Playing for other people, whether it’s an audience of one, a dozen, or several hundred, can be a stressful thing! So it’s easy to focus on the negative aspects of performance, like how to manage nerves and avoid mistakes.

But performing can also be a real thrill, and one of the most satisfying and meaningful things we do in music. So I thought it might be fun to explore performing and practicing from this more positive angle as well.

My guest today is pianist Pallavi Mahidhara. A prizewinner at the Geneva International Piano Competition and the International Prokofiev Competition in Saint Petersburg Russia, Pallavi has performed across five continents, and at festivals such as Marlboro and Verbier. She also hosts the “Conscious Artist” podcast, which promotes mental health awareness for performing artists, and is often invited to give workshops and master classes at universities and summer programs as well.

In this episode, you’ll hear Pallavi describe how practicing and performing are separate, how practicing and performing are connected, how she is able to look for the good rather than the bad in each piano she plays, how she is able to be present and trust herself in performance, and why it’s helpful - both in music and in life - to have no regrets.

Get all the nerdy details right here:

Pallavi Mahidhara: On Practicing for Flexibility, Not Perfection

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Sleep and recovery is an aspect of preparation that athletes prioritize, with teams hiring sleep consultants, and many athletes going to great lengths to ensure they’re getting enough sleep.

And studies suggest that this investment of time is very much worth their while, when it comes to high-level performance.

But how much of a difference would an additional 90 minutes of sleep make when it comes to music performance?

Get all the nerdy details and see what happened when a group of music students and professional musicians added an extra 90 minutes to their sleep for a week:

What Happened When Musicians Slept 90 Minutes More

References

Pelletier, B. (2025). Effects of sleep extension on musical performance skills. Music & Science, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043251385420

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I remember a lesson many years ago, when my teacher told me that her job was to teach me how to teach myself. So that I would one day no longer need a teacher.

I couldn’t have been more than 9 or 10 at the time, so the notion of me teaching myself was hard to fathom. It was difficult enough to just play in tune, never mind come up with my own bowings and fingerings, or making decisions about phrasing and all the musical details and nuances involved.

Of course, she was right. One day I wouldn’t have a teacher. Or even if I did, I would only have that teacher’s assistance for one brief hour out of each week. Which meant that for 99.4% of the week, I was on my own. And if I wanted to make meaningful progress during the week, I’d have to learn how to teach myself.

But how exactly do you teach someone to become a more independent learner?

Get all the nerdy details right here:

Why Being Too Quick to Offer Feedback Could Inhibit Learning

References

Swinnen, S. P., Schmidt, R. A., Nicholson, D. E., & Shapiro, D. C. (1990). Information feedback for skill acquisition: Instantaneous knowledge of results degrades learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition, 16(4), 706–716. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.16.4.706

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

Whether we’re baking a cake, driving to a new restaurant, or putting together a puzzle, we can usually get to the goal more efficiently and effectively if we have a clear idea what the destination looks like.

I think we all know that the same is true for learning a new piece of music too - but often, this is not actually what our practice looks like. While we might have a pretty good idea what we don’t want something to sound like, our approach to practicing suggests that we are typically much less clear about what exactly we do want.

A 2023 study illustrates how taking a moment to be clearer about our musical intentions (with a 4-step process) could lead to more effective practice!

Get all the nerdy details here:

Fewer Repetitions….But More Rapid Progress?

References

Williams, S. G., van Ketel, J. E., & Schaefer, R. S. (2023). Practicing Musical Intention: The Effects of External Focus of Attention on Musicians’ Skill Acquisition. Music & Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043231151416

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• 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

This episode with violinist Ida Kavafian is packed with key points about effective practice, plus fascinating nerdy details about bowing and fingering principles, references to specific passages in the Sibelius concerto, Schubert Fantasy, Beethoven’s Kreutzer sonata, a clever hack for playing fifths in tune, and so much more.

And if you’re not a string player, don’t worry - many of the principles are equally applicable to other instruments too.

Get all the nerdy details and learn how to level up your practice in this month’s interview:

Ida Kavafian: Habits That Separate Good Musicians from Great Ones

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• 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.
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• Live and self-paced courses

One of the arguments often made for why we should memorize music, is that performing from memory facilitates more expressive performances. But is that really true?

There's not a lot of direct data that speaks to this question, but there are some clues here and there, suggesting that the answer might be a little more nuanced than a simple yes or no. 

Get all the nerdy details right here:

Can Memorizing Music Make You a More Expressive Performer?

A course on how to develop “bulletproof” memory (registration ends 10/26/25)

Most of us never learn how, but memorizing music is actually a concrete skill that can be learned. Discover a step-by-step, 3-phase, research-based framework for memorizing music that draws from the strategies that expert musicians and effective memorizers use to memorize music efficiently, and perform more confidently from memory - even under pressure.

