eisteddfod - how to perform in these situations

[asianpianoer]

hi i have an eisteddfod coming up

these situations are different from other performances, as the adjudicator has to rank you among different styles of pieces and different skill levels. so how do you perform to get the best ranking/mark???

also does anyone else find that listening to other people perform just before you are about to go on stage is distracting??

[misterioasa]

yes,sometimes if you listen someone else just before your performance is distracting. you might start thinking about improving your own "version" of the interpretation and...you end-up with a big confusion and a possible failure 

[pianisten1989]

I don't think you should listen. If the one before you plays very well, you will probably feel bad and play worse than you have to. Or the person before you plays bad, and then you might get too confident and possibly play badly...

[phillip21]

That is a very interesting question.  I often play at competitive festivals - as an accompanist rather than in my own right - and I know how nerve-wracking it can be if someone goes on before you (singly or as a duo) who you think is better than you.  However, I prefer to stay and listen, because you can get ideas on how to deal with the piano, environment or acoustic - and you may see errors in stagecraft that you can correct in your own perfomance.  But most important, if the adjudications are read out, you will know what the adjudicator is talking about when he/she discusses the performances of the players before you.

[Bob]

What is eisteddfod?

[geze]

The eisteddfod (please correct me if Im wrong) is a traditional Welsh festival which occurs mainly in the more prominently Welsh speaking regions of Wales (north and mid west) mainly.

[aclaussen]

removed

[prongated]

so how do you perform to get the best ranking/mark???

Play your best You can't control the results.

Sometimes the judges will like your playing, sometimes they won't. Sometimes they just don't like the pieces, or sometimes they love it. Sometimes you just happen to be playing the wrong piece for a competition. And sometimes there are people that are simply out of your league - one way or the other, but that's why it's always fun to listen to other people play!