Why Perform ?

[m1469]

What's the point ?

What do you gain ?

What does your audience gain ?



m1469

[Kassaa]

What's the point ?

What do you gain ?

What does your audience gain ?


Thanks,
m1469

The performer, most of the time, gets a huge kick after getting a standing ovation when he or she knows he or she played well.

The audience gets entertainment, hears music they like to hear.

[m1469]

and ?  Is there any deep and lasting quality about it for anybody ?


*I fart in its general direction*

[ada]

What's the point ?

What do you gain ?

What does your audience gain ?



m1469

To give something back?

If you are an artist, do you have an obligation to make a contribution to society through your art? To put a Marxist spin on it , if you are producing something, shouldn't you share it with your community so everyone benefits?

To validate your decision to devote your life to music?

To stop getting bored?

To have goals to work towards, ie, I gotta prepare for this or that performance?

The deep and lasting quality is if you change your audience in some way through your performance.

Is there a point to playing the piano at all if you never perform (in some capacity) ?

[m]

What do you gain ?

Pay check.

[m1469]

The deep and lasting quality is if you change your audience in some way through your performance.

Is there a point to playing the piano at all if you never perform (in some capacity) ?

Well, I find these two points of yours most interesting.  To the first, I would completely agree.  To the second, I can't answer right now.

But getting back to the first... that's just it.  Does anybody really change ?  When have "you" actually taken anything lasting and character-changing away from somebody else's performance ?  What performances of your own have changed your own life ?  We could just go get high in a lot of different ways, and no matter what, the high always goes away.


m1469

[m1469]

Pay check.

Fine, but why music and performing it ?  If it's just the money, it could be anything.

[ada]

Well I don't perform as such, I mean I don't get paid to perform, but I was playing one particular piece when a friend of the household was around after just having broken up with his partner, who he was still in love with.

He was out the back in the courtyard but he heard me playing and came in and said it was the most beautiful thing he had heard  (untrained ear, and drunk) and made me play it over and over.

He came around again a few months later and I happened to be playing the same piece  and he said he couldn't stand listening to it because it reminded him of splitting up with his girlfriend, and every time he hears it now he gets incredibly depressed.

Does that mean he took something lasting away? hmmmmm....

[m1469]

Does that mean he took something lasting away? hmmmmm....

Yes and no (or who knows ?) I guess.  I mean, maybe in 2 years it won't be much.  Maybe it will.  And that's fine.  Now I need to pick on something else (because I have to).  How about anything positive ?  Or does music only serve the depression state ? 

I have never seen somebody decide to pick themself up off the street corner and get a job and change their way of life because they heard some pianist play Mozart in a way that personally touched them and told them they were really worth a life.

[kriskicksass]

      

[timothy42b]

You perform because it gives meaning and purpose to the endeavor of practicing.

Certainly in a zen kind of sense it is okay to spend your lifetime in the practice room perfecting something you'll never use, just like I wouldn't criticize someone who spent four hours a day learning to deal cards lefthanded and blindfolded but never played cards with anyone. 

But it wouldn't work for me.  It would seem empty.  Yeah, I know, that's kind of the way the majority of pianists function.  I'm not saying they're wrong, but for me, if I weren't going to perform I wouldn't bother. 

[m1469]

hmmmm... hee hee.  I guess I got pretty cynical and negative for a "minute" there.  Oooopsy. 

Not that I was struck by lightening between then and now, but it's not as bleak as it seemed to me.  I guess, also, it's totally individual what people get out of it.  If I personally am needing something different/more, that's one thing and that's me.  Doesn't necessarily mean the whole thing is a dump (though sometimes it seems that way... hee hee.. there I go again  ).

Okay, bye bye

m1469

[gonzalo]

What's the point ?

What do you gain ?

What does your audience gain ?



m1469

I think the questions are totally personal and subjective ( everyone may answer differently). But I will contribute my answers:

1) The point for performing could be :
 - To demonstrate what you are good at
 - To show what you've been working
 - To share piece of music
 - To show off
 - To show that Classical music is not boring ( as most people believe)
 - Etcetera
2) What do I gain? If I perform well I gain the happiness of fulfilling my aim at performing ( the list above). Maybe money if you're proffesional.

3) What does the audience gain? It depends. Some will not like you performance because he can't appreciate it or because you play bad. A musical person will be able to have a good time and listen to live music in times where we only listen through computers and Mp3.
In the end it's all subjective and personal.

