Performance Issue

[bannanie]

Hello pianists,

I'm in my third year at university studying piano performance and I have an issue that is really setting me back. I memorize by analyzing the piece (structure, chord by chord etc.), starting with the left hand alone, as well as with muscle memory (repeating small sections over and over to get it into the hands). My professor has us perform every week for memory in masterclass. I feel like I know my pieces very well in that I could narrate what is happening analytically anywhere in the piece. When I play in masterclass and for other people, my memory is good and I don't have slip ups. However, every time I have recital I make soooo many mistakes. These mistakes aren't memory slips - because I know what I have to play, but rather finger slips. I don't understand why this keeps happening. It is very frustrating because I work hard to secure my memory and try out my pieces for other people i.e. under pressure to make sure I know the piece well.

Has anyone else had a similar issue? Please help!! I don't want to continue to feel so disappointed after every performance.

[chopin2015]

I have the same issue. I start confusing fingerings and just hit wrong notes and it can be really bad and throw everything completely off. Try learning things more thoroughly. When a slip up happens, address it asap. People usually memorize music and fail to check back with the score. Do you look at the score before you perform from memory? Also, analyze the musical content and dissect it in a way you are able to recall the information in relation to each other rather than randomly acknowledging the presence of something that could be understood. Aka count every single bar and make sure you can transition smoothly from bar to bar atleast at some tempo. Because it is possible to sometimes perform but you need to focus even more on your tempo and lazy fingerings/musical ideas if you are having slip ups in certain performance situations. Or its just the piano, its too heavy and you are having to push through.

[hfmadopter]

I suggest a week or so before the recital to play the piece through very slow, you may find a rhythmic pattern that is on the edge or some notes that you know but your hands are used to them at a certain speed. Slowing the piece way down will confirm something for you, you either really do know it or you will catch something that is off a bit or hands really were carrying you through with muscle memory or as my teacher used to call it, "reflex".. It's well worth slowing way down for a few passes at the piece to confirm, fix if there is something to fix and bring it back up to speed..

Recitals do put the pressure on and if something is going to slip up or break down it will be under pressure. We used to have work shops to prepare pieces for playing in front of people, that's kind of how you describe your situation. Still, a recital has that slight extra air about it with extra expectations perhaps. And as mentioned the piano may be different in touch as well, different key tops, too light or heavier action than used to etc. It all adds up ! I noticed a difference at about 7 or 8 years into my piano studies, FWIW. More relaxed, more confident and vastly more pianos had been played on by then than early on. Actually, I think my teachers Steinway was the worst Piano I played on for difference in action from my own ( heavy), so having recitals someplace else was a bonus for me. It can very well go the other way around ! I was not in a university situation but private teacher.

[austinarg]

When I play for other people, I always play the easiest pieces first, because I make no mistakes on these ones I relax enough to nail the harder ones too. Perhaps you could do the same?