Faces

[pianochick93]

Apparently when I play I pull horrible faces. When I realise I am I try to stop doing them, but on pieces where I am really concentrating, I just keep pulling them again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can stop this, short of beautox  (how do you spell that?)

Thanks a million, because I can play, just not perform.

[rallestar]

Don't worry about it. There's definetely going to be pianists out there making worse faces (Lang Lang), and as long as it's natural, I don't see how it's a problem. Perhaps it will go away as you become older too, or what do I know. Bottom line is, stop thinking about it.

[stucoy]

Apparently when I play I pull horrible faces. When I realise I am I try to stop doing them, but on pieces where I am really concentrating, I just keep pulling them again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can stop this, short of beautox (how do you spell that?)

Thanks a million, because I can play, just not perform.

I think that, so long as you are behaving NATURALLY, it doesn't matter that you are pulling faces. It's only when you are deliberately pulling faces to show the audience how deeply you are feeling the music that it becomes a problem. I think it's actually worse if you become self-concious of your facial expressions and try to stop them, rather than behaving naturally. I think the goal is to concentrate on the music, and the music only.

[invictious]

Try wearing a mask, always helps.
Or just leave it that way, and make it worse, so you look like Lang Lang.

[leuthold]

Apparently when I play I pull horrible faces. When I realise I am I try to stop doing them, but on pieces where I am really concentrating, I just keep pulling them again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can stop this, short of beautox  (how do you spell that?)

Thanks a million, because I can play, just not perform.

so you have no problem... i always play for myself. i dont think the audience. i think you must try to play for yourself then maybe you will enjoy pulling faces ...

[thalberg]

Focus a lot on the sound.  Direct as much of your attention as possible away from your face.  Also, videotape yourself practicing.

[amelialw]

haha...I do that too

[term]

why do you want to stop it?
especially if it is a sign of intense concentration
It is how it is, and if you concentrate on not pulling faces you will lose focus on the actual music, eventually you may get rid of that habit, but i will *guarantee* you that at any time when you are even more concentrated you'll keep pulling faces again.
Accept it, there are lots of pianists with unusual habits, just go on youtube and type in fazil say  - he's weird. But it doesn't matter, everybody accepts it as part of him (including him).

[pianochick93]

Thanks guys. I guess I just want to stop because everyone comments on it, but I can see where a lot of you are coming from. I havn't seen LangLang perform, I will have a look now.

[jlh]

Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can stop this, short of beautox  (how do you spell that?)

Well, unless that's urban slang for "toxic boyfriend", it's spelled 'botox'... 

Josh

[pianochick93]

Ah, ok.

It sounded French to me, so I tried to spell it Frenchishly.