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Music performance anxiety in skilled pianists: effects of social-evaluative performance situation on subjective, autonomic, and electromyographic reactions

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Abstract

Music performance anxiety (MPA), or stage fright in music performance, is a serious problem for many musicians, because performance impairment accompanied by MPA can threaten their career. The present study sought to clarify on how a social-evaluative performance situation affects subjective, autonomic, and motor stress responses in pianists. Measurements of subjective state anxiety, heart rate (HR), sweat rate (SR), and electromyographic (EMG) activity of upper extremity muscles were obtained while 18 skilled pianists performed a solo piano piece(s) of their choice under stressful (competition) and non-stressful (rehearsal) conditions. Participants reported greater anxiety in the competition condition, which confirmed the effectiveness of stress manipulation. The HR and SR considerably increased from the rehearsal to competition condition reflecting the activation of sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, participants showed higher levels of the EMG magnitude of proximal muscles (biceps brachii and upper trapezius) and the co-contraction of antagonistic muscles in the forearm (extensor digitorum communis and flexor digitorum superficialis) in the competition condition. Although these responses can be interpreted as integral components of an adaptive biological system that creates a state of motor readiness in an unstable or unpredictable environment, they can adversely influence pianists by disrupting their fine motor control on stage and by increasing the risk of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (#19300216) of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) awarded to T. Ohtsuki and the Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (#2011133) awarded to M. Yoshie. We express our deep appreciation to five judges of the piano competition, namely Ms. Shoko Sugitani, Dr. Hermann Gottschewski, Ms. Ikuko Endo, Mr. Nobumichi Koyanagi, and Ms. Eriko Kanazawa, and to the staff and contestants of the competition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan

    Michiko Yoshie, Kazutoshi Kudo, Takayuki Murakoshi & Tatsuyuki Ohtsuki

  2. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 8 Ichibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8472, Japan

    Michiko Yoshie

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  1. Michiko Yoshie
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  2. Kazutoshi Kudo
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  4. Tatsuyuki Ohtsuki
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Correspondence to Michiko Yoshie.

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Yoshie, M., Kudo, K., Murakoshi, T. et al. Music performance anxiety in skilled pianists: effects of social-evaluative performance situation on subjective, autonomic, and electromyographic reactions. Exp Brain Res 199, 117–126 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-1979-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-1979-y

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