Why do I speed up EVERY TIME I play piano in public?

[pencilart3]

It's so weird! I'm not just talking about playing for hundreds of people (though I speed up for that too) but even when I'm playing at a casual masterclass with just a few people watching. I'll check my heart rate and it's not fast or hard. I'm not even sweaty or shaking at all. Shoulders are relaxed, everything is perfect. Then I confidently start to play the piece that I have well prepared and I play it ~10 or 20 numbers higher on the metronome. It's terrible! Even when I intentionally play it slower than I think I need to. How can I stop speeding up when I'm not even nervous?!

[outin]

I've noticed something similar...I do it even when playing to my teacher.
I always assumed it's because the idea I have of the piece "finished" or "perfect" in my head is faster than what I am able to do really well. So when trying to "perform" this music comes out of my head unless I deliberately decide to play a slower version. And I still often fail...

[hardy_practice]

Choirs do it all the time.  It's nerves, you have trouble concentrating.

[iansinclair]

Choirs do it all the time.  It's nerves, you have trouble concentrating.

So true.  What it is is a response to stress.  Perfectly natural.  The stress doesn't show up as an elevated heart rate or breathing -- that's for later, when the lion is about to pounce on you.  But you are at an enhanced state of awareness, and your perceptions and everything else speed up (so you can spot the lion before it pounces -- which is not very helpful in most modern situations!).

The only solution I have found that works reliably -- and not all that reliably! -- is to engage in some form of deep meditation (prayer, for those of us who are religiously inclined) for a few moments before any performance.  Deep breathing.  All that sort of thing.  Do NOT count on a metronome or some gadget to help you, though!

[pencilart3]

So true.  What it is is a response to stress.  Perfectly natural.  The stress doesn't show up as an elevated heart rate or breathing -- that's for later, when the lion is about to pounce on you.  But you are at an enhanced state of awareness, and your perceptions and everything else speed up (so you can spot the lion before it pounces -- which is not very helpful in most modern situations!).

The only solution I have found that works reliably -- and not all that reliably! -- is to engage in some form of deep meditation (prayer, for those of us who are religiously inclined) for a few moments before any performance.  Deep breathing.  All that sort of thing.  Do NOT count on a metronome or some gadget to help you, though!

Ah, interesting. I'll have to try it. Thanks!

[dcstudio]

if you have a cheap keyboard with drum tracks...use them...if you don't like the metronome.   You must set your self up with an inner "time keeper"--and playing a long with a steady beat behind will train you to keep good time... it worked for me.   All I had was metronome--but I spent a lot of time with it--and now I am always on beat.

[devron]

Just thinking can you sing through the piece itself without looking at the music I find that if I can do that I I can relax a lot more so sound can take over and you end up just sitting back and listening to yourself play as you perform

[vassoni123]

I have that problem too,in every situation,but i'm overcoming it slowly,my advice is just to listen and to count inside yourself,it takes time,i guess that you probabbly tried that,and i guess that your answer is that this stuff won't work,and that you have already trid it before,well,it will,it took me 4 years to obtain control over myself when playing in front of people,and i managed it only partially,i still rush sometimes,just don't force it,don't think about it when you are about to start to play,just start counting from the very first moment of the piece,it will feel chaotic at first,but trust me,concetration over time does its part,and let the time do its thing,be patient,best of luck

[chopinlover01]

I've had this issue too; I find that the rush of a live performance makes me play faster (which I discover after hearing things played back).
My trick is simple; play a tad slower than you think you can; the "rush", as I've called it, tends to bring that up to standard.

[pianoplayerstar]

IT'S CALLED 'BEING IN THE MOMENT'; THIS IS CRITICAL FOR ANY PERFORMANCE BE IT A SPEECH, A PIANO RECITAL/COMPETITION/PERFORMANCE AND EVEN MORE TRUE FOR SPORTS.

