I have rewritten the entire book to add all I've learned since it's publication in 1991. This is the 7th edition and will be out by late-May, 2023. 11,000 copies sold since 1991, You Are Your Instrument was the first book in the world to address injuries for musicians, present information on what I call "The Musical Brain," and offer comprehensive information for musicians experience tension, pain or injury. It includes a Directory of healing modalities as well as a Muscle Balance Glossary.

Table of Contents and Endorsement Quotes below…

This is a concise, intelligently written book of ambitious scope, which seeks to address the needs to the growing number of musicians who find themselves struggling with physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual injuries and limitations.

– STRINGS Magazine

Julie Lyonn Lieberman has put together a handsome, clear guide with a variety of tips and suggestions…. The book is a large format, well designed and cleverly illustrated…. This is a useful resource guide for today’s performing musicians, and a beneficial tool for teachers to utilize in assisting students to develop healthy habits.

– American Music Teacher

Julie Lyonn Lieberman has created a knowledgeable, well written and comprehensive guide to music practice and performance without being dogmatic, pedantic, or redundant — not an easy feat.

– Aileen Crow, Bookshelf

… a novel, helpful manual of interest to any musician.

– The Small Press Book Review

… a must for every musician’s library. I am excited about learning to play in a fluid, pain-free way. The insights from your book are sure to be very helpful in the weeks (and years!) to come. Already I can feel a difference every time I sit down with the instrument.

– Bill Ochs, Pennywhistler’s Press

Full of useful information for musicians of all genres, this book is laid out in an intelligent and attractive format that supports both browsing and in-depth study. The production quality is particularly impressive given that the book is self-published…. Her six-level approach to memorization is a great improvement over the haphazard methods most musicians use. (One musician told me it was ‘was worth the price of the whole book.’)

Lieberman presents a wealth of information to help performers, teachers, and students arrive at a set-up which takes into account their body type, corrects any harmful physical habits, and results in a relaxed, natural solution. This is accomplished by determining the optimum playing position for each individual within the four planes: vertical (shoulder/jaw/head), horizontal, angle (scroll height), and tilt. Equipment is then chosen to support that optimum position and fill in any gaps. Lieberman gives wonderful tips for doing “detective work” to determine where tension exists, what is causing it, then choosing exercises and, in some cases, different equipment to balance the playing position, support good posture, and eliminate tension. Great emphasis is placed on having a dynamic, not static, set-up that can be tweaked to adjust for minor changes (weight gain/loss, different clothing, etc.) and establishing a natural relationship between the hands, arms, shoulders, head, and the instrument. All the basic types of shoulder rests, chin rests, and additional accessories which can customize the fit are discussed, as well as how to utilize their particular features to adjust for specific anatomical situations. No single solution is advocated. The viewer is encouraged to investigate all possibilities in order to arrive at the best solution for their own or their students’ needs, and then to remain constantly alert to any changes that would necessitate an adjustment of the set-up to maintain pain-free, relaxed, agile performance.

– American String Teachers Journal

[You Are Your Instrument] has much to recommend it as it provides much valuable information.