Mind during Performance

[rph108]

In my piano class, we have a performance class every week. Last semester one of the pieces I played was Brahms Rhapsody in G minor. This was a piece I had very well from the beginning. I always played the pieces well in my class, except for a few times later in the year and during a few bigger recitals in front of people. By not playing well, I mean I forgot certain parts in the piece which I just kind of improvised for a second or messed up completely. Is there any particular reason this happened and a way to prevent it?

[dj]

ah yes, familiar circumstances....these blankouts happen to virtually everybody, and i think the only way to remedy them is to continue to play in front of people as much as possible. sorry but i really haven't heard of any reasonable quick-fixes

[Tash]

yeah playing in front of larger audiences frequently is probably the best way to conquer it. i used to get paranoid about forgetting pieces and so then did, but if you just become determined not to stuff up, like tell your mind that, and it will hopefully listen to you. don't say 'i'm not gonna stuff up' though, cos there's the negative word 'not' in that and there's the thought that it's the negative words that your brain will hear and then you will stuff up. so just think 'i'm gonna cane this piece and blow the audience away' and don't even think about the possibility of screwing up and even if you do then blah it and don't let it disturb you! it just really comes down to nerves (conscious or unconscious)i guess, and you just have to learn to get control over it

[janice]

don't say 'i'm not gonna stuff up' though, cos there's the negative word 'not' in that and there's the thought that it's the negative words that your brain will hear and then you will stuff up. so just think 'i'm gonna cane this piece and blow the audience away'

This is very true!!  Tell yourself something positive, like "I WILL_____" rather than "I'm NOT going to ______, or "I hope I DON'T_______".  Your brain will pick up the negative word ("NOT", etc)

[amanfang]

Well, since piano playing is so much more mental than physical (80% mental? oh wait, 95% mental? hmm, I can't remember which source gave the "authoritative mental percentage   ) the key is controlling your mind, which is quite hard in a performance.

[Nana_Ama]

You could always try meditating .... also playing the piece in front of an audience at least three times might help.  :-/  

[jeff]

"Well, since piano playing is so much more mental than physical (80% mental? oh wait, 95% mental? hmm, I can't remember which source gave the "authoritative mental percentage    ) the key is controlling your mind, which is quite hard in a performance. "

so i guess the next step is practicing controlling your mind.. being able to get into a particular mindset where you are really focussed on the piece, and can sort of see/hear the whole piece in your mind at once (rather than it being more like 'ok, it's this bit, then this bit, then...')

[donjuan]

I think Janice was on the right track.  My teacher tells me all the time, even if I feel nervous and jittery, I should say (not just think) "I am calm".

I hate when in performances, I know the music so well, I am looking at the right keys to play, but for some reason, everything seems to get all jumbled.  I think it is because I am thinking about the whole piece rather than what is happening at the given moment.  

There is a good chance it is alot like sex -->  in "Bing, Bang, BOOM", we need to get through the Bing and the Bang to get the BOOM.    They say all guys think about is the BOOM, but the best will say the Bing and the Bang can also be pretty good.

k, does that analogy of mine make any sense to anyone but me??

donjuan

[Antnee]

Last night We had a big family get together and I played for my family... But I did pretty bad...

My problem is not that I get scared but my hands do... and I end up all fumbly... I skip notes, go too fast, and lose all feeling in the music, but usually this is only during fast passages. How can we be sure that the tough little passages are secure in our minds and that we won't screw them up??
-Tony-

[bizgirl]

I have had this experience also.  Is it really a psychological thing, or do you just not know the piece well enough?  I was just not memorizing them very well and to get over it my teacher had me memorize my pieces differently.  Doing this helped tremendously.

[scarbo87]

As someone who has gone through this probelm at the most
severe degree and still going through it, I would simply
say that people on this board are being a little over-anylitical-the way I used to be.

I have asked so many ppl for advice and none of it has really
worked, and I think the way to REALLY get over it is just
keep trying.

Not many people can deny that practicing 10 hours a day
will bring you to a near-perfect level..a level so strong
that even under the most difficult of conditions your fingers
and mind will still withstand. So if you do this then
give ONE good performance, gradually, after that one
performance, you will have more confidence, and you won't
need to work that hard.

But for now- try not think too much,just practice as much as you possibly can,  persist
and GOOD LUCK!!!