The Bulletproof Musician

Latest Episodes:

How Do Experts Get Even Better? 5 Lessons From the Practice of Expert vs. Intermediate Athletes. Oct 31, 2021

Show notes

Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall of the practice room of a well-known performer and watch or listen to how they practice?

A team of researchers did something close to this - they videotaped expert and intermediate-level athletes practicing for the same exact amount of time, measured their improvement (the experts improved more), and then traced this back to specific differences in what they each group did with their practice time.

There were four key differences - differences that I think musicians (or athletes) at any level could benefit from!

More from The Bulletproof Musician

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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 to Do When Everyone Thinks You're Great - But You Feel Like a Failure Oct 24, 2021

Show notes

I think we all go through moments in life where we feel like failures. But has this ever gotten to a point where even though on paper, you are not at all a failure, you still feel like one? And even when everyone else seems to think you're pretty terrific?

It's not a silver bullet, but the "directed abstraction" technique could help all of us become a little more confident and cultivate a stronger belief in ourselves.

What to Do When Everyone Thinks You're Great - But You Feel Like a Failure

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

If We Want to Maximize Learning, is It Better to Focus on Our Failures? Or Our Successes? Oct 17, 2021

Show notes

Mistakes may be inevitable, and there sure are lots of inspirational quotes out there on how important it is to learn from failure... But is that really the best way to learn? Is there any value in learning from successes? Is one better than the other?

If We Want to Maximize Learning, is It Better to Focus on Our Failures? Or Our Successes?

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

Evidence That Listening to a Recording Could Accelerate the Learning Process for New Repertoire Oct 10, 2021

Show notes

Sometimes we don't have the luxury of time, and just have to get new repertoire into our fingers quickly, and up to a playable level asap.

When that's the case, can listening to a recording really help to accelerate that process? And by how much?

A 2014 study provides some clues on how much of a difference this might make in accelerating the learning process.

Evidence That Listening to a Recording Could Accelerate the Learning Process for New Repertoire

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

Merry Peckham: On Rehearsing, Performing, and Growing as a Musician (And Person!) in Chamber Music Oct 03, 2021

Show notes

Navigating ensemble rehearsals can in many ways be trickier than figuring out how to practice effectively on your own. But it can be so much fun and incredibly rewarding too! Given that many musicians are returning to ensemble rehearsals after many months away, I thought I'd ask cellist and Cavani Quartet founding member Merry Peckham to share some of her insights on effective rehearsal techniques, score study, and how to not turn on each other in your next rehearsal!

Merry Peckham: On Rehearsing, Performing, and Growing as a Musician (And Person!) in Chamber Music

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 5-Step Strategy for Enhanced Motor Skill Learning (Especially if You're an Older Learner!) Sep 26, 2021

Show notes

Ever notice how learning new things seems to get harder (and slower) as you age?

It's not your imagination - but there do seem to be some strategies that could help us offset this a bit.

One is a learning "metastrategy" simply called the "Five-Step Strategy" and has been shown to enhance learning in both young adults and older learners (~65 years) as well!

A 5-Step Strategy for Enhanced Motor Skill Learning (Especially if You're an Older Learner!)

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

Having Difficulty Turning Off the Worries? Here Are the Strategies That Research Suggests May Work Best. Sep 19, 2021

Show notes

Whether it's an upcoming performance, audition, or just life stuff, it can be difficult to stop worrying or ruminating about things that stress you out. But not only does this feel pretty crummy, it prolongs the stress response as well.

A recent meta-analysis looked through 10,000+ studies, and identified seven strategies that seemed to be the most effective in not only stopping worries and rumination, but contributed to better health outcomes as well.

Having Difficulty Turning Off the Worries? Here Are the Strategies That Research Suggests May Work Best.

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

Feeling a Bit Down and Unmotivated? This Motivation Hack Might Help You Get More Done and Perk Up a Bit. Sep 12, 2021

Show notes

Getting back into the rhythm of "normal" life is something that I think a lot of folks are grappling with at the moment. And so if your motivation isn't where you'd like it to be, it turns out there might be an interesting motivation "hack" that may help increase your chances of getting things done, and possibly even put you in a slightly more positive headspace too.

Feeling a Bit Down and Unmotivated? This Motivation Hack Might Help You Get More Done and Perk Up a Bit.

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

Daniel Matsukawa: On Cultivating a Great Sound, and Three Components of Becoming a Better Practicer Sep 05, 2021

Show notes

In this month's conversation, Philadelphia Orchestra principal bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa shares insights on three things to focus on to become a better practicer, how to cultivate not just a good but a GREAT sound, and much more!

Daniel Matsukawa: On Cultivating a Great Sound, and Three Components of Becoming a Better Practicer

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

Difficulty Getting to Sleep? Try “Serial Diverse Imaging” - a Crafty Way to Trick Your Brain Into Going to Sleep. Aug 29, 2021

Show notes

Difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep seems to be increasingly common in these pandemic times.

Which can not only have a negative on our physical and mental health and ability to learn and improve in the practice room, but can also just be plain annoying and frustrating too.

If you're tired of tossing and turning and clock-watching, the serial diverse imaging or "cognitive shuffle" strategy might be worth a try!

Difficulty Getting to Sleep? Try “Serial Diverse Imaging” - a Crafty Way to Trick Your Brain Into Going to Sleep.

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

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