Why does it all go wrong?

[tompilk]

Hi,
I performed Beethoven Pathetique Movt 2 and 3 at school an hour or two ago and I thought i was doing well. Got through with only minor errors. then final 12 or so bars - AFTER THE HARD BIT ON THE LAST PAGE - I jumped up to the wrong chord, both hands shifted at least a tone up the piano. Then confusion and just managed to get it sorted for the final run down to the bottom of the piano and finishing chord.
WHY DID IT GO WRONG!!?! I got too excited and relaxed after the big chords in the left hand... I'm so annoyed. I've never thought that bit would give e trouble. Hopefully not too many people noticed. It was just for parents so I think they won't have noticed too much.

Another funny thing - they clapped after the second movement, so i shouted out sorry and continued to the next movement. At the end I shouted "Finished". If I'd have thought about it a little more, I could have said "Thank you, I am finished", to quote Cziffra.
Anyway, I hope they weren't too disappointed.

How I hate performing! But I want to show other people the beautiful music! I'd play them a cd if it was acceptable in concerts...

Tom

[pianowelsh]

Hate to say it but concentration could be the problem?!?  Performing is mentally draining there is no two ways about it. Performing a big piece like te Pathetique requires mental as well as pianistic stamina.  have you played it out - to other people in its entirety before today?? It takes time to become confident performing a long and technically challenging work in public.  We really need to know it so much better than we think we do before putting it under pressure.

Of course it may be to do with how you are practising this section and indeed the way you prioritise your practising on the piece as a whole...

Talk to me about how you prepared for the performance...

PS are you studying with a teacher???

[inswinger7]

Hey that happened not a few times to me during final examinations.  My teacher would say to me after "What the hell I was thinking?" At times she'd just give me the dagger look. In my case this occured due to lack of concentration, which in turn may be caused by many factors, including lack of confidence. There is no single way of solving this concentration problem.  Some pianists talk to themselves before and during playing. Or even hum the music they are playing just to stay with the music. But the key to it all is preparation, mentally and physically.

[nanabush]

Oh god, once I screwed up so badly, I had to announce that I was restarting the piece.  It was the last thing I was going to play, and 10 seconds in, in a part I found pretty tough, it fell apart so bad I couldn't get back on track... wow I was embarassed !!

[pizno]

I had a kind of off experience today too.  Things were going well - I was playing Rachmaninoff with a cellist.  Big audience.  All was under control.  It was gorgeous.  I had my beta blockers and was determined to focus and go through this smoothly.  The notes were correct.  Then.......I must have slowed down during a solo part, and when the cellist came in, he decided to pick the tempo back up.  A little abruptly, I thought.  I wasn't even aware I had slowed that much, and his tempo seemed crazy to me.  Suddenly, I didn't know where he was, and for 3 long measures I stuttered and panicked and just couldn't believe this was happening - it had never happened before.  Things got back under control, but I was kind of in a different world after that.

As to your question, my experience is that often after a difficult part, our brain kind of takes a vacation and that's when we screw up. 

For me, a BIG challenge is focus.  This piece I have been working on for a long time, so it is nearly, but not at all completely memorized.  The hard part is remembering to constantly look at the measure ahead and focus on what I'm about to do.  To constantly do this without letting my mind wander is hard.  I'd love to see a map of what my mind does during a performance.
I imagine it's like this:

OK, build to here, left hand quiet, look ahead, now shift to these notes, look ahead, go to here, listen to cello, this is great, I love this music, they must think this is beautiful, what does my piano teacher think of this, look ahead, shift to these notes, leap to here, now pp, now build, why is the cellist speeding up, sit up straight, I wonder if I wore the right outfit, look ahead, here comes this part, keep it FF, now drop, look ahead, voice, DARN I forgot to look ahead, oh shoot did I play that note right? keep going, OK, watch out!  big part!  big big big part!! oh no, disaster!  Mayday!  Help!  I hate performing! Lets just try to salvage this thing.  OK, look ahead, deep breath, at least finish it on the right notes, don't make a fool of yourself.  OK, finally, it's done.  Now bow without rolling your eyes and grimacing, bow again because they are clapping so hard.  Now when people tell you it was wonderful say thank you, don't mention the screw ups.  Oh darn, I mentioned the screw up.