[m1469]

Yeah, thanks for adding your thoughts in.  I guess I am just wondering about spirituality and if it even has anything to do with music for most people.  Maybe for some it does and some it doesn't.  But for me, I am needing spiritual growth right now, and it's pretty much all I care about.  Trying to achieve within my practice/performance a certain sensation does not give me the spiritual satisfaction I am looking for in life, simply because they are not one in the same.  Furthermore, sensation is not lasting.

Also, ultimately, nothing is very fulfilling to me if I am not growing spiritually as a result of doing it.  Along with that, if it helps other people in a deep way (not just chemical/emotional, btw, but in a way that helps them see spiritual beauty) then it is spiritually fulfilling to me.  I personally do not plan to live my life without sharing something more than sensation with others... that would be a pretty sad life in my book.

I don't really see myself laying in my death bed when I am however old thinking... 'boy, I really played that Bach well in such and such a performance, and I remember such and such a person agreed' -- and then feeling as though I have lived my life's potential because of something like that. 

Well, actually, that doesn't seem too bad  .  I don't know.

[sportsmonster]

Just to add a piont: why do i play the piano?
That is because when i was younger, i heared other artists play and perform on the piano. So i got inspirated and started playing piano myself. often in a performing carreer, the performer usually never knows the inspirational effect. That means that there is a posibility that people play the piano in the future, because of your performances.

[m1469]

Okay.  hee hee... I have been thinking some more on all of this.  And, I realize that what I am looking for actually has less to do with the actual activity that I am taking part in, than it does the way I take part in the activity.  So, if I am looking for spiritual growth, there is nothing in the world that will give that to me besides actively expressing the qualities that bring this about. 

There are a lot of good qualities that are involved with studying something like the piano :

Patience
Perseverence
Courage
Boldness
Humility
Accuracey
Compassion
Spontaneaity
Organization
Confidence
Commitment
Agility
Flexibility
Strength
Tenderness
.
.
.

Ultimately, how well I play the piano has to do with how well I express these qualities.  And performing music helps an individual express qualitites that one would not necessarily have the opportunity to express if one never performs.  It seems that way from my perspective anyway.

I guess the only thing is, it still just seems so self-involved to me.  How does it actually bless others for me to express these qualities ?  Living my life being completely self-centered is just not satisfying to me... funnily enough.

*ponders*

m1469

[Derek]

The only internal value I can think of that a performance provides a pianist is that it takes more preparation, and once you've finished a performance and did alright, it boosts your internal confidence in your technique.

I haven't done many recitals but I have played in front of 10-15 other piano students in my teacher's studio class, and I have found it to boost my physical confidence at the keyboard.  Therefore, it seems to me if approached with the right state of mind performance can have a positive effect on a pianist.

The glory of applause? Not very important...

[pianochild]

I get a real boost from performing and i like the ppositive and negative feedback.

[ted]

When have "you" actually taken anything lasting and character-changing away from somebody else's performance ?

That's easy. The first time I heard my teacher improvise. In a few minutes it changed my whole perception of music and my future direction in music. Concerts ? No, not really. I have rarely been moved at concerts, which is why I haven't been to one for over thirty years. I am often moved by recordings though, so I suppose the implication is that the sort of music I like isn't often played at concerts; not necessarily an issue related to performance per se.

[sissco]

If I have a performance it is for me an extra reason to work harder and harder on that piece to get it in perfection. And finally, if you can perform it for the world, it is a coronation for the hard work  If you know what I mean  Performing makes me happy 

[ivoryplayer_amf]

What's the point ?

What do you gain ?

What does your audience gain ?



m1469

I believe your last question is the reason.  You want your audiance to gain something, something good and lasting.  I believe the whole thing resides in the audiance.

[captain cook]

Sometimes I wish music was like medicine. Either play good or don`t kill innocent people...

[timothy42b]

We often say music is communication.

Don't we need someone to communicate to?

I see this as true even when the music is not particularly profound.  Cocktail lounge pianists playing Burt Bacharach, rock keyboardists pounding out power chords, church musicians accompanying "7 Words 11 Times," etc. 

Don't you find duets rewarding? 

[crazy for ivan moravec]

What's the point ?

What do you gain ?

What does your audience gain ?



m1469

well, we humans chose to commit to preserving historical stuffs, like what we have in museums, or restorations of those which we think are important to remember (like paintings of da vinci).

if we love our art, which is music, we as CONSERVATORY products are responsible for keeping the tradition alive! scores are merely there for us to use, but it is not tasked to keep the tradition. if we don't continue to perform classical music (which are like museum pieces), we will eventually lose the tradition because the audience will eventually lose interest in and not spend money on it.

ok ok, so there are recordings... BUT if different versions of the music are offered to the people, it even makes it more interesting than just listening to those recordings that already exist. new and budding pianists give them a reason to listen to the same music all over again, and again, bcoz of the new interpretation or reading. the music interpretations keep on evolving because of people like glenn gould, while there remain the conservatives and purists to keep the balance. this indeed makes music interesting.

entertainment comes only second in performance, but we have to remember that it is still an important aspect of it because this is where we get the money to support the arts.

the "high" that we get from performing is also secondary to the whole purpose. this is more of a personal privelege, you may use it to your advantage if it inspires you to play even more.

