Anecdotally at least, fear of memory slips seems to come up more often for pianists than for some other instruments. Is this because of how many notes they have? Or is there something else about the instrument itself that contributes to an increased risk of memory slips in performance (unless one adjusts their practice habits to account for this)?

Evidence That Performing From Memory May Be More Challenging for Pianists Than Others (What?!)

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Memory slips can be a scary thing and a major cause of anxiety on stage. But it's not a skill that we tend to think of much in our daily practice...

We know from previous research that mental practice plus physical practice leads to better learning than physical practice alone.

Could the same thing be true for memory too? Like, could substituting a bit of mental practice for physical practice lead to more reliable memory than physical practice alone?

Do You Struggle With Unreliable Memory on Stage? Perhaps Your Memorization Strategy is Missing This Key ingredient...

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As instinctive and natural a process as breathing is in our moment-to-moment existence, breathing efficiently and effectively so as to produce a beautiful sound that projects, clear articulation, smooth, connected phrases, etc. can be a real challenge (or so I hear)!

In Part 2 of my chat with flutist Keith Underwood, we get into the topic of breathing, and Keith explains and demonstrates a whole range of concepts that will help you play more effortlessly, and better understand how to "play on the breath, not with the breath."

Keith Underwood (Part 2): On Breathing and the Problem With Thinking of Air as the Solution to Everything.

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Flutist and educator Keith Underwood shares insights on what (and how) we can learn from our favorite musicians so as to level up our playing in some pretty transformative ways. And how doing so can potentially make practicing and recording way more fun as well!

Keith Underwood (Part 1): On the Art of Imitation, and How to Glean Insights From Great Musicians to Level Up Your Playing.

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You know how some musicians seem to be almost "psychic" in their ability to play together and be totally in sync with one another? Ever wonder how they do this? Is it just experience, or something else?

A couple imagery studies provide some intriguing clues on what they might be doing, that facilitates next-level ensemble coordination.

How Mental Imagery Can Help You Become a Better (Or More "Psychic") Chamber Music Partner

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How much emotion should we be feeling internally for a musically effective performance? Is there such a thing as feeling too much emotion when performing? And is playing more musically something we can learn, or is it something innate?

How Does One Learn to Play More Musically?

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Ever notice how after performances, your family, friends, and teachers seem to think that the performance went better than you thought it went? Is this just because they're being nice, or is this a real thing? As in, is there something about being on stage that makes us perceive our own playing differently than how others perceive our playing?

Do We Really Sound as Terrible on Stage as We Sometimes Think We Do?

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Ever notice how nerves can make us feel pressure to rush into the opening of a performance, and start before we feel truly settled and ready?

Turns out that one of the keys to starting off more effectively may have to do with our eyes, and what we look at or focus on in the moments right before beginning.

How so? A 2014 study gives us some intriguing clues...

"Quiet Eye": A Technique to Enhance Performance When You're Nervous

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When it comes to getting things done, do you find it helpful to set deadlines? And if so, do shorter deadlines work better, or longer ones?

Research suggests that in some cases, no deadline could be best (what?!). And at other times, the wrong kind of deadline can make us more, not less, likely to procrastinate.

Prone to Procrastinating? Why the Way You Set Deadlines Could Make Things Worse, Not Better.

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We've probably all had teachers who told us that their goal is to help us learn how to teach ourselves. But how do we do that exactly?

A 2006 study lays out a 3-step self-coaching process that we can use to become better teachers to ourselves. Or even share with our students as kind of a how-to-become-a-better-practicer cheat sheet.

Having a Bad Practice Day? Turn It Into a Good One With This 3-Step Self-Coaching Technique.

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• Live and self-paced courses