Why Your Playing Feels Off in Auditions (Hint: It’s Probably Your Setup)
At today’s Honesty Pill Audition Accelerator mock audition, we heard some truly beautiful playing—thoughtful phrasing, refined dynamics, musical articulation. But there was one consistent thread I noticed across several candidates: pitch center issues.
And I don’t mean standard intonation problems. I’m talking about that subtle but crucial disconnect from the “core” of the sound—the kind of thing that happens when your tone is just slightly out of alignment, even though everything else seems like it should be working.
This got me thinking about how important it is, especially in high-pressure situations like auditions, to check in with your technical setup. Not just posture and mechanics, but your relationship to your instrument—how it feels, how it responds, and whether it’s in sync with your body.
It reminded me of skiing.
What Skiing Taught Me About Calibration
If you’ve ever been skiing—or even just seen it on TV—you know there’s a lot of gear involved: boots, bindings, poles, skis. And before you even step on the lift, someone in the shop has to calibrate your bindings. That tiny adjustment—how tightly your boots clip into your skis—can make or break your day on the mountain.
If the bindings are too loose or too tight, you’ll notice it immediately. You won’t feel secure. You might be overly cautious, or worse, at risk of injury. But when it’s set just right? You can fly down the hill without even thinking about the equipment. You stop thinking about your body and start following instinct. It feels like magic.
Musical performance can feel exactly the same—when your setup is right.
You Can’t Access Flow Without Calibration
When your equipment, posture, or technical foundation is slightly off—even subtly—it creates tension. You compensate. You push. You try to force sound instead of letting it happen. And then you wonder why it feels like so much work.
That effortless, grounded, centered tone you’re chasing? It’s not something you “find” in the middle of a difficult excerpt. It comes from setup. It comes from alignment.
And it needs to happen before you start playing demanding material.
Things to Think About
Do you know what it feels like when your sound is truly centered?
Can you tell the difference between effort and tension?
What are your go-to strategies for resetting when things feel off?
Are you reinforcing imbalance by pushing through instead of stopping to recalibrate?
Action Steps
Begin each session with a sound check.
A few minutes of long tones, open strings, or simple note shapes can tell you a lot. Focus on how the sound feels, not how it sounds.Listen to your first 30 seconds.
Use your phone. What’s really happening? Are you fighting your setup, or does it feel balanced and resonant?Don’t power through misalignment.
If something feels off, pause. Adjust. Get things back in line before jumping into repertoire.Build your calibration toolbox.
Have a set of exercises or mental cues that bring you back to center when things go sideways.Ask for feedback.
Sometimes, a teacher or coach can spot setup issues you’ve gotten used to. Get another set of ears on it.
Final Thought
If your bindings aren’t set correctly, don’t ski.
And if your musical setup isn’t dialed in, don’t assume you’re just “off” that day or not working hard enough. Take a beat. Make an adjustment. Calibrate.
That’s when the magic happens.
Happy practicing,
Chris @ Honesty Pill
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