IF YOU THINK OF THE 'PAST' OR EVEN THE 'FUTURE', YOU WILL NOT THINK OF THE 'NOW' OR THE 'IN-THE-MOMENT', BECAUSE YOUR CONCENTRATION BREAKS.

I'M SURE THERE ARE SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY BOOKS OUT THERE ABOUT THIS.

THE REASON YOU ARE SPEEDING UP IS YES THE NERVES, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IS THE FACT THAT SUBCONSCIOUSLY OR CONSCIOUSLY YOU WANT TO GET IT OVERWITH; YOU ACTUALLY ARE NOT ENJOYING THE PIECE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

ENJOY THE PIECE; STAY IN THE MOMENT; DON'T THINK ABOUT THE AUDIENCE OR ANYONE ELSE; WHEN YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU ARE PLAYING, YOU DON'T CARE HOW LONG THE PIECE IS, OR HOW SHORT OR WHEN YOU WILL END IT, AND THIS MAY SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM OF SPEEDING UP.

SHORT ANSWER SOLUTION: PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE AND PRACTICE.

.. AND DID I SAY ..."PRACTICE"?

[louispodesta]

It's so weird! I'm not just talking about playing for hundreds of people (though I speed up for that too) but even when I'm playing at a casual masterclass with just a few people watching. I'll check my heart rate and it's not fast or hard. I'm not even sweaty or shaking at all. Shoulders are relaxed, everything is perfect. Then I confidently start to play the piece that I have well prepared and I play it ~10 or 20 numbers higher on the metronome. It's terrible! Even when I intentionally play it slower than I think I need to. How can I stop speeding up when I'm not even nervous?!

Thank you for candid post.  I will try to reply in kind.

1)  You, of course (as I did for 40 years) take for granted that the way you were taught to play is the manner in which the composer pianists of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries were taught to play.

GROAN!!!!

Now, I will stop:  because those who disagree with this premise, that the original performance practice is valid, would say otherwise.

Accordingly, I ask you to visit my video:

(paying close attention to the follow-up comments regarding "tempo modification").

And then, if you want any further data (as always, at no charge), please holler at me by PM. 

Parenthetically, I really do not know why I continue to state this anymore.  Everyone then automatically thinks it is a con, and I understand that.  However, as an ASPY, it is my way.

[pjjslp]

I always chalked it up to nerves. My parents still love to tell the story about the time I was playing Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum (sp?) at a concert in high school. I started playing about 25% faster than I'd ever played it, and they were sitting there waiting for me to completely blow it. I got through the piece that day, but I still remember that awful feeling that my fingers were running away with me and I didn't know what to do about it!

After that near debacle, my teacher talked to me about trying to relax beforehand and then taking just a few moments on the bench for a couple of deep breaths before starting. That helped.

[louispodesta]

Thank you for candid post.  I will try to reply in kind.

1)  You, of course (as I did for 40 years) take for granted that the way you were taught to play is the manner in which the composer pianists of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries were taught to play.

GROAN!!!!

Now, I will stop:  because those who disagree with this premise, that the original performance practice is valid, would say otherwise.

Accordingly, I ask you to visit my video:

(paying close attention to the follow-up comments regarding "tempo modification").

And then, if you want any further data (as always, at no charge), please holler at me by PM. 

Parenthetically, I really do not know why I continue to state this anymore.  Everyone then automatically thinks it is a con, and I understand that.  However, as an ASPY, it is my way.

I just remembered a comment from my friend Dan (UNT 1971).

Dan, who studied with a professor, who was essentially a very accomplished accompanist.  Parenthetically, today these pianists (not this great lady), now prefer to classify themselves as "collaborators."

Vis a Vis the last 16 years (al Qaeda, and ISIS,) this is a real smart move, not!

Now, Dan and I had to take a sight-reading lab with a bunch of old junky uprights and about ten piano/organ majors.  And, what Dan said to me about that is on point.

He said that the graduate organ major, who was sitting behind him, would start out at an accurate tempo, and then (phrase by phrase) he would speed up, and speed up.