And isn't it all fun.

Pizno

[pianowolfi]

OK, build to here, left hand quiet, look ahead, now shift to these notes, look ahead, go to here, listen to cello, this is great, I love this music, they must think this is beautiful, what does my piano teacher think of this, look ahead, shift to these notes, leap to here, now pp, now build, why is the cellist speeding up, sit up straight, I wonder if I wore the right outfit, look ahead, here comes this part, keep it FF, now drop, look ahead, voice, DARN I forgot to look ahead, oh shoot did I play that note right? keep going, OK, watch out!  big part!  big big big part!! oh no, disaster!  Mayday!  Help!  I hate performing! Lets just try to salvage this thing.  OK, look ahead, deep breath, at least finish it on the right notes, don't make a fool of yourself.  OK, finally, it's done.  Now bow without rolling your eyes and grimacing, bow again because they are clapping so hard.  Now when people tell you it was wonderful say thank you, don't mention the screw ups.  Oh darn, I mentioned the screw up.

And isn't it all fun.

Pizno

LOL I love this.

[invictious]

It's all in the mind.
Some thing that I found helped me was to think I am practicing, and the audience are in pajamas sleeping, and i am to wake them up.

[counterpoint]

It's all in the mind.
Some thing that I found helped me was to think I am practicing, and the audience are in pajamas sleeping, and i am to wake them up.

What a funny imagination 

[teresa_b]

We all have these things happen, because no one has perfect concentration all the time!  I recently played Beethoven PC 4 chamber version, which has alterations of the piano part that are harder than the original  .   In the development section there's a series of very tricky arpeggios that are entirely different, and I had practiced these SO hard to make sure I got them.  Well, you guessed it--I was doing great, and then hit a wrong note on the second arpeggio--I screwed myself up totally and had to make up stuff for the next 3 or 4 arpeggios, until I picked it up again. 

Interestingly, my father, who was in the audience and never misses errors, missed it!  So don't feel so bad, most people did not notice your mistake.

Have fun! (or at least try  )
Teresa

[nightingale11]

here's how you concentrate:

http://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2082.msg17230.html#msg17230
(how to concentrate)

When you get nervous you sometimes starts to tremble. This messes up you muscle memory so you must be sure to develop the other memories of the piece as well(visual, kineasthetic and aural)+add to that all the analysis of the piece etc. I also suggest you to perform as much as possible to family, friends, occasions --less serious things.

However screwing up in performances does also maybe pinpoint that you practice in a wrong way.

I have no time to tell you about this here... have a look here instead:

http://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5767.msg56133.html#msg56133
(huge collection of links)

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,9159.msg92755.html#msg92755
(Maylas index of the forum)

[mattgreenecomposer]

My advice to you is to start drinking heavily....

No, It's happened to all of us, Don't worry about it.  I knew a person who saw Richter perform in the final years of his life and he got lost, turned to the audience and said I have to start over.  If it happens to Richter then I think you'll be ok.

[lazlo]

It's happened to everyone. its just part of what performing is about. Having said that: NEVER ever apologize for a performance to an audience.

[desordre]

My advice to you is to start drinking heavily....

[invictious]

Alternatively, you can do what I occasionally do.
Screw up intentionally, then turn to the audience
'Excuse me, I just felt Chopin roll in his grave'
and start again with style.


Anyone tried these with an examiner?

[jas]

Alternatively, you can do what I occasionally do.
Screw up intentionally, then turn to the audience
'Excuse me, I just felt Chopin roll in his grave'
and start again with style.


Anyone tried these with an examiner?

No but I want to!

I read a book a few years ago called The Inner Game of Music, which talks about performance and nerves and why you make daft mistakes in bits you know you know perfectly, and gives some tips on how to get through a performance without going into panic mode. It's pretty interesting, though I never actually got round to doing any of the exercises it suggested. If nothing else, though, it'll reassure you that it's something that happens to many, many people!

(But shrieking "FINISHED!!" at the end of a performance isn't something it covers, as far as I remember. That's going to keep me amused for a while, though it beats yelling "SH*T!" in the middle of one, as a friend of mine at uni once did.)

Jas