What do I have to do if.........

[sharonlovespiano]

I forget something in the piece that I'm playing during a performance? It's like black-out, but not as worse as a black-out, it's lesser than that.

[newsgroupeuan]

I forget something in the piece that I'm playing during a performance? It's like black-out, but not as worse as a black-out, it's lesser than that.

You mean that feeling :  Now my left hand goes here....or there? Here or there....Oh! I'll take there...*wrong note*....now that was silly!!!
sort of feeling?

[donjuan]

Your problem is 100% associated with stage fright.  I had the same problem- but as soon as the feeling hit me on the piano- you know, the "ohmygod,ohmygod,wheredoIgonow?AHHH!!" feeling, where the whole keyboard seems to turn into a single massive key labeled HAHA, I play something- anything- just dont retrace your steps, going back a bunch of times until you might get it. play something to keep the sound in the air, and play from something ahead in the music- some recognizable place you are aware of.  A good thing to do is mark out places in your music- "A"B"C"D"E"...where you can practice starting from should you have a memory slip.
donjuan

[Hmoll]

Redundancy is everything. We know from numerous discussions in this forum that there are several ways in which music is momorized - photographic, tactile, harmonic/structural, aural. You have to encompass all of those aspects of memorization, so if one breaks down during a performance another will see you through. If, for example, your tactile memory fails at a certain spot, your knowledge of the harmony of that spot might remind you where to go - or at least let you improvise out of the problem.

Another thing that helps is to have "starting points" throughout the piece. If you become hopelessly lost, you can skip ahead a couple measures to the next starting point. I have found that when I create these starting points, my level of confidence is raised dramatically.

[sharonlovespiano]

Redundancy is everything. We know from numerous discussions in this forum that there are several ways in which music is momorized - photographic, tactile, harmonic/structural, aural. You have to encompass all of those aspects of memorization, so if one breaks down during a performance another will see you through. If, for example, your tactile memory fails at a certain spot, your knowledge of the harmony of that spot might remind you where to go - or at least let you improvise out of the problem.

Another thing that helps is to have "starting points" throughout the piece. If you become hopelessly lost, you can skip ahead a couple measures to the next starting point. I have found that when I create these starting points, my level of confidence is raised dramatically.

So, it's like donjuan said: 'A,B,C,D,E' in your pieces?
(ways to practise)

[sharonlovespiano]

And by the way (I'm Dutch!) what is a 'newbie'?
(it's in my name)

[donjuan]

"newbie" is the term the administrator gives to all new members.  post 25 times, and you will be a junior member.    

[Hmoll]

So, it's like donjuan said: 'A,B,C,D,E' in your pieces?
(ways to practise)

Yes, and there should be a lot of them.

[Terry-Piano]

YEs, this happened to me... jus dont panic... its just ur memory playing with you.... you'll know it in 3 mins.. it seems to be a reaction of when your nervous or (playing in front of good pianists)anxious.. i guess it happens to anybody... jus dont worry about it

[Clare]

I had a total memory lapse once with a piece I had been playing in public for a while, but i was really tired one time and got stuck somewhere near the end. Strangely, I didn't panic. It was the weirdest feeling, sort of like a slow-motion "uh, whoops - hm - what should I do now?" feeling. The way I got out of it was to play the theme a few times and then segue straight into the coda. My freestyling ended up sounding pretty good and no-one noticed; not even my mother who had heard the piece a zillion times.

My teacher said that if you ever get really stuck like that, it is good to try and play something in the key the piece is in at the time and clear your mind out. I agree that it's better to be making some sort of sound than stopping and putting your head in your hands or something like that.

[shh its kaya]

A long long time ago...
I can still remember when I went to my first competition.  I can't quite remember what it was called, but I had to go to a teacher's house and play two pieces for her.  Students from all over the city would go in one at a time (at their scheduled time) and play their two pieces.  Then, afterwards, the teacher and two other "judges" would choose a winner in each category/level.  I am a shy type of guy, and still am.  However, I had an enormous fright of playing in front of people (I would have problems practicing when my dad was in the room), and this resulted in a rather embarassing moment.  As I was playing about 8 measures into my first song, I became so nervous that I went from "oh my god oh my god oh my god, is this the key I play or is that it?" to "holy crap... I can't remember how the rest of the piece goes.... I can't remember ANYTHING!"  Well, I was very young, did not know how to improvise, and I just froze.  I stopped playing, and started sobbing.  I cried, my face turned rash red, and my eyes looked drugged.

My dad yelled at me in the car when we drove home.  Needless to say, I didn't win in my category.  The teacher was very nice though, and the judges seemed annoyed.  Yet, from that day on, when I told my teacher about what had happened, she always marked all my pieces with the check points, "A" "B" "C" "D"... etc.  That helped tremendously, yet, I still recommend you take it a step further and get rid of your fear or anxiety while performing.  To do this, I would perform informally to as many people as you can.  Invite family friends, relatives, neighbors, whoever and just perform to them until it becomes natural.  Hopefully, then, the next time you seriously perform, as in a recital, you won't be as nervous, and hence lessen you chance of forgetting parts of the music.

One last thing... I don't know if anybody else has ever done this, but one of my teachers once told me that I never truly memorized a piece unless I could write the piece back out on some blank music paper.  So, she made me rewrite every recital piece I did on some blank lines in front of her to make sure I knew it.  I don't do that anymore (time consuming with such lengthy pieces), but curious if anybody else had such an experience?

-Kaya

[donjuan]

One last thing... I don't know if anybody else has ever done this, but one of my teachers once told me that I never truly memorized a piece unless I could write the piece back out on some blank music paper.  So, she made me rewrite every recital piece I did on some blank lines in front of her to make sure I knew it.  I don't do that anymore (time consuming with such lengthy pieces), but curious if anybody else had such an experience?

-Kaya

not only is that mean, but it is a horrible waste of time and wont really help you improve in anything, except maybe your ability to write music on manuscript...
are we making music, or are we writing punishment lines on the chaulk board?

donjuan

[Saturn]

One last thing... I don't know if anybody else has ever done this, but one of my teachers once told me that I never truly memorized a piece unless I could write the piece back out on some blank music paper.  So, she made me rewrite every recital piece I did on some blank lines in front of her to make sure I knew it.  I don't do that anymore (time consuming with such lengthy pieces), but curious if anybody else had such an experience?

-Kaya

I agree with donjuan, this is a terrible way to test if you've memorized a piece.  After all, you want to memorize the music, not the way it's notated.  When you've become really familiar with a piece, and have had it memorized for a long time, you may not even remember what the sheet music looks like.  To force you to go back and write it all down again would be completely counter-productive.

- Saturn

[donjuan]

I agree completely with Saturn.  kaya, you obviously have a teacher that doesnt realize that sheet music is just clues, directions, and sketches of an idea from a composer that you, in turn, as a performer use to finish the idea.
I hope you dont still use that teacher.
donjuan    

[shh its kaya]

I agree completely with Saturn.  kaya, you obviously have a teacher that doesnt realize that sheet music is just clues, directions, and sketches of an idea from a composer that you, in turn, as a performer use to finish the idea.
I hope you dont still use that teacher.
donjuan    

That teacher was from a long time ago.  I moved on to other teachers (she kinda scared me).  Right now I've been self-taught, though, for about 5 years (due to financial issues).

[Spatula]

It's actually interesting you came up with this.  I was actually thinkin about doing this to confirm my memory, but thanks to you, I know its a terrible waste of time!  

Haha thanks, more time practicing, less time wasting paper!