Piano nightmares?

[immortalbeloved]

Hey everyone,

So, I actually had this discussion with someone on here in pm but because I found her example so interesting I was curious for other examples. Our discussion, of course, was on piano nightmares.

I have been having the same reoccurring piano nightmare for a few months now. The dream goes like this: I am supposed to play Henry Purcell's Hornpipe and I forget everything--everything. I sit there playing the wrong notes, and when I try to read the music sheet I, for whatever reason, become blind to the notes. I see my teacher's reaction--sometimes it is a different teacher.

The worst thing is when I actually played it I did incredibly well. I wonder why I still get it.

What type of nightmares do you have?

[dcstudio]

my piano anxiety dreams have taken different forms over the years...

as a young student I dreamt of giant pianos that had enormous keys...or endless rows of keys...   often times the piano would actually turn into a monster and devour me... (I was a dramatic kid, what can I say..)

at university I started dreaming of famous composers or pianists who would walk in and look at me with long grim disappointed faces...   all but one... Vince Guaraldi... the guy who wrote Linus and Lucy...  he would sit down and tell me I was doing great...   I should note here that my YT vids of Vince's tunes all number in the 100ks -- that dream had a pretty profound affect on me.  lol.
I would also at university have these dreams where it was time to take my juries and I had forgot to practice the piece they wanted to hear...  the panic would set in...  these were truly terrifying.. then of course...  I would notice I was also sitting at the piano naked...  then the dream really would hit nightmare status as I tried to play a piece I didn't know and cover  up the fact that I was naked... LOL...  
now as an adult...   I dream that I have to play some newly discovered Beethoven Concerto at an international summit at the Whitehouse...  and I have again... blown off practicing it...  sometimes Putin is there....  Obama and Putin are there... watching me pretend to play... world peace is somehow hinging on me playing this perfectly...  millions are watching... and again I am sitting at the piano naked....  and I have to keep playing....


and those are just a few...  

to the OP:  the choice of words... I become blind to the notes... is of profound significance  in your dream and the different teacher as well...  I am not sure  it's about the piano at all but something else that is happening in your life..   is someone not happy with you right now? or do you feel you are letting someone down?   whatever the case may be you are struggling with something that is manifesting in your dreams.  The message is repeating itself so it must be important to you.  Someone in your life has two sides or two aspects to their being which is causing you to be anxious because you are only accepting the good side...so to speak.  They don't stick to their word or they make empty promises... you view this person as higher than you socially...that's the different teacher.

[immortalbeloved]

DC,

I don't know if there is something deeper than just a fear of playing ''badly''.

However, I can tell you that my family hates my piano lessons because they think they are too expensive and don't think I can afford them.

But, the only time I ever let that bother me was during one particularly bad practice session I had before a lesson, but after the lesson, the fun I had wiped away such problems.

[dcstudio]

DC,

I don't know if there is something deeper than just a fear of playing ''badly''.

However, I can tell you that my family hates my piano lessons because they think they are too expensive and don't think I can afford them.

But, the only time I ever let that bother me was during one particularly bad practice session I had before a lesson, but after the lesson, the fun I had wiped away such problems.

well there is almost always something deeper in any dream...  this one is recurring and it doesn't seem to be solely focused on a fear of playing badly..     to analyze your dream you have to imagine that you are every thing in your dream all of it represents some part of you.   The different teacher...seeing her reaction...blind to the notes... couple of visual references there..  it suggests denial of something...  the family not supporting your lessons is no doubt a huge factor...  I have been there...not quite in the same way... but, trust me I understand.  Whatever it is it is bothering you a bit... and I won't get any more personal than that... 

[louispodesta]

Hey everyone,

So, I actually had this discussion with someone on here in pm but because I found her example so interesting I was curious for other examples. Our discussion, of course, was on piano nightmares.

I have been having the same reoccurring piano nightmare for a few months now. The dream goes like this: I am supposed to play Henry Purcell's Hornpipe and I forget everything--everything. I sit there playing the wrong notes, and when I try to read the music sheet I, for whatever reason, become blind to the notes. I see my teacher's reaction--sometimes it is a different teacher.

The worst thing is when I actually played it I did incredibly well. I wonder why I still get it.

What type of nightmares do you have?

This is a subject that, in my opinion, is not to be taken lightly.  Why do you think Schumann was institutionalized on several occasions, and eventually succumbed to his mental illness?

In addition, my father(medical doctor/pianist) shared with me that Horowitz had several nervous breakdowns, some of which he recuperated from in hospital.  So, my advice to you now, is as follows:

If it is a performance dream, then work through it, and then PUT THAT PIECE ASIDE.  And, I mean for the better part of two years!!

In the early 1970's, a psychotherapist told me in all candor that dreams are nothing more than the toilet of the mind.  However, you cannot flush your mental toilet if you keep filling it with more of the exact same thing.

Lately, in my particular case, because of my large concerto repertoire (some of which are ready, and some of which are not), I cannot sufficiently empty my toilet without abandoning these pieces, which are close to completion.  And, when they happen, they are horrific!

So, for those of you out there who do not think that piano nightmares are a big deal, my answer to you is that, yes, under certain circumstances, they can be a very big deal!

