what do you do to get ready for the big show?

[oso0690]

what do you do to get ready to play infront of a huge crowd of people all listening to you?  I'm going to be playing fantasie impromptu as one of them (major one ive been working on) and I mess up quite a lot on it...i just hope it's not THAT bad of a mess up.  any tips?

[mycrabface]

Pray hard.

You weren't well prepared? Why? You should have prepared! Really! If you screw up it'll cost you your reputation.

Don't look at the audience. Just stay calm. When you take a bow, smile and be confident. Focus your gaze at the exit sign at the back.

When you sit, make sure YOU are comfortable. Remember: the audience waits for the performer. Don't be jumpy. Think to yourself: this is MY piece, My little perfect piece. So what if i play wrong notes? I have SOLID foundation, you should hear my La Campanella. It'll knock YOU off your feet.

Then play. DO NOT focus on finishing the piece. Focus on PLAYING it. CONFIDENCE. Be proud of yourself!

[lostinidlewonder]

Peformance is always a risk but of course you minimise that risk by practice and trail concert runs. You of course do not put yourself in the situtation where you have to play for a large audience and you have never practice what you want to play in front of many smaller gatherings. Through this kind of rehearsal you really get more confident that you will not stuff up on a larger stage.

You shouldn't care if you stuff up, it will not ruin your reputation, not unless people pay to come see you as a soloist. Use it as experience and use it to ask yourself how you could have prepared yourself better next time round, always improve on your preparation that is what makes a good, confident performance everything else is mind games after that.

[invictious]

Well I usually practice very little on the week before the performance, then right on the day before the performance, I just walk around, run around, get rid of hyperness, continue running around.

Chat up a few ladies, then get out there and rock the stage!

[matraveo]

 ;)I no longer preform infront of anyone anymoer, but when I dad I never looked at the audience, I just pretended I was in my own little world. I think when you do that You forget that you have something to be nervouse about so its a little easyer. Oh yeah, and practicing helps too,,,lots of practice. But don't worry, alot of times you can improvise and the audience wouldn't even notice...hopefully.

[lisztisforkids]

Take Vitamin B12 about an hour before the show. I like to run on my treadmill for a good half hour pretty hard in the morning of the show. It takes a lot of the bad, anxious energy off.

[teresa_b]

I don't perform often--about once a year.  So I manage to go in and out of a good case of nerves a number of times before the performance.  What I have found to work best for me is:

First prepare the piece(s) to the absolute best of your ability, this builds confidence.  Play in front of small audiences at home, or have your teacher bring a couple of others in to listen.

Tape record yourself--this naturally causes you to want to play as well as you can, and will raise a few nerves.  Look carefully at places where you feel the least bit unsure of a passage--practice them! 

Have exit strategies--for example, if there's some place where you may goof due to tricky fingerwork, etc--practice it and "slip" purposely--See how you would cover it and/or get past it without letting the rhythm or flow falter.  (This is the secret for having the audience never know you slipped.)  Have several starting-over points in the unlikely case of having a serious memory slip.

If possible do 15 minutes of something aerobic right before your performance (or before your warm-up if you're lucky enough to be able to do so). 

When you walk on stage, don't try to "forget" the audience--this doesn't work for me at all! Look right at them, smile as though saying to them, "Now, I'm going to share this beautiful music with you, and I know you are just here to enjoy hearing me.  Imagine them naked if that helps.  But remember, they are not up there being courageous like you are.  YOU are the show.   

Remember WHY we do this--not to be miserable, so why defeat our own purpose?  HAVE FUN!!!

Teresa

[rc]

Being well prepared assumed, while I'm sitting down I just listen to whoever else is playing before me - enjoy their playing and not think about myself.  Mostly because I would like people to listen to me when I play, but it seems to help with the nerves.

Also, like crabface said, I think it's important to take my time when walking up and sitting at the bench.  I'll usually sit at the bench a moment to acquaint myself with the piano and get ready to plung into the first notes.  I think this helps the audience focus on the music, a bit of a buffer of silence.

Imagine them naked if that helps.

Most of my audiences are not the kind I'd want to imagine naked.

[elevateme]

show everyone how good the music is!! thats what i say to myself