Get the Bulletproof Memory course (Public release ends October 26, 2025)

References

Chaffin, R., Gerling, C. C., & Demos, A. P. (2024). How secure memorization promotes expression: A longitudinal case study of performing Chopin’s Barcarolle, Op. 60. Musicae Scientiae, 28(4), 703-722. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649241241405

Williamon, A. (1999). The Value of Performing from Memory. Psychology of Music, 27(1), 84-95. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735699271008

Woody, R. H. (2006). The effect of various instructional conditions on expressive music performance. Journal of Research in Music Education, 54(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/002242940605400103

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

Memory can often feel like a mysterious, unknowable phenomenon. Something that happens magically by itself at times, with great effort at others, and sometimes deceives us by abandoning us suddenly when we need it most!

We’ve worked on unpacking various aspects of memory over the last couple weeks - with Jane Ginsborg two episodes here and why pianists can have more difficulty than other musicians here.

And today, we’ll be looking at the pros and cons of the two different types of memory that musicians rely on. Spoiler alert - the one that most of us rely on is the less reliable of the two, which is why our memory is often not as reliable under pressure as we’d like!

Also, if you’ve been a long-time listener, you might remember that I mentioned working on a memorization course a couple summers ago. Well, the Bulletproof Memory course is finally ready - and will be available on a limited basis through next Sunday, October 26th (you can get immediate access to the course right here).

Ready to see which type of memory you might be using?

Get all the nerdy details here:

Two Approaches to Memorization (Beware: One Could Leave You Stranded!)

Learn how to develop “bulletproof” memory

Memorizing music can be a gift, but is very much also a skill that can be learned. Discover a step-by-step, 3-phase, research-based framework for memorizing music that draws from the strategies that expert musicians and effective memorizers use to memorize music efficiently, and perform more confidently from memory - even under pressure.

Bulletproof Memory (available for a limited time only - Oct. 19-26)

References

Chaffin, R., Lisboa, T., Logan, T., & Begosh, K. T. (2009). Preparing for memorized cello performance: the role of performance cues. Psychology of Music, 38(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735608100377

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• 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

Mistakes on stage are never fun, but missing a note here or there, or playing out of tune is over and done with pretty quick. Having a memory slip on stage is a whole other level of discomfort. 😳 It’s one of the things that makes many musicians most anxious about performing.

Researchers have taught us a ton in the last couple decades about how the best memorizers memorize music. And so I thought it’d be worth taking a look at various aspects of memory in the next couple weeks.

Today, we’ll take a look at research which explains why pianists may have a tougher time with memory than other musicians (spoiler alert: it’s not because they have more notes), and what we can all learn from this to enhance our own memory security. Get all the nerdy details here:

A Hidden Reason You Forget Music on Stage

Wish you could perform more confidently from memory?

Memorization can feel like a mysterious process, but it's a more concrete and practical process than you might think. I’ve distilled a couple decades of research, and over a hundred studies, book chapters, dissertations, and case studies into a 5-module step-by-step course on memorization for musicians, that will be available for a limited public release from October 19 - 26, 2025. If you’d like to get on the waitlist so you don’t miss it, you can do that right here: bulletproofmusician.com/memory

References

Mishra, J., & Backlin, W. M. (2007). The effects of altering environmental and instrumental context on the performance of memorized music. Psychology of Music, 35(3), 453–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735607077838

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

Talk to anyone who has ever performed from memory, and you’ll probably get a story of a time when their memory failed them. For instance, I remember a time, perhaps in elementary school, when I got lost in a piece on stage, and rather than stopping and looking over the pianist’s shoulder to see where I was, just started making stuff up, until I could figure out where I was. It wasn’t a very fun experience for me, but I think it actually freaked the pianist out even more. 😆

One of the problems, was that I never learned how to memorize music. And not because my teachers were negligent in any way. We just didn’t really know that much back then about how memory works! 

But thanks to the efforts of several researchers in the last couple decades, we now know quite a bit about the most - and least - effective ways to get all those notes into and out of our brains.

One of those researchers is Jane Ginsborg. And in today’s episode, Jane will share many key tips and details with us on the science of memorization, specifically as it relates to musicians. And because Jane’s background is in voice, there are some special nuances included for singers as well!

Get all the nerdy details right here: 

Jane Ginsborg: On Building Stronger and More Reliable Musical Memory

A memory course

If you'd like to learn more about the music memorization process and get more comfortable (and confident) performing from memory, you may be interested in the Bulletproof Memory course that will be released soon. You can join the waitlist for the limited public release right here.

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

A pianist once told me the last thing their teacher said at their final lesson after years of study: “Now forget everything I ever told you.”

Not exactly the parting wisdom you’d expect, right?

But hidden in that odd-sounding advice is an important mental shift that could help you play with more freedom and confidence under pressure.

Get all the nerdy details in today's episode. Or, get the text version with references, links, and other details right here:

How to Use Focus Cues to Play More Freely on Stage

A live online performance enhancement class (registration closes on 9.28.2025)

Performance Psych Essentials: Work on practicing more effectively and performing more optimally alongside a global cohort of musicians, educators, and learners of all ages. Registration for the live online 4-week class is open! (Class runs from October 5 - November 2)

References

Aiken, C. A., & Becker, K. A. (2022). Utilising an internal focus of attention during preparation and an external focus during execution may facilitate motor learning. European Journal of Sport Science, 23(2), 259–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2042604

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