Music performance anxiety: Insights into primary and secondary instruments

While much research focuses on single-instrument performance, less is known about the unique challenges faced by multi-instrumentalists. This study examined the relationship between music performance anxiety (MPA), perfectionism, flow experiences, resilience, and trait anxiety among musicians who play both a primary and a secondary instrument. A sample of 91 musicians (60% female, M = 35.2 years, SD = 12.6) completed the MPA and flow questionnaires for both the primary and secondary instruments, while the measures for trait anxiety, resilience, and perfectionism were administered only once. Females reported higher levels of trait anxiety and MPA related to their secondary instrument. Interestingly, while flow experiences were negatively correlated with MPA for both instruments, resilience was linked, weakly, only to flow on the primary instrument. In multiple regression analysis, primary instrument MPA and primary instrument flow positively predicted secondary instrument MPA, while secondary instrument flow was a negative predictor. These findings reveal the complex dynamics of MPA in multi-instrumentalists, emphasizing how individual traits shape the musical experience.