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Topic: playing for others  (Read 1186 times)

Offline pianoplayer51

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playing for others
on: June 29, 2014, 02:54:49 PM
When I play something at home by myself I play it well.  Wgrn I play for my teacher I play well.  As soon as I play for a group of people I play so badly it makes me look as if I don't know what I'm doing and my hands shake. Why is it and why does it only happen in front of an audience?. I have been playing a few years now but if you didnt know that when you listen to me play for a group you woukd assume I had never sat at a piano before.  How do I get over this because I know I am capable.

Offline stevensk

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Re: playing for others
Reply #1 on: June 29, 2014, 03:17:14 PM
1) Play easy pieces in front of a small group of people, your friends or your relaitives
2) Play some easy pices as background music at coctail parties. Do it frequently as often as possible.
3) Play with others

Offline indianajo

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Re: playing for others
Reply #2 on: June 30, 2014, 01:40:51 PM
1. Volunteer to play for the junior choir at your church; they are using those CD's probably and a little live music would be a great experience for them.  I started with the Stamps-Baxter pamphlets. (This Little Light of Mine, If You're Happy and you Know it Clap your hands etc, Barney show didn't write those chestnuts). 
2.  find a charity free dinner somewhere that has a piano and play for that crowd.  They aren't listening, but if they don't throw food at you, you win.  I got one old tramp to pound the table during Jingle Bells, that is my high point so far.  The Holly and the Ivy arr. G. Winston, and In the Bleak Midwinter made no impression at all. 
3.  If you live in a city with one of those "play me I'm yours" pianos on a street corner, go play it. Again nobody is listening. If somebody drops a quarter in a hat, you win.

 

Offline awesom_o

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Re: playing for others
Reply #3 on: June 30, 2014, 01:41:53 PM
https://imslp.org/wiki/Letters_to_a_Young_Lady_on_the_Art_of_Playing_the_Pianoforte_(Czerny,_Carl)

This book has an excellent chapter on the subject, entitled "On Playing before Others".

Offline pianoplunker

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Re: playing for others
Reply #4 on: July 01, 2014, 10:57:07 PM
When I play something at home by myself I play it well.  Wgrn I play for my teacher I play well.  As soon as I play for a group of people I play so badly it makes me look as if I don't know what I'm doing and my hands shake. Why is it and why does it only happen in front of an audience?. I have been playing a few years now but if you didnt know that when you listen to me play for a group you woukd assume I had never sat at a piano before.  How do I get over this because I know I am capable.

You might be overly scrutinizing your playing unnecessarily. Where a fraction of a mistake seems like a train wreck to you. So you get mentally hung up on it and then concentration turns into nervousness which leads to more bad stuff. It seems to me that a performance can have a small mistake without ruining anything for the audience. In fact I usually dont even notice unless the performer grimaces or something indicating a mistake had happenned. 

Offline pianoplunker

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Re: playing for others
Reply #5 on: July 02, 2014, 12:40:10 AM
https://imslp.org/wiki/Letters_to_a_Young_Lady_on_the_Art_of_Playing_the_Pianoforte_(Czerny,_Carl)

This book has an excellent chapter on the subject, entitled "On Playing before Others".



Wanted to read it but it says no text (?) . 

Offline j_menz

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Re: playing for others
Reply #6 on: July 02, 2014, 12:45:58 AM
"What the world needs is more geniuses with humility. There are so few of us left" -- Oscar Levant
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