Playing perfectly no mistake at all?

[nia_kurniati]

Hello everyone. I would like to ask to all of you, when you have mastered a song and say you play in public or exam, how often you make mistake, or you can covered it, or you dont make mistake at all?
For me I often make mistake but I try to keep playing without stoping. thanks.

[feddera]

I'd say a piece is polished enough for me to perform/record, when I can play it ten out of ten times without breaking the flow of the music. I almost never play a piece without mistakes, but I don't usually make more than one or two mistakes per minute or so. You can never be 100% sure of not messing up, but I wouldn't perform a piece in public/infront of strangers, without beeing 99% sure.

[Bob]

It depends what you consider a mistake too.  Once you weed out what you know are mistakes, you can realize and start hearing the next level of things to fix.

I would say there are lots of mistakes, and lots of different types of mistakes I will make when playing.  It's just a matter of pushing on and doing your best.  There might be the big mistakes, but then there are also chipping notes or having your mind work differently under pressure.  "Oh wow! I've never heard that in the piece before!"  Just push on and get through it.  Or better yet... get into it.  That could be a flaw too if you're not really into the piece.  So what if you play all the notes correctly or if you "make it?"  If you're just concerned about getting through the piece, maybe that's the flaw to fix.  It comes with time too.  There have been times I've practice a piece so much I know I won't make a mistake and I don't, but the piece seems a little dull, a little boring.  I've already gotten whatever I'm going to get out of it.  I know how the performance will go and it does.  Sometimes I'm thinking it's a little pointless to go through with the performance.

Or being relaxed.  That's another area to work on. 

There are plenty of things to work on.  Just work on something.  Improve each time.  And really... don't worry about it so much.  Nothing happens when you make a mistake or two.

[jehangircama]

I recently heard the appasionata performed live- there were a number of note mistakes, but the pianist got a standing ovation at the end of it, because on the whole the performance was good. Even in exams, examiners make allowances for mistakes. The most important thing, as has been said, is not to let the flow break.

I think it was Busoni who said "It's better to play the wrong notes the right way than the right notes the wrong way".

I guess note perfection becomes important in a competition scenario, though.

[keypeg]

I try to play perfectly when I practice, every time I practice.  That is to say I play slowly enough and mindfully that I'm playing the right notes at the right time.  That way over time the overwhelming memory in body and mind is of what is correct.  When I perform I'll make mistakes, but this correctness sort of sits underneath like something I can draw on and find my way back home.  Practicing and performing seem to be different things, and practicing to perform seems to be so likewise for me.

[slobone]

I absolutely agree that your goal when you're learning a piece is to get the point where you can play it perfectly. But there comes a point, when you're preparing for a public performance, that you just have to let that go. Otherwise you find you're spending all your time fixing mistakes that keep coming back, instead of working on your interpretation.

[dora96]

I have been playing  few Chopin waltz, Beethoven Sonata, Mozart sonata k330. I can play it really well and even with memorization. I practice them everyday for last 6 years. However, I can do it perfect at home, not necessary can do it in the performance. I just don't understand what make most people, even my students advance even beginners. As soon as they have to play in front of people. The perfection start diminishing. It shouldn't be like that, it should be pleasure,joy to play the piece which is well practiced and prepared. Why we are so afraid to be judged, and always back of the mind that thinking it isn't perfect what I play? What chemical in our body or in our brain stop us  to perform perfection when another human being looking and listening to us.

When I do my performance in community hall, 10 % of my perfection will be deducted, and other 10% of getting used to the piano, the environment  in the hall. Another 10 % of my concentration will be gone. I think if I can do it in performance for 70 % of perfection. I think I am doing it well. But the reality is I don't like it. I want to play exactly and demonstrate exactly like what I practice at home. Sometimes, I just feel so frustrated, I just feel that maybe lack of talent, lack of musical gen.

I am just wondering for concert pianists, how long do they practice before they are ready for performance. Do you see concert pianists screw up their concert? Have you been to a concert pianist couldn't perform, what do they do in this case? Cancel concert and refund money. OR do it anyway.

What do you  think? Is there any way to fix it or I have to wait until  maturity of the music.

[nyonyo]

I have been playing  few Chopin waltz, Beethoven Sonata, Mozart sonata k330. I can play it really well and even with memorization. I practice them everyday for last 6 years. However, I can do it perfect at home, not necessary can do it in the performance.

You need to impose emotional self preassure to yourself when you practice. When you practice,  you have to imagine that you are performing infront audiences. You have to find a way to change your anxiety level. By doing so, you will get used to. In addition, you also need to do your own concert before exam or competition.

One more thing, you have to play with your heart everytime you practice. If you just play physically, it is hard to control when the time comes for you to perform in front of people.

[gyzzzmo]

If its technically rather easy, youre not supposed to make mistakes to my opinion. But if something is hard, you're allowed to make a mistake now and then as long as its not getting annoying and not screwing up the line of the music.

[slobone]

Also, a performer who is playing carefully so as to avoid mistakes, is not going to be very interesting to listen to. Neither is a player who keeps making mistakes! So you have to do both.

As for nerves, why not get used to playing in public by playing for your friends and family? Make them sit down in a chair behind you and pay attention, just like in a concert. They shouldn't talk to you either. And when you do this, make sure you play the piece through without stopping (you should be practicing this anyway.)

[keyb0ardfweak]

I think that someone who knows how to improvise can solve that problem...

But with classical music is hard to improvise, cuz u have to play what's written in the sheet..=S

I think the better way to play without nerves is thinking that there's no one in the hall where you're playing..that's what I always do when I play in the church..cuz I've been playing there for 3 years. Also, I got used to it, I'm more confident with myself. I also think that I can do better than I did in my practice, ading more elements, more harmony, etcetc..

But with classical music everything changes..cuz you cannot improvise..=S