Body asymmetry in musicians is much more common than we usually think. Singers and instrumentalists live with emotional, structural and instrument-derived asymmetries, often without noticing how these patterns influence balance, breathing, coordination and sound.
This article explains why asymmetry is not always something to correct, how it works from neurophysiology and how to work with it in a functional and healthy way.
Body asymmetry in musicians: how to understand it
At the inaugural workshop of the symposium of the German Society for Music Physiology and Musician’s Medicine, an interdisciplinary exchange on how to deal with asymmetry in musicians was opened.
One aspect became very clear: body asymmetry in musicians is present in everyone, in one way or another.
Emotions can create asymmetries.
Instrumental technique can reinforce them.
And structurally, no human being is completely symmetrical – neither in anatomy nor in movement.
Even the lungs show this idea from the beginning: the left lung is smaller than the right lung to make room for the heart.
Even so, when we notice an imbalance, our instinct is usually to “correct” it, as if symmetry were the only indicator of functionality or health.
Today I want to bring a key perspective: the neurophysiological one.
Asymmetry and movement: a neurophysiological perspective
From neurophysiology, body asymmetry in musicians is not necessarily a problem.
The brain does not organize movement by looking for perfect geometry: it organizes movement through functional patterns.
El sistema nervioso prioriza la:
- eficiencia,
- stability,
- adaptability,
not symmetry.
The brain does not spend energy trying to make every detail of the movement identical.
It corrects only what matters to achieve the goal… and allows everything else to vary.
This principle is fundamental in the neuroscience of movement and explains how musicians self-organize while performing.
Examples of motor hierarchy in musicians
Instrumental example
Here we are not talking about anatomical asymmetry, but about how the brain prioritizes certain elements when a musician performs an action.
Objective: to play a precise note on a string.
Relevant dimensions (mandatory control):
- finger placement
- arc speed and pressure
Redundant dimensions (may vary):
- exact elbow angle
- wrist rotation
- small torso or head adjustments
- microvariations in the arc trajectory
The performer can vary these elements without altering the accuracy or musical intent.
Forcing symmetry or identical repetition would be inefficient.
Here is the crucial point:
For advanced performers, redundancy is the space where precision, expression and freedom are negotiated.
These redundant dimensions are the adaptive space that the nervous system uses to:
– stabilize
– release tension
– fine-tune transitions
– shape the phrasingAs the technique develops, this variability becomes an essential resource.
Body asymmetry in singing: motor hierarchy in action.
In singing the microvariations are more difficult to see, but the principle is the same.
Objective: to sing a stable and resonant high C.
Relevant dimensions:
- create sufficient pharyngeal space for laryngeal tilt
- regulate air flow
Redundant dimensions:
- how weight is distributed on the feet
- temporomandibular joint (TMJ) microadjustments
- spontaneous arm movements
- natural direction of gaze
- small changes in posture or gait pattern
In advanced singers, these secondary dimensions become essential.
They support the micro-adjustment field in which:
– resonance is self-organizing
– air pressure finds equilibrium
– postural stability is maintained
– expressive subtlety emergesWhat matters is not the visual symmetry, but:
– the quality of the sensory feedback
– the fluidity of the transitions
– the ability of the system to adapt
Asymmetry, balance and the autonomic nervous system
Although body asymmetry in musicians is integrated into human physiology, dynamic stability remains essential.
The vestibular system – responsible for balance – is deeply connected to the autonomic nervous system.
When balance feels uncertain, the body enters a mild state of vigilance.
This can generate microtensions, protective adjustments and affecting restrictions:
- breathing,
- phonation,
- free movement,
- expressiveness.
Therefore, postural regulation, movement and physiological regulation are inseparable.
This is where the art of working with the body really begins:
not by pursuing identical halves, but by helping the system to negotiate differences with sensitivity and ease.
And here the micro-regulation of movement plays a crucial role. The body postures that allow flexibility and adaptability are those that are dynamically stable, that is to say that within the stability of the large musculature, they allow the microregulation of the finer musculature.
Key questions for musicians and teachers
- Is there restriction of movement or pain? What is the cause?
- Can you work preventively?
- When is an asymmetry functional?
- What exercises help you find balance within the asymmetry?
- How do you integrate technical, emotional and corporal aspects?
- What movement habits influence your patterns?
- How refined is your body awareness?
- How do you train dynamic stability while doing technique?
- How do you prepare and balance your body before and after a performance?
In other words:
Dynamic stability is simply the asymmetry you learned to dance.