Unusual pressure or nerves

[kellyc]

Hi: I know the subject of nerves has been touched on before, but I think what I'm talking about here is a little different. I am having a pretty big recital in less than 2 weeks. Last night I was on the phone with my Mother and she went to great pains to remind me , that Our family comes from the same province as Yuja Wangs family , and how our whole family is counting on me. After she hung up I felt like throwing the phone threw the wall. Now I know that in the grand scheme of things that is not oh so terrible, even though I get nervous enough before these kinds of events. But there are other things far worse which can happen before we perform. We can get sick. A family member can get sick. You can break up with your boyfriend. Just really crappy stuff  can happen in the period just before you have to perform.

So my question is. When some unwanted pressure , not of your own making comes crashing down on you , how do you deal with it? Has similar experiences happened to you? How did it effect our playing?

Just a little background. Its my recital. My last performance before I graduate with my Masters. There should be a full auditorium of my relatives, my friends, classmates, other students, and my professors. The first half of the recital its just me and the second part of the recital will be myself and the Conservatory orchestra playing the Mendelsshohn 2nd piano concerto.

Thanks for reading this and for any advice or comments on this subject.

Kelly

[49410enrique]

wow kellyc, sorry you're dealing with that.  i can empathize with you somewhat.  i'm a couple of days out from a big performance too, nothing as grand as yours (just a single movement work for piano and orchestra  so I'm not having to do unaccompanied solo performing this time around).

my pressure stems form the fact that this is the first time i'm working with a conductor and group of musicians on stage, up until this point i've done piano I and piano II or accompanied other solo instruments and vocalists.

the best way i'm finding i can deal with the pressure is  to keep some semblance of normal-ness to my days, that is keep some of the routine in for familiarity  but scale back the pace to manage stress, that is, rest more, take life a bit slower.  i am a recreational cross athlete so I am still practice my olympic weightlifting and gymnastics, the exercise helps calm me down too.

i think for the actual performance, all we can do is 'lose' ourselves in the music, that is, engross our entire conciousness in the work(s) let it, the music, take over you, don't let there be any room in your mind for anything other than the emotion you are conveying through your playing.

i know it's kind of vague but i think this with suggestions from the what to before a performance thread somehwere on here are the way to go, it's how i'm trying roll with it, good luck, i know you'll do great and all your friends and loved ones will love it!

i think if we can do like Van in this clip we'll be fine, you can almost see that he's 'not there' , Van's completely  lost in the music here:

[pianoplayjl]

Just be yourself and take your mind away from music during the 2/3 days leading to your recital. just relax, lay back and enjoy. sink into the music to the point that you are forgetting you  are nervous but not to the point you can't forget your music. My stuff sux but hope it helps.


I haven't had a recital because I don't consider my self a pianist, merely a piano player.

[andhow04]

kellyc you have been kind to comment on many of my recordings.  If i can offer you something in return, it is that we have to have an inner source of strength.  pressures from outside can dissipate in the face of that.  it could be a vision, or a religion, or a certainty of your destiny; but in the end, what i have realized, is that we need something that is all our own, from which we draw our true strength, the strength of self-posession and courage.  if you have that, you succeed or fail on your own terms, not anybody else's

[Derek]

can't even imagine that level of pressure. I get an adrenaline rush just making a recording for pianostreet. Welp, gotta start somewhere right? 

[benechan]

This Piano Sage blog entry is relevant:
Tame those nerves! 9 Ways to Prepare for a Piano performance or exam
https://pianosage.blogspot.com/2011/07/tame-those-nerves-9-ways-to-prepare-for.html

[starstruck5]

I am not an expert on performng for the public. I am a bit of an expert when it comes to dealing with anxiety though! So I will try and help best I can, though I always feel words are inadequate.

Anxiety always springs from negative thoughts. We are at our most vulnerable when there is a lot to gain and also a lot to lose, and it is then that negativity seems to gain in power.

I think the only thing that matters is that you perform well on the day - that is given. Forget the whys and wherefores, the only thing that matters is the music. Ultimately then it is a question of being ultra positive about your preperation. Also you can fortify this with a bit of stubborn anger - think that there is no way you will let anything get the better of you, because you are gifted and strong. A certain arrogance isn't harmful for a performer. I remember seeing Lara Omeroglu win the BBC Young Musicians of the Year Competition - and I think her secret was absolute love of what she was doing - she would allow nothing to stop her obvious delight in making music - like an act of love -or as if the piano was a lover she could never betray. I think she actually forgot there was an audience!  I realise this isn't easy and you are not Lara - but if you cultivate the positive it will help you use the adrenalin well. Anxiety after all is just your body giving you the energy it needs - just remember you are the boss!  The more positive you are the less your brain will produce adrenalin anyway -

When I was about 15 I had a trial with a league football team - I was really nervous, but there was one guy who was whistling and seemed very relaxed about it all, and I asked him his secret - he said something I have never forgotten. He told me that becuase people are watching him play - won't stop him playing well - I guess this translates to playing the piano for someone - because people are watching and listening - can you allow them to stop you doing what you know you can do? Why give them that power over you?>All successful performances are in a sense a triumph over your audience!

Finally, I have to say, a few years back, I was on a busy motorway and I was fighting off a panic attack - endangering my life and motorists around me - but I held on to that primiitve love I have of driving and focused on that - I survived, and there was no crash and I can now drive relaxed. Positive thinking and love of driving was the key.