if ppl give compliments, it isn't dishonest to say, "thank you." and u don't have to say, "you're wrong." they liked SOMETHING about it!!! and it is indecent to accuse ppl of lying by saying, nope, i didn't. i just think, well, they want to say something good, so "thank you!"
Yes.
my teacher used 2 tell me, when u go on stage, do everything 1 step slower than you would do normally. it really works. cos already u will try and do everthing too fast, and that right away is going to elad to mistakes, and playing thats not clear. so if u slow it down 1 step,i mean for th eperformance, then u are really playing how u would normally would.
Yes.
any kind of presence can be strong, even those ppl who come out looking sheepish and embarassed. its not the outside appearance that defines presence, i promise u. becase anyone can have presence no matter how they act, its how u feel on the inside, definitely not how u look on the outside. what i mean is dont try and act someway on the outside just cos u think or ur teacher thinks, "thats presence." it has ntohing to do with the outside, and presence inside can look like anything, anything, anything outside. like strong, or like wise, or like sheepish, or like scared. and still it would be strong presence.
No. WEIRD presence can be very strong (Gould, Lang Lang, Jarett and to a lesser extent Horowitz and Michelangeli) but if you are not reallly great than you will merely be considered a weirdo! SHY (Argerich, Haesun Paik) can work, but better for women than men. Women can be unassuming on stage and get away with that because (unfortunately) that is part of society's expectation of them. Sheepish is bad. If you are going to play well, why would you be sheepish? It sends THE WRONG SIGNAL to the audience, who we want to be on our side. Sure you can act sheepish and then play well, but that doesn't make any sense.
STRONG. This is good, as long as it isn't arrogant. I went through a phase about 20 years ago of being really pumped up and wanting to look commanding and strong. This is when I was going to big competitions and establishing myself in the big city. Fortunately I had friends and colleaugues who told me "what's with you? You look really arrogant onstage, it's not attractive!" I was surprised; I was merely trying to radiate self confidence; don't know what I was like before this phase but from the few photos of me from before this period I look pretty normal. I guess what I was trying to do was pump up something that was already fine, and so it came out fake, because I was TRYING to make an impression instead of just being myself. And also, why do you need to ACT strong if you ARE? I know a pianist in his early 20's, he acts like a storm trooper when he walks out; he does not understand how this works against him, particularly when he has huge memory lapses and technical gaffes; a shame, because most of his instincts are correct but he feels needs that bluster because he is insecure.
Confusing topic with many tangents; bottom line, if you are strong, there is nothing you need to do. If you are weak or feeling that way, just smile, and don't let them see it. Because if you act weak, they will think you are weak, and you've already put yourself at a disadvantage. Think of how simple the walking onstage bit is for us, as opposed to other artists. You walk out, smile, bow, sit down, do your thing, stand up, and no matter how bad it was, smile again and walk off. The smile is the most important, it doesn't have to be a Jimmy Carter (false and insincere anyway) , but your expression must be pleasant. No one likes a storm trooper, and nobody wants to see an insecure frightened nervous drip. Just smile, and they will be on your side. There is an element of acting here. When you are onstage, you are not important. You are merely a transmitter of the music. To be arrogant or insecure in front of an audience is to detract from the music, and that is the reason that anyone, performers or audience, is there at all.
Andre Watts said in an interview years ago, talking about stage nerves, " when I walk onstage, I find myself saying "hello" under my breath." This has helped me to feel comfortable onstage, and sometimes I am VERY nervous. Sometimes I am not. But how I feel is not important, unless the feelings will interfere with my playing. And so I smile and say "hello" under my breath, and reflect on how wonderful it is that all these people are there to hear insignificant me bring great tone art to life. Interesting paradox, I never realized this; I use my humility to pump up my ego...FAR OUT, MAN...
It helps. If I am lying to myself, if it will help me be comfortable and therefore play better and the people will like me (approval is important, don't tell yourself it's not), then it is fine. Because the bottom line is playing well, and all that that entails, playing well AND connecting with the people. You can drop half the notes on the floor an let them wiggle and writhe and die there, but if you COMMUNICATE with the audience then it does not matter, really. Sometimes this game of self deception is not nessacary, but I always say "hello" under my breath when I walk out. Because the audience are my FRIENDS. I like them.
Topic: Conquering stage fright and stage dominance