HOW ABOUT NEW MUSIC?
we do need to promote good new music too. with so many music being composed today, it's difficult to keep track of those really worth keeping and remembering. centuries from now, they will become tradition as well, just like Chopin's or Bach's music. we just have to make sure that they get to be heard in our time today so that we won't forget that they made an impact on us. eventually, scholars and biographers will catalogue and keep publishing those worthy music for the next generations to experience them, our own contemporary music.

[arensky]

What's the point ?

Not sure there is one, but see below...

What do you gain ?

A sense of accomplishment, some intense fun, and another step on my path to musical enlightenment, which does not nessacarily involve or has to involve performing, but I find that sharing with and exhibiting my art with others live gives me insight into it and helps me develop it further. Performing is a hassle, though. Perhaps at some point I will perform only for the microphone, but I doubt it. I love the immediacy and direct contact of live performing, and so does the audience. If they didn't, they wouldn't come. See below...

Oh, and like Marik said; the paycheck!   

What does your audience gain ?

They escape from their individual worlds for a little while. Sure they could do this at home with electronic media, but it's not the same. There'a something about having to sit with other people in a formal situation, as in religious worship, that makes people pay attention. At home there are distractions, you can pause the CD while you get another drink or snack, or answer the phone. Or great art becomes background music for conversation, housework or whatever. When everyone has to sit quietly and be attentive they pay attention, real communication between the performer and listener can occur. It's more demanding on both, but worth the effort imo. Read Kriskickass' post again if you don't agree; you never know who is listening, and what they might be gaining from your music. One of him makes up for all the bored yuppies, restless children and bad pianos that we must endure...

And also, what else is there to do? 

[xavierm]

Because live performances, no matter how far technology ever progresses, will never be replaced.

Anything can happen during them, which is what makes them so exciting. And when you hear a good one, or perform to your best abilities, something magical happens for both the audience and you.

[m]

Fine, but why music and performing it ?  If it's just the money, it could be anything.

 

Indeed, why music and why performing it?
If that was all about money, then it would be anything, but music.

Do I like music? Maybe already not, meaning, after all the years spending with it, it is already completely different relationship.

I don't really care about audience, meaning, if I do my job well then the audience likes it. Even if in my opinion I don't do the job well, still the audience likes it. What the audience gains?--I have no idea.

Do I like practicing? Definitely not! I hate it!!! But I still do. You know, it is like brushing your teeth in the morning. Do you like it? No. But you still do it for some reason.

After playing over 400 concerts in 4 seasons and making (a good) living from that I desided to stop that kind of life, full of despire and frustration.

Why I still keep practicing and occasionally playing concerts is still beyond of my understanding.

If I were to think carefully, then my answer would be: "Just for heck of it--for those 3 minutes on the stage out the whole recital, when things will go EXACTLY the way I want."

[stevie]

1- to share what i love most, and there are few things better than the feeling i get when i discover people love the same thigns as me, tis good

2- the adulation, feeling of achievement, pride, approval

3- the random hot chicks approaching me afterwards and asking 'how do you move your fingers so fast?!' and 'you moved me so much with your soulful interpretations that i moistened my panties'

[jason2711]

it makes the practising worthwhile I think.  For me, it doesn't even have to be in a concert, even just to a visitor at my house or when out and there's a piano and someone says 'hey jason, give us a tune' or something.  I love being able to entertain and satisfy people through doing something I love myself.  I normally enjoy practising, but performing is your opportunity to show to people, yes I'm a pianist, and I love it!

The last recital I was playing in there were quite a few young and up-and-coming kids who had been playing earlier in the afternoon.  They seemed to really enjoy my playing, and so the experience of being able to inspire those younger than me was really good.  I never really heard anyone play the piano past grade 8 level until I was 15, where I heard (and played in the orchestra accompanying ) Barry Douglas in the Tchaikovsky piano concerto.  Since hearing his playing, I realised just how amazing piano playing could be, and really motivated and inspired me to improve myself.  If I could have just a fraction of that effect on people I would be happy

Of course, most performances go terribly for me (in my head anyway), but since even piano teachers tend to enjoy them anyway, I've learnt to only use the inadequacies as things to watch in my practising

Also, it's good at parties when someone things 'oh great, he's going to play something boring and classical' to whip off something 'pregnant cat'.  Gets the chicks interested, as Stevie was saying   It's great the way they always bring attention to how great you are with your fingers... just asking for it

[moi_not_toi]

Why? Because people want to hear it in person, not just on a CD. They want to see it; to talk to the person who played it; to be able to experience it with other people.

