Being physically fit can reduce musicians' pre-concert nerves and keep their performance relaxed and mistake-free, new research suggests.

Although the 'healthy body/healthy mind' concept is now widely used to combat everything from depression to exam nerves, the effects of exercise on musical performance had not been investigated before.

But stress can wreck a violinist's rhythm and destroy a pianist's feel. A recent survey suggested that up to one in five musicians regularly take beta blocker drugs to reduce stage fright.

Even a quick walk round the park before curtain call can help, says Adrian Taylor, professor of physical activity and health at De Montfort University in Bedford, UK.

Taylor recruited students at the Royal College of Music in London, UK, to test whether staying in shape helps stay in time. He announced his results at the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at Imperial College, London.

"Preliminary findings suggest that active and fitter students are quicker to adapt to potential cardiovascular demands in the form of musical performance," Taylor says. "Verbal and written feedback from the students supported the idea that physical fitness was important for optimal musical performance."

Taylor induced stage fright in the young musicians by asking them to prepare a short piece, which only one of them would actually perform. During the selection process, the students' reactions to stressful situations or 'state-anxiety' increased by an average 22% and was accompanied by a 15% rise in heart rate.

Half the students then walked briskly for 25 minutes while their colleagues watched a video. The selection and performance procedure to induce stage fright was then repeated.

The results confirm that exercise can help reduce the effects of stage fright, Taylor says. Walkers had lower increases in heart rate, which could be critical for their subsequent performance. And fitter people seemed to gain more benefit.

To improve general physical and mental fitness, the musicians were then given a six-week exercise regime (at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity plus some weights). The programme lowered the average heart rate while cycling from 174 to 163 beats per minute, and it also reduced their general feelings of worry -- technically known as 'trait anxiety'.

Students said the exercise regime helped them concentrate; some also felt more relaxed or that breathing control was improved. About half the students involved in the trial now use exercise in their pre-performance routine.

Other methods of brain relaxation can also help musicians, says John Gruzellier, a psychologist at Imperial College. He is also working to optimize musical performance by teaching students to relax their brains at will -- musicians learning the technique make fewer mistakes and perform with greater "communication and imagination", he says.