Preparing for concerts

[pianisten1989]

Hi. I did a quick search through the forum, but didn't find anything about this. Which I think is a little strange, but whatever.

And now after a while, I realise this isn't only about peparing for concerts, but also playing in general.

I have this problem. Yesterday I had a concert. I had prepapared my pieces, playing them like twice right through, in a slow tempo. The days before that I'd played them both like 4 times fast, and slow. So I though I knew them pretty well.

But then I should play on this concert, and I wasn't like "Omfg, I'm going to die"-nervous, more a bit... I wanted to start playing, cause it would be fun.

And I faild misserably..
I managed to play the first piece (partita nr 1, prelude) without any misstakes, So I fest rather comfortable. And the allemande started of quite well, I missed like one note or something, so no big deal. Then I just forgott the notes I was playing in the last 5 bars, so I kind of put down the ped and sought for the right keys. That was the biggest misstakes. Then I, I don't know the english word, repeaded notes which shouldn't be repeated, if you know? I played a certain note, then I stopped for a very short time, then I played the same note again, and continued. And that happend quite many times.

Why does this keep happening to me?
And since I could play them without any problems just some hours before, it shouldn't be that big deal at a concert? And I have played on many concerts before, so I don't think it's a about not playing enough.

Plz help?
Like, any tips or advice is very much welcome.

[tornado]

Hello,

Things are very simply.First of all it's not matter whether You play 2x slow,then 4x faster-it's all the same if You practise without Your head.Instead looking on the keyboard You could read the newspaper and play 5x slow.I'm afraid You practise mechanically.You don't hear every single note,above all You don't hear every "next" note inside.What is the most important thing by practise?Consciousness.Yes-this is the key for being "sure" on the stage. I recommend You to practise also without piano-try to take the text and try to "hear" the whole piece,read the text just like the conductor.And-please remember-do it very slowly-just look in the text and hear the music as it'd be played "live" with all niuances.Hear every harmony change,dynamic change.The next step will be to practise without the text and without the piano-just hear this from the first till the last bar.If you "make mistake"-just stop,try to concentrate,and hear it further.Of course on the beginning it will be very,very difficult for You,so do it (hear) in veeeeery slow tempo.It can take You few years when You'll start to hear faster.If You want to play fast-You should think fast.Thats all.The point Im trying to make is,that You make the most of only "move" or "mechanically" memory.In other words-only YOur fingers remember the music.So You should try to "switch on" also other of Your memories-hear and sight.Then the risk of the mistakes will be minimal-I gave You few options-which recommended also Heinrich Neuhaus-to practise:
With piano and text
With piano without text
With text without piano
without piano and without text

You have to have the music in YOur head and heart.If You will be "honest"-if You want to say us something beautiful through the music-then You have no chance to make mistakes.If You want to show us how beautiful YOU play-then it's the beginning of troubles.Any questions-write me.
Yours Konrad

[supernanny]

In addition to the above:

Make sure you know the peice so well that you can start at any time at any place and go on from there, both while reading the music and while playing from memory. And: do this hands separated and hands together.

I am not a great pianist (late intermediate) but played a piece in church and prepared it so well that I could do all that. I did have a blackout but was able to continue to play on with one hand and could ease in the other hand after only missing a few noted. I did not play without mistakes, but did certainly not crash (with is a mayor achievement for me. Also, I knew the piece already before I got it ready for performance and took three weeks to prepare, at least one hour per day of practice for this piece only, most days more than that. I took a copy of my music with me where ever I went and sat down at every piano I ran into, te get the into the habit of being heard by stranger, getting used to other piano's besides myself and thus find the spots where I was not secure because of the added stress of a strange environment and a strange piano.

I do agree with the post above by playing with conscience, focused, I could play without mistakes. On sidestep and I was in danger of getting lost. The whole experience was more a training in staying focused during a performance than learning how to play the piano.

Go bakc in you mind adn try to remember what happened: did your mind go elsewere? Even the thought: "I am almost there" can be enough to get one off track. Finding a word to get you back into the right focus, and using this during practice, may help.

When is your next concert opportunity?

Supernanny

[prongated]

This is how my professor practises performing: set yourself a time and date when you would "perform" the piece (to yourself). Play the piece through once, regardless of what happens.

If the anxiety comes when you're playing for people, why not ask a friend or two to listen to you play every now and then?

You have to have the music in YOur head and heart.

...so it's a good thing to have the piece memorised aurally and if possible photographically. Physical/finger memory is the least reliable of all, especially in Bach pieces - one wrong fingering can throw you off SO bad! Identifying the chord progression can also help glossing over a bar or two's worth of notes before you get back on track (although usually very difficult in Bach, it's useful in pieces by other composers).

Or, if nervousness is something you simply house, regardless of how well-prepared you are, maybe beta blockers...hmm...

[tornado]

as for memory mistakes- try to develop Your concentration,for example through mediation.As for technical mistakes-the problem lays always before the mistake moment.If You hear everything-you play everything.Regards

[pianisten1989]

Thx. I've writen it down, and wont have to ask again

[fuguesinfonia]

...so it's a good thing to have the piece memorised aurally and if possible photographically. Physical/finger memory is the least reliable of all, especially in Bach pieces - one wrong fingering can throw you off SO bad!

that is SO TRUE, lol

i also have this same problem, the finger memory thing. when i memorize a piece for exams or concerts, usually i only have the finger memory and when i hit one wrong note the rest gets messed up. i actually have an experience about this, in my grade 3 exam, i had to play a clementi sonatina and i had it memorized, thought i knew it by heart and i could play with my eyes closed. but during the exam, i hit ONE wrong note and i forgot the rest. it was a nightmare!!

im working on this problem of mine too, so thanks for the advices posted =D

[ramseytheii]

It is so true that physical memory is spotty and unreliable.  The slightest change in environment, and physical memory goes to hell.  Especially if you practice always on the same piano.

The best advice is to be able to start any piece from any point.  This also enhances your knowledge of the structure and the way the composer wrote the notes he wrote.

Also, you have to be able to visualize internally the piece in such a way that you can generalize entire sections.  Like, this is the f-# minor part.  Some people use the "Memory Palace," which means that they divide a thing into rooms, and visualize the color of the walls, the furniture, the windows, whatever decoration is there, and connect it to the sound of the part they are playing.

I came to a realization a long time ago that memory, and performing, is not really about confidence or fear.  You can be so confident, and forget everything.  It is purely about being able to visualize what you are doing.  That doesn't take confidence, and if you can visualize it in enough detail, no amount of fear will block it from you. 

Walter Ramsey

[slow_concert_pianist]

I avoid memory performance for the very reasons outlined above. However, I commit most pieces I work on 'close to' memory otherwise I would not be able to play them effectively.

[ramseytheii]

I avoid memory performance for the very reasons outlined above. However, I commit most pieces I work on 'close to' memory otherwise I would not be able to play them effectively.

Ultimately the only true way to memorize something is to personalize it.  Mechanical memory will fade much faster.

You should always challenge yourself to think about the pieces you are playing in new ways.  Force yourself to transpose them; play them in different tempi; reorganize phrases, to hear what might have been under different circumstances; explore as much as possible.  That's the only secret to memory, and it's very simple.

It takes a lot of time, but time is relative, and something you enjoy, something which gets results, always feels like a shorter amount of time than it really is.

Walter Ramsey