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For musicians, performance problems often go unnoticed and ignored. Many arise from overpractice and incorrect body alignment, especially in the arm, hand, and fingers. Problems manifest physiologically as muscle tension, bracing or constriction, and anxiety. Retraining with surface electromyography biofeedback and video helps identify elevations in muscle tension and incorrect body alignment. Work with biofeedback for stress reduction and neuromuscular reeducation in retraining increases self-awareness and provides feedback on practice of techniques to achieve proper tension and release of muscles, manage stress, and achieve optimal performance.

Keywords: optimal performance; biofeedback; musicians' injuries; performance anxiety; self-directed learning
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Copyright: ©Association for Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback
Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Elevated upper trapezius muscle during sit and stand.

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Upper trapezius and forearm extensor muscle firing while playing.

Figure 3.
Figure 3.

Improvement in muscle firing of upper trapezius and forearm extensor muscles.

Figure 4.
Figure 4.

Improved tension release in left extensor during fretting technique practice.

Figure 5.
Figure 5.

Screenshot of my heart rate variability at the beginning of the semester.

Figure 6.
Figure 6.

Screenshot of my heart rate variability 2 months later.

Contributor Notes

Correspondence: Kathleen Riley, PhD, Independent Researcher, Optimal Performance Coach for Performing Artists, Redding, CA, email, kathleen@drkathleenriley.com.