I have been thinking about body-language, and in particular about how our posture influences our attitude. We have heard that forcing themselves to smile can actually make a person feel better. The other day I was struck by how the upright position on a Dutch bicycle made people smile and feel like they are cruising – instead of rushing.

My own experience shows me that when I get on my fixed gear bike and assume the position, shoulders down, head forward… it seems to add to wanting, even needing to go fast. Sure, some of that feeling comes from the bike itself, which is fast and seems to spur me on. This part would not be different from the nice people who climb into their sportscars and become road-raging menaces. But I sense that posture adds greatly to this.

It makes sense to me. Assuming the position determines where your head will be at. I have noticed that if something goes wrong during a performance, a string goes out of tune in the middle of a song, a photo-flash startles me or anything like that, assuming a strong body-positon with the guitar will make a huge difference, will calm me down and will help me project better.

I’ll have to borrow that Dutch bike some more!!