Do you still get excited to "share" ?

[Mayla]

I know, that sounds a little cheesy, but I don't really care right now.  I have realized that some part of me gets excited about performing because it is just this chance to share with others something that I feel is very special to me.  How many people in the world truly feel like they get to share something very meaningful to them with others, and in a way that others will listen and actually appreciate it ?  I think not that many people actually do feel this way (maybe I am very wrong about that though).

Anyway, I am kind of curious if that kind of excitement dies ?  Like, it just gets boring to express music and yourself ?  Maybe it just gets boring to hear the applause afterwards, that kind of thing.  Please, tell me your thoughts you people .

[ramseytheii]

That's actually exactly how I feel - that I can share the music.  And that gets me excited.  But as a friend said about me recently, "It doesn't take much, does it?"

I recommend reading Zorba the Greek, a "fiery novel of a modern pagan," where the title character is able to find meaning, sustenance, and renewal in his surroundings, no matter what they are.  He also plays music and sings, and holds his music to be sacred, singing strictly when the spirit moves him to.  He's a man without possessions and without human ties to the earth, but also without earthly ideals.  In his words, "I would react the same way to the news that Athens toppled Constantinople, or that Jerusalem leveled Athens."

Walter Ramsey

[thalberg]

When I used to perform, what I wanted more than anything was to touch people.  I wanted to play in such a way that they were totally absorbed by the music, and such that they felt they had encountered a beauty that showed them there's more to life than they had thought.  A few select pianists had that impact on me, and I wanted to do the same. 

[counterpoint]

The question a bit reworded: What does it mean to "share" music - and how is it possible?

In a typical concert situation it is almost impossible. People want to hear pieces they already know, and they want them to be played the way they are always played, extreme fast and with a metronomic beat. So no chance for me to share "my" music in concerts.

Sharing music in teaching works very well. There is enough time to show what music is all about. You can demonstrate many different ways of playing a piece. You can show all the interesting details in a piece, that never will be heard in a concert because of the always too fast tempos. So teaching is the real sharing of music for me.

Youtube is a good way to share music too. You can do very experimental things. Some people will laugh at you, others will understand. Youtube is an incredible place to get a new view on what music is / what it can be.

[amelialw]

I love to share.

I always make it a point to perform at my church every single time I complete 2 pieces or so. I do get nervous, yes but that's my favourite part. I enjoyed my 1st competition in Nov alot and had fun, although I did'nt win 1st place, still I loved it.

The best part is always when you get to share it.

[dan101]

A performer has to get excited about sharing, or the performance sounds flat and mechanical. I still get excited during performances, thank goodness.

[faustsaccomplice]

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[goldentone]

As I am in the midst of gearing up to perform, I think that exactly expresses how I feel,
that I will be able to share the music and myself through the music.  I can't wait.

[Bob]

I've never thought of it much as sharing.  I tend to do it for my own enjoyment and then have times when I have to perform for something.  Usually, I don't think my performance level is very good, so I'm thinking I want to bring a piece out and put a spotlight on it. 

However, some people, usually the ones who aren't into music much, really seem to think it's magical.  Play anything, and it's just fabulous.  I still find that a little amazing.  Their amazement amazes me.

If I didn't have to, I probably wouldn't perform much at all.  I think if I was happy with my level of playing, I would perform a lot more though and then probably be thinking more along the lines of sharing something or moving a listener. 

I guess performances for me are more of something I just have to do sometimes (usually involving a need for money in some way) and then something I do as kind of a test or proof of improvement, a challenge.  Go out, do a performance, see how you measure up.  Although that seems to be kind a pessismistic way of doing it since I'm never quite measuring up with want I want.  I do become more aware of things though, so that's a plus.