thought about how music makes the musicians playing it feel? A group of researchers from Italy recently noticed this gap in the science and decided to answer it.

They found that when violinists play more emotional pieces, their bow movements are rougher. Nicola di Stefano, the cognitive scientist who led the study, thinks that this effect might come from musicians reacting strongly to the emotions in the pieces they play. He suggests that psychological pressure is the root cause.

Professional violinist Curtis Macomber, though, doesn't see these results echoed in reality. He thinks of emotion as an overwhelmingly positive tool in his arsenal, something that makes his playing better, rather than worse. While Nicola and his team found that emotions can hamper a violinist, Curt actually looks forward to encountering them.

Listen in as we dive into how playing emotional pieces affects musicians.

Music:

• Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C minor - BWV 847 - The Well-Tempered Clavier, No. 2 - Arranged for Strings [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]

• Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik / Serenade No. 13 - KV 525.mp3 [Gregor Quendel | Free Music Archive]

• György Kurtág - Kafka Fragmente op. 24 [Divertimento Ensemble]