When we’re over-efforting we usually use too much muscle, and both function and musical expression can get squeezed.

We can use breathing as a barometer. Breathing is a fundamental function, but it often gets interrupted when you’re nervous or using more effort than you need. This can affect freedom of movement, timing and musical expression. So it’s useful to know what you’re doing and when.

You need to recognise how you breathe when you’re not “efforting”. This will help you establish a baseline, to measure from. It’s not about trying to control or correct your breathing but improving your awareness of how it might be getting in your way.