But it's not just about them. The performer also gets a great feeling from seeing TONS of people that also appreciate what you like. You get to see people smile and cry all because of YOU! it's the conceited person's paradise: you control what others feel! YOU have the power to make people transcend their own lives!

Who wouldn't want to experience something like that?

[pianistimo]

maybe there is a subconcious 'control' thing going on - but for me - i simply like being on stage.  i like simply walking on stage.  that is a thrill right there.  but, if there is a piano on stage - that is even better. 

for me, it is conquoring fear.  i actually came to like the feeling of flutters and then - hatcheting them in my mind.  when u surprise people with how calm and natural u can be - it's kinda fun.  it does take practice and u can lose it a bit and have to regain it again.

maybe i'm the thrill seeker in the group - but there is no bigger 'high' in my mind (not exercise, not *, not alcohol) than playing something really well (when u don't know for sure if you will or not - but have confidence anyway) in front of a large or small crowd.  it's sharing what u've practiced and practiced - and it makes all the practice worth it.

and, you can praise God before during and after - for giving u fingers, brain, and aptitude to do at least one thing in life fairly well.

[piano guy]

     Well, I think it's certainly gratifying to perform a piece, especially the first time, after long hours of practice.... and it certainly feels good to impress the ladies!!! Ultimately, though, I think we perform because we simply love to do it, and we feel as though it is a part of us. That said, I'd like to share the story of how I began to play the piano, and one personal thing I gain from performance:

     First of all, I love music, and I always have. In the second grade, I took piano from a teacher for a while. She, however, stopped teaching after about a year, because it became too much for her. I didn't take any more lessons until the summer after my freshman year in high school. I didn't take lessons, I didn't learn anything, and I didn't perform. Well, I started messing around with my little 61 key keyboard that I owned at the time, and I began to learn the simplified versions of the pieces on it. I would just watch the little notes play on the screen, and I would learn the pieces, note by note. I learned a little arrangement of Canon in D from there, and, since it was too hard for me to play in D, I just transposed it to C in my head while I was learning it, and I learned to play it in that key. I also composed a short piece for piano that year. It was extremely simple and minimalistic. It consisted simply of modulation between Bb and C in different variations. I played Canon and the original piece at the school talent show, not winning anything, of course. Well, there was a certain person at my school whom I have always been a bit competitive with, and he laughed at the piece, and told me he could play ten times better, which, at the time, he probably could, because he played at his church and had taken a few years of piano lessons. The thing was, he kept going on and on about how I "really sucked at the piano," and I finally had ENOUGH! I vowed that I would begin to take piano lessons and that I would begin performing just to surpass him and be better than he was. Well, he continued to take piano lessons, and I began. I was overly ambitious, and I set ridiculous goals for myself, and attempted to play pieces that I can't even play now. Well, I finally got a sense of where my skills were at, I developed them and my technique for hours. After I performed at the talent show this year and won second place (over him, he didn't win anything) for a certain arrangement that I wrote, It felt good to know that I didn't "suck at the piano" any more! My competitiveness and my love of music has brought me a LONG way. For every performance I play, I gain more confidence that now, I have surpassed him and made him eat his words, again and again. That is one thing I personally gain from performance. I can't stand people who belittle others and look down upon them because they think they're perfect. I perform to make a statement to all the people like that, who think I can't do anything. I perform to prove to those people that I CAN do something, and that I will put in any amount of time and effort necessary to improve myself in doing it. That is one reason I perform.

[lanlan]

If you are a performer, don't be too conscious what your audience gain. Everyone has different stages of life development, so they have very individual respond or gain after the concert. But remember surely there are someone who listen to your playing with their heart & soul.

[m1469]

I realized just a few moments ago that what draws me to performance and to music is that I feel there is a purity to it, even an innocence. 

[bella musica]

I think we perform music for the same reason we hang paintings on the wall - so that everyone can get the most out of it.

You can learn about what an artist thinks by looking at his art.  In the same way, you can learn about what a composer thinks by listening to/playing his music.  The more you can learn about others, the more you can learn about yourself. I think this is especially the case in music, because you are combining your own 'voice' with the composer's.

[ingagroznaya]

Can someone please tell me why do I find this thread so seriously funny?

