What I learned today form dominoes

[lisztisforkids]

Today I built a huge intricate deisign of dominoes.. The kind that stands up, and when you push one they all fall down after one another... I noticed that at first when I was placing the dominoes that I was very calm and my hands were stable.. But as I progressed in length, I increasingly became more nervous and my hands became shaky. I realized that if I just relaxed as I was at the beginning, that I wouldent be nervous and shaky and that I would have a much metter chance of succeding... Anyways I realized I should apply this same idea to my piano playing...

[JCarey]

I don't think the same would really apply to piano performance. The reason you became shaky and nervous as you progressed was because you had more to lose. In the beginning, if you would have knocked your structure down, it wouldn't have mattered much, because if wouldn't have taken long to rebuild. But after, say, 20 minutes of work, you're going to become nervous due to the fact that if you accidently destroy your structure, it will take a lot more work to rebuild it. In piano, if you make a mistake in the middle of the piece, the good work you did previously won't be destroyed. I think it's always important to remember this when playing for an audience - it may help with nerves.

[m1469]

Just take one or two dominoes out somewhere in the chain (or in several different places) along the way, so if a portion of it falls, it doesn't knock over the entire structure.  Then put them back in place when you are ready.  

[pianolearner]

Just take one or two dominoes out somewhere in the chain (or in several different places) along the way, so if a portion of it falls, it doesn't knock over the entire structure.  Then put them back in place when you are ready.  

You can apply this same idea to playing piano. If you make a mistake in the middle of a piece just remove those keys so it won't happen again.

[timothy42b]

You can apply this same idea to playing piano. If you make a mistake in the middle of a piece just remove those keys so it won't happen again.

I have a digital piano. 

I always program it so it will only fit the key signature.  If I'm playing in the key of Bb, for example, B and E won't play.  nor will Db, Ab, Gb. 

Hey, I just realized, I could improve on this.  I could program it so both B and Bb play Bb, then whether I screw up or not it comes out right. 

Okay, I don't really do this.  Maybe I should.  It would have helped this morning.  The organist was sick and the hymns chosen were pretty unfamiliar, and all in at least four flats.  (I won't say they were in Ab, because they weren't, some were modal. ) My wife and I covered the piano as best we could, and remembering the flats was a pain. 

Note to organists:  when you're not going to be there, pick hymns in C. 

[pianistimo]

what a great idea!  although, playing bach might get tricky because he often adds chromaticism here and there.  taking out the keys, means you'd not only have to put them back in, but play them, too.  maybe the trick is to make bad notes sound like good ones by making them tonally attracted.

[abell88]

If you use johnkeller's notation program you don't have to remember the flats...they automatically come out as black notes and the white keys come out as white notes.