The Freethinker

Piano Performance Tips

I'm not an expert, but I've learned some things along the way these past few months that other aspiring pianists may benefit from. I've had a crazy few months that have really pushed me in piano performance, and I want to share what I have learned with others that may be struggling.

1. You will hear this alot. Know your music! Learn it well enough to even play a portion of it with your eyes closed, or be ambitious and play the entire peice in practice with your eyes closed (Ray Charles style).

2. Perform, perform, perform. Don't shrink away from the spotlight if you can somehow weasle your way out of a performance. Learn how to deal with the 'pressure' of having all eyes on you. It will be hard at first; the first six or seven performances where you must push yourself WILL be the hardest, if you are shy or nervous. Granted, you will feel like disgorging every once in a while and you will be so nervous  your fingers will tremble when applying pressure to those ivories, but it will pass, if you get over this early stage. You'll learn theres nothing to be afraid of, there is no danger upon that piano bench! You'll be increasingly comfortable the more times you are confronted with the stage.

3. Learn to concentrate. Have a family member or a friend make alot of noise and be distracting while you practice your peice, and you will learn how to concentrate. The main reason aspiring pianists blank out while they're in a middle of a performance is because their mind starts to wander. "I wonder what we'll be eating afterwards. I could go for some pizza. We should eat at iHop when we're done... Uh oh! What's next?!" And bam, before you know it, you're completely lost. Learn how to concentrate correctly. Do not overly concentrate. I know this is confusing, I am telling you to concentrate and then I am telling you not to concentrate, but when you overconcentrate, aiming for total perfection, mistakes abound. (I've learned from experience!) Music must be focused, but never forced. It has to come from your heart! Forcing a performance by concentrating TOO hard never produces the right results. If you don't understand what I'm saying, you will have to wait, someday you will understand this concept after performing enough.

4. Don't let bad performaces discourage you. We've all had it happen. You totally screwed up the climax... And guess what? You're not the first pianist to ever do this. If the piano is really your instrument, you'll pick up the peices, perhaps even cry a little, move on to preparing for the next performance and vow to do better. Don't let a sour recital have an effect on you for eternity in negative ways. Learn from your mistakes, identify why you performed badly (Bad pedal? Out of tune piano? Low lighting? Not knowing your music?), and try to keep that in mind for the next performance. If it was nerves that got you down, you will just have to keep playing and get over this. Failure does not lie in the fact that you did not play perfectly, failure would lie in the fact that you never even tried or shrinked away from the challenge.

The BIGGEST tip that I could ever give for those aspiring to play for God is, pray, pray, pray and praise, praise, praise! Let your performance be an offering to God every time to sit at that bench. Be it practice, performance or just plain playing around. If you're nervous about a recital or concert, pray! Yes, it's as simple as that.

Another thing that may really help some, know your limits. You don't need to play Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 to have people appreciate your performance. Understand your own ability. It is okay to aspire and set goals, but be realistic. If you've only been taking piano lessons for less than a year, a performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is not for you yet! Aspire, but know only your worst limitations.

I hope this helps someone! It's not scientific but it's something I wish some people would have told me when I was anxious about performing in front of people.

Untitled Comment

2:58 PM, Apr. 20, 2009

Posted by Anonymous

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on piano performance. I enjoyed reading about it. I was searching for piano performance tips since I have a recital coming up at the end of May with two of my students. I was excited to see your encouragment in making piano playing an offering to God!

Marianne

This is great

10:23 AM, Oct. 3, 2009

Posted by Lisa

i have a cousin's wedding to play at today and i am completely nervousl this has helped a lot :) Thank you!

Thanks for the info

7:59 AM, Oct. 12, 2009

Posted by Balaji

I do play well at home but mess up at the recital in front of the master, though he corrects me still used to make the same mistakes - I also want to offer my recital as a prayer to God .. What do I have to do to offer some musical pieces to offer in the form of prayers