This begs the question:  how do you play when you are outside the realm of strictly classical performance.  And most importantly, re Dan:  how are you taught to play when in ensemble.

My late teacher, Robert Weaver, taught me that the importance of playing in ensemble is that (re: Dan's Teacher) is that (in ensemble) as the pianist, you are the person who sets and keeps a steady tempo for the group.

Historically, all of the great concert pianists of the 19th, and early 20th centuries, were required  to study their art form in said dual (solo and ensemble) fashion.  And, vis a vis, (as evidenced by the multiple recordings of these famous chamber music ensembles of this time), they continued to do so.

Duh!  Accordingly, they could count and keep a steady tempo!

[lostinidlewonder]

I used to play faster when I was younger to impress people. Some people totally block out an audience when playing others embrace the energy they put out to you, personally I like to play for the audience but I don't feel speed is impressive no more so I don't speed unless it's encore then you sometimes are just on such a high it's hard not to with those flashy endings

[brogers70]

I had that problem when I played classical guitar. My teacher told me to start the piece just a hair *faster* than I wanted to play it. It seems counterintuitive but somehow it worked. By starting out already a little bit faster then normal, I killed the unconscious desire to speed up during the piece.

[timothy42b]

He said that the graduate organ major, who was sitting behind him, would start out at an accurate tempo, and then (phrase by phrase) he would speed up, and speed up.

Historically, all of the great concert pianists of the 19th, and early 20th centuries, were required  to study their art form in said dual (solo and ensemble) fashion.  And, vis a vis, (as evidenced by the multiple recordings of these famous chamber music ensembles of this time), they continued to do so.

Duh!  Accordingly, they could count and keep a steady tempo!

I sort of agree with you.  Yeah, I know this is a bit rare.  I started to dismiss this when you went off into your historical practice rant, but your observation about the playing has merit.

In my experience playing and singing with various groups, I observe this:  organists have by far the worst time, but pianists aren't far behind.  (pun) 

This is my hypothesis why.  Pianists (and piano is the basis for organ playing as well) do most of their practicing and performing alone.  They are not forced to learn to conform to the external time of an ensemble, a duet partner, or even a metronome, and consequently they don't develop a consistent internal pulse.  A trumpet or clarinet player who had as inconsistent time as the average pianist would not succeed even in the most amateur of community bands. 

Organ is worse, for the same reason plus an additional one.  The delay between key press, sound from pipe, and sound filling the space is large enough to inhibit the direct connection to the timing.  If you listen to any organ performance you will hear huge variations in tempo.  They are not deliberate rubato - well some are, but many are not.  In most cases the organist is not aware of them.  In our choir it is common for the organist to play the introduction at MM = 90 and the choir enter at MM = 75, and neither one notice.  (drives me NUTS) 

If you want to hear organ music without most of this, smalin's youtube page is a good example.

[louispodesta]

" I started to dismiss this when you went off into your historical practice rant, but your observation about the playing has merit."

1)  Historically, every recognized composer/pianist considered it "normal instruction" to have a theory/composition teacher, and to also play in as many ensembles as possible.

2)  Historical Performance Practice is now the big rage in most major music school wherein, according to you, they need a good psychiatrist, and also a modernist musicologist.

3)  Properly performed music, per your own predicate, is not only an aural skill, it is also a hand/eye multi-disciplined motor skills epistemology.

[timothy42b]

" I started to dismiss this when you went off into your historical practice rant, but your observation about the playing has merit."

1)  Historically, every recognized composer/pianist considered it "normal instruction" to have a theory/composition teacher, and to also play in as many ensembles as possible.

Your observations and mine apply with zero reference to historical practice.

Nobody cares how a tower band played in the 1600s.  The reason for bad time is not playing with others and learning to adjust to others, and you can do that just as well in an out of tune rock band. 

I consider it folly to attempt to learn any instrument without playing paid gigs.  Historical?  Who cares? I'll play freebies for my own church; for anybody else I don't leave the house for under $200.