I played on a chamber concert last night. What interested me was my relative level of tension. There seems to be an allowable quantity of muscular tension as I perform in contrast to normal playing, probably due to the adrenaline drug effect. The habits formed from innumerable past performances also contribute to this regressive tendency.
I realize that I need to remind myself, in lieu of a teacher, that although I perform with more tension than I rehearse and practice, I am performing with less strain than in prior concert situations. As they say, I can try to remember to compare apples to apples, if I’m comparing at all.

originally published on 8/16/07