[pianistimo]

because you only perform in private?  ingagroznya, admit it.  you're a man. 

or, are you implying that most of us performed 20 years ago in front of three people?  the most i've performed in front of was about 500 people - playing saint saens allegro appasionata (not excepting the satellite transmission of some hymn playing - that went worldwide at a church conference). 

i don't know why - but right before i play - i get a sort of drugged feeling.  i actually, when practiced, can't wait to play.  kind of like a horse that wants to race and can't be let out of the stall too early for fear of tripping at the start.  i start counting down and if anything happens that i have to wait too long - i lose my 'pumped upness.'  for instance, if someone is let ahead of me, then i have to do the pumping again.  for me, it is definately not listening TOO closely to the person ahead and thinking of the beginning pages of whatever i'm playing.

why perform.  for God?  for the adrenaline rush?  for knowing later that you could 'do it' and not before.  for me, all three.  i love that feeling of adrenaline - especially if it's measured and you're still ok at intermission.  if you're wiped out and going on empty - not sure what people do.  i can't imagine that smoking would help.  that's for sure.  it takes away oxygen from your brain.  what do other performers do at intermission?  i would think running around the building once might help.

[blu217]

If you are given an artistic gift, many believe it is terribly selfish to not share that gift with others. When people find out I'm a pianist, they have found it absolutely bizarre when I've begged off playing a bit of something "pretty" for them. And if I spend a year perfecting a set of pieces, there is an audience eager to come out and enjoy the fruits of all that labor.

I suppose if I were a painter I could keep that to myself too, but I'm not sure what the point would be when so many art lovers are eager to see new works and explore artists' different perspectives on similar themes--or experience that rare young talent who manages to create something new altogether. It is, to me, the same with music. You perform because it is your gift and it brings others as much pleasure as it brings to you. Often, your mastery and skill can inspire or move others in ways you couldn't dream or may not know. I believe you pay it forward.

[tac-tics]

It's all about showing off and increasing that sense of self worth. Even the most deceptive of performers trying to act humble feel that sense of competence and superiority on stage that cannot be had sitting alone in your living room.

[iumonito]

Indeed, why music and why performing it?
If that was all about money, then it would be anything, but music.

Do I like music? Maybe already not, meaning, after all the years spending with it, it is already completely different relationship.

I don't really care about audience, meaning, if I do my job well then the audience likes it. Even if in my opinion I don't do the job well, still the audience likes it. What the audience gains?--I have no idea.

Do I like practicing? Definitely not! I hate it!!! But I still do. You know, it is like brushing your teeth in the morning. Do you like it? No. But you still do it for some reason.

After playing over 400 concerts in 4 seasons and making (a good) living from that I desided to stop that kind of life, full of despire and frustration.

Why I still keep practicing and occasionally playing concerts is still beyond of my understanding.

If I were to think carefully, then my answer would be: "Just for heck of it--for those 3 minutes on the stage out the whole recital, when things will go EXACTLY the way I want."

Hi Marik, you and me have had disagreements before.  I am wondering whether I mistake your meaning, as I find myself again perplexed by what you write.

Isn't music worth listening to?  Those who go to concerts go because they want to hear music.  If I recall correctly, you heard Horowitz play live.  I wish I had, as the videos and recordings I have seen of him are among my favorite experiences in life.  The years he stayed away from the stage were less exciting for audiences worldwide, and when he came back there was great interest in getting to go to that concert.  The unknown, the magical, the wonderful await after you seat and the performer goes on stage.

I love going to concerts, and I am greatful for the performers who play them.

On the other hand, what about the performer?  Well, I find it selfish and unsophisticated to get a kick out of the adulation that it brings, and downright mercenary to do it for the money.  But if you have something to say about the music, if your performing will give a chance to others to hear something interesting that is otherwise unavailable to them, then I see no blame in playing in public so that others can enjoy the same things we enjoy.

I am sad when I go to a concert and I feel the performer is bored, or just going through the motions.  People in that stage should not be allowed to perform. I wonder whether that's where you were after your 4 years of touring.

[leucippus]

Is there a point to playing the piano at all if you never perform (in some capacity) ?

Sure.  The enjoyment of accomplishing the feat and playing the music for yourself is a valid reason in and of itself.

If fact, when people ask me to play for them I instantly tell them that I'm not a performer and that I only play for myself.  Of course, at this point in time I say that because I'm totally not good and would just as soon keep that a secret. 

I can imagine that if I ever get to the point where I play well enough to actually have something worthy of sharing it would be rewarding to share it just like anything else.  I show people my garden in the summer too and there is reward in having other people appreciate my work.  So I don't imagine that playing the piano for them would be much different than that really.