Nerves at concerts

[wendytelfer]

I normally find that I am less nervous at a concert if I have practised the piece well. Are there any other tips for getting rid of additional nerves.

[keyboardkat]

1.  Think of the audience as friendly, not hostile.
2.  You should not just go from your practice room to the stage.  Play your pieces for friends, family, anyone whom you can get to listen to you.  Then the repertoire will be "seasoned" by the time you face the real performance.
     Professional performers play their newly learned repertoire for each other whenever possible.  Leon Fleisher used to say that it took ten performances of a new piece in front of audiences before he was comfortable and could play them really well.
3.  If you are playing from memory, it is very important to use mental practice, sitting with the score and practicing with your hands in the air or on a table, then practicing hands alone on a table without the score.  This forces you to concentrate on exactly what you're doing, and to have a mental image of the keyboard.   My own teacher, Walter Hautzig, used to be able to verbally rattle off the fingerings, say, in the right-hand part of a Chopin Etude.   You cannot rely on finger-memory alone, because one slip can throw you off.  But if it's backed up by mental knowledge, then it won't be a problem
4.  Remember that the human brain and nervous system work far better than we have any right to expect.

[sashaco]

I am not a performing piano player, but I did a great deal of singing at one time and was a semi-professional athlete for many years. 

Two things.

One is a clear plan.  It's not merely knowing the music well, it's knowing WHY you're performing it that counts.  If you have something you really want to convey, you rise above the silly issue of worrying about making a fool of yourself if you screw up.

Two is to remember that nerves are GOOD.  Nerves are the difference between an ordinary or slightly above ordinary practice day and a real performance.  Years after I had stopped playing my sport I was talked into playing the Nationals for my age group.  The old miserable nerves returned before each of my first 3 matches, but I obliterated the competition, including the 3 time winner of the event.  Before the semi-finals, I found a practice room at the school where the tournament was held and played the piano and sang by myself for a couple of hours.  It was an incredibly effective way to distract myself and to avoid the misery of nerves, but when I went out on the court I had no energy.  I played the best I had the whole event, but without the spark of nervous inspiration I came up short.  I know this is merely a personal anecdote, but it's the most vivid way I can think of to illustrate the necessity of nerves.  COntrolling them comes with practice, but not having them is disastrous.  Good luck.

Sasha

[scorepian]

One of the most nerve racking things I find is is having the confidence to page turn with ease and confidence. Got www.scorepian.co.uk to see how i solved it
Martin