The Bulletproof Musician

Latest Episodes:

Bob Fisher: On What It Takes to Become Great at Something and Set Multiple World Records (at Age 50+) Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

Bob Fisher has set 25 Guinness world records in free throw shooting - all after the age of 50. How did he become so good at shooting free throws?

He once said that "anyone could do what I do if they knew what I know." And in this episode, he shares some of the key learning principles that he believes helped him achieve this enviable level of skill.

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

Having Long-Term Goals Is Important, but Research Suggests That We Should Enjoy the Little Things Too Oct 25, 2020

Show notes

2020 has been an unusually stressful year for most. So when it comes to maximizing well-being, and being in as good a place mentally, physically, and emotionally, as we can be, is it more important that we set goals and stick to the path? Or that we take the time to relax and look for positive moments during each day (even if they're tiny and trivial in the grand scheme of things)?

Having Long-Term Goals Is Important, but Research Suggests That We Should Enjoy the Little Things Too

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

Have a Tendency to Play “Too Safe” Under Pressure? Here’s a Daily Habit That Could Help You Play More Fearlessly on Stage. Oct 18, 2020

Show notes

Ever find yourself playing more cautiously and tentatively under pressure, and wondering how to loosen up, trust yourself, and play more freely like your teacher keeps encouraging you to do?

It seems that self-efficacy is an important ingredient in risk-taking, and in today's episode, I'll describe a simple exercise that can help with building some of this particular kind of confidence.

Have a Tendency to Play “Too Safe” Under Pressure? Here’s a Daily Habit That Could Help You Play More Fearlessly on Stage.

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 Counterintuitive Way to Build Confidence, a Tiny Bit Each Day Oct 11, 2020

Show notes

If you had a choice between starting with your most challenging tasks and progressing towards the easier ones or starting with your easiest tasks and progressing towards the most challenging ones, what would you choose? And which one do you think would lead to greater confidence and self-efficacy? A recent study suggests that if your goal is to build confidence, one might be much more effective than the other.

A Counterintuitive Way to Build Confidence, a Tiny Bit Each Day

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

Jason Sulliman: On Why Fast, At-Tempo Practice Can Be More Efficient and Effective Than Slow Practice Oct 04, 2020

Show notes

Conventional wisdom suggests that when we're learning a difficult passage, we should start slow, and gradually work it up to tempo with a metronome.

But what if I told you that there's a more efficient and effective way to get a difficult passage up to tempo? And that this slow-to-fast process can actually lead to bad habits that we later have to waste a lot of time unlearning?

Trombonist Jason Sulliman walks us through the motor learning/control research which suggests that there are many times when learning things at-tempo, from Day 1, may actually be the smarter, more effective approach.

Jason Sulliman: On Why Fast, At-Tempo Practice Can Be More Efficient and Effective Than Slow Practice

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

How Using Social Media Apps Before Practicing Could Sabotage Practice Quality (and Performance) Over Time Sep 27, 2020

Show notes

We've all been told that having phones nearby while studying or practicing can be a distraction and degrade the quality of our practicing/studying. But what about engaging in social media before we practice? Does what we do in the 30 minutes or so before practicing also matter? And if so, why?

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

What Does the Research Say About Having a Couple Drinks Before Performing? Sep 20, 2020

Show notes

We've all heard stories about famous musicians who had a drink (or two) before performing to calm their nerves. But does this really make things better - or does it actually make things worse? A recent study provides some clues.

What Does the Research Say About Having a Couple Drinks Before Performing?

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

8 Things Top Practicers Do Differently Sep 13, 2020

Show notes

What are some of the practice strategies that help the most effective practicers improve faster (and play better) than the rest of us? A University of Texas study of 17 pianists, found 8 specific differences - and 3 in particular, that seemed to make the biggest difference.

8 Things Top Practicers Do Differently

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

Minna Chung: On the Mysteries of Intonation and a Few Things We Can Do to Play Better in Tune Sep 06, 2020

Show notes

Cellist Minna Chung describes the three systems of intonation (what?! there are 3?), which one to use when, and how we can all play a little better in tune.

Minna Chung: On the Mysteries of Intonation and a Few Things We Can Do to Play Better in Tune

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

How Many of Our Mistakes Do Audiences (and Other Musicians) Actually Notice? Aug 30, 2020

Show notes

We often cringe at the mistakes we make on stage - but how many of these do audiences, or our fellow musicians, actually notice?

A Yale study of pianists provides some clues - and the numbers might surprise you.

How Many of Our Mistakes Do Audiences (and Other Musicians) Actually Notice?

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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