How to Play More Consistently—Especially Under Pressure
There’s nothing worse than feeling like your playing is a coin toss.
One day you’re nailing every shift, the next you’re wondering if your instrument got secretly sabotaged overnight. And when it really counts—a big audition, a performance, that rep class you’ve been dreading—it can feel like all your consistency just walks off the stage and leaves you hanging.
I got this question recently on a phone call:
“What are your tips for playing more consistently, especially under pressure?”
Here’s what I told them:
1. Don’t just practice the notes—practice the reps.
Your body should know what to do even if your brain is freaking out. So instead of just “playing through,” build habits with deliberate reps under different conditions: tired, cold hands, someone watching, after a long day, etc.
2. Make your pre-performance routine non-negotiable.
I’m talking about how you breathe, what you tell yourself, what you do in those final 60 seconds before you play. Consistency there breeds consistency on stage.
3. Stop searching for magic. Start trusting the boring stuff.
Most people are chasing some last-minute fix right before go-time. But your consistency comes from the unsexy fundamentals—sound, rhythm, pitch. Drill those daily.
4. Get curious, not judgmental, when things wobble.
Consistency doesn’t mean perfection—it means you know what to do when something goes sideways. Can you recover? Can you stay connected? That’s real consistency.
5. Play for people. Often.
You can’t simulate pressure in a vacuum. The more often you put yourself in mini-pressure situations—mock auditions, friends listening, recording yourself—the less mysterious the real thing becomes.
The Takeaway
You want to play more consistently? Stop waiting for that magical day when it “just works.” Instead, start building systems that make it hard to fail.
Because let’s be real—pressure doesn’t change your playing. It reveals it.
Happy practicing,
Chris @ Honesty Pill Coaching
P.S. Curious how I work with audition clients on consistency, pressure, and performance habits?
Click here to book a free discovery call. Let’s talk.
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”
—Archilochus
