last minute rituals

[liszmaninopin]

In a few hours, I'll be leaving to perform the Rach 2 for the conductor of our orchestra-he wants to hear me play it.  Anyway, I am going through my "pre-performance ritual" of basically reading and drinking water-I don't like to practice excessively right before a performance.

What do you do in the morning before a performance?

[paris]

well, i like to sleep very long, to get rest, then i play slow difficult parts-but only once. i remember when i was younger, i had one competition. all week before i was practising 8 hours a day-and as a result i didnt play better, i only get tired.so, my advice is just rest and dont think a lot about concert. i dont like to eat much food, i drink only water, but not too much.  sometimes i think what would composer do in that moment. once i read in chopin biography that he was never satisfied with his performance and before one performing he was afraid that he will not play good (but i dont belive in that, he was great in every his concert!   )
sorry on my poor english, i wish you luck!

[Antnee]

yeah good luck man... Let us know how you did...
 

[PianoPeanutAJS]

Okay, I know that dabozg said to kinda lay low and drink water, But what I would personally do is go through the song once every 10 minutes and make sure you have it without any flaws, all the staccato, good timing, things like that. You shood drink alot of water, but I would eat like normal, but that's just me.

My opinion...

[Balakirev]

I read Piano Forum

[liszmaninopin]

Well, I'm back...rather sleepy...

It went okay, I suppose.  He really liked my lyrical sections, and thought I had good musical insight.  However, he also suggested a bit more polish and rythmical accuracy on the virtuoso sections.  On the bright side, it's confirmed-I'll be performing it this December.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[Antnee]

Awesome... What a cool piece to play too. Far better than the third if I may say so. How long did it take you to get it to where you are now with it??

[liszmaninopin]

it's hard to pin down, exactly.  I say that because I've loved the piece as long as I can remember, so even when I was still playing pure beginners' stuff, I would tinker with the concerto.  I began serious work on it maybe about June of this year, but that work was kind of in bursts (some days I practiced hard, others not at all).  If I had to do it over again, I could probably learn it in about 5 or 6 weeks of firm daily practice.

[super_ardua]

I've barely performed,  I have only gone through those ABRSM exams which are much hated here.

However,  I follow anopther person's advice in which I don't practice in the morning.

I don't drink a lot.

I don't listen to any music.

I play the pieces through without any expression as a warm up (so I know what makes my playing special)

[donjuan]

I dont do anything out of the ordinary- If I do, I freak out and will get super self-concious on stage.

[in_love_with_liszt]

I just make sure I'm warmed up sufficiently, and when Ii'm walking up to the piano to perform I try to project a very confident image- head held high, firm strides, etc. I've never had big problems with nerves, but the audience likes to see someone who can take controll.