[oldlearner]

Readers should be aware that there is no consensus among psychologists about the function and meaning of dreams. There are numerous hypotheses about dreams and little or no good evidence to support any of them. They range from dreams being entirely random thoughts without purpose or meaning, to being highly purposeful with profound meaning. It basically boils down to dreams being what one believes they are.

FWIF, my own (subjective) view, is that dreams are essentially meaningless but that they do serve some unknown purpose which I suspect has to do with information processing. I think that any problems which may arise as a consequence of one’s dreams are probably the result of attributing undue, unjustifiable meaning to them. I formed these highly tentative opinions many years ago as a psychology undergraduate and nothing has ever arisen to cause me to change them — certainly no scientific information.

Like everyone, I’ve had nightmares. I’ve labelled them as being meaningless and amusing rather than frightening, thus they become merely recalled dreams rather than nightmares. So they’ve never become problematic. I suspect that the more one obsesses about a dream, the more likely it is to recur and possibly become problematic. Yes they can become a “very big deal” — if one allows them to.

To the OP: you’ll never know with any certainty why you keep having that dream. But dreams often do seem in some way to reflect what happened during the day. Which makes sense as those events/thoughts are most prominent in short-term memory and are probably being processed. If you stop thinking about it, the dream will probably stop.

Something to be aware of is that it’s long been known that, by and large, we recall a dream only if we become awake during it. So having a recurring dream means that you keep waking up during that dream, which is possibly more problematic than the actual content of the dream itself. Everyone dreams during certain stages of their sleep, but dreams usually aren’t remembered because we usually simply sleep through them.

Since starting piano a few months ago, I haven’t recalled a single dream involving piano, although attempting to play has sometimes seemed like a “nightmare”.

[indianajo]

I remember a great number of dreams.  Most of the unpleasant ones have to do with my previous work, at which in the US economy, it is rarely possible to please your supervisors.  If they haven't asked for more than you can produce, management theory suggests they are failing to set goals.  Fortunately,  due to intense saving during my productive years, I no longer have to work.  What sets these dreams off, is usually meeting people that I formerly worked with, or that remind me of those people.  I do try to avoid meeting these people.  
Piano has always been stress free for me, because my parents were supportive in paying the expenses the hobby, but had no particular expectations.  I did well, and did not become famous because noone expected it of me.  Now that I don't have to work anymore to support myself, I am able to pursue goals of pleasing people outside my household with music, without worrying if I don't.  
When very young, I had the usual monster dreams, related by experimenters to the need for children to avoid wolves and other primal experiences.  In my case, at age 6 I analyzed the monster as the vacuum cleaner with a bad habit of flying, and put that monster outside my dreamworld.  
I had a lot of atom bomb dreams in 1960-61, when the clips of Premier Kruschchov pounding the table with his shoe and shouting he would bury us, were shown extensively on television.  I think this had something to do with the 1960 election.  In 1961 I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and that eliminated those nightmares of the world melting in flames.  What could the Soviet Union do, kill me? Christ had a plan for that.  In 1972 I joined the Army ROTC to serve the effort against external enemies, and in 1980-82 I served in a unit that had the goal of defending Europe against the threatened invasion. Again, what could they do, kill me?  Heaven is a great reward, I'm ready now.  Fortunately we only trained, we didn't have to actually fight in that era. 
I suggest the accepting presence of Jesus Christ in his Holy Spirit role, to prevent nightmares.  Paul said we will be ready for whatever trials we are set, and so far I have found him to be right.  I can take it, whatever happens.  Mostly good things happen, which to me is a sign that I am being taken care of.  If not, and body deterioration is inevitable at some age, I can take it. Why worry - it is not my problem anymore.  Real problems?  I don't drive due to my low income, I've been over the handlebars of the bicycle thrice in the last year - and didn't hurt anything permanently.  I can take that.  My spouse got cited by the city for housekeeping problems - we are working through that, the remedy is only money.  Piano is a cheap hobby, I have that to console me, I don't have to go out to eat or to entertainment complexes or pay the cable or oil company.  I found a rattlesnake in the country property this summer - I set rat traps and forgot about it, and he ignored me in his dogged persuit of mice that were trying to eat the organ wiring and the spare clothes anyway. 
If nightmares occur, mostly I wake up and go to the bathroom, then go back to sleep.  I've always done this- there is no sense enduring a nightmare.  I have just enough paralysis chemical asleep to keep me from sleepwalking, but not so much as to prevent me from controlling the flow of my dreams by interrupting the bad ones.  As far as being naked in performance as related by aprevious poster, fortunately that person in dreams is usually a member of the opposite sex.  I want more relationships than I can have, but that is a temptation I can enjoy in a quiet way without trying to fulfill the desire.  The naked anxiety has been changed by experience to being at work again without the proper uniform.  There are lots of uniform parts that can be missing besides your pants - and I've dreamed this fairly repeatedly, followed by waking up usually.  The better dreams involve travel, eyeball tapes of places I've been, experiences I've enjoyed, I have many more of those usually. I've flown in dreams,  looked afar and through walls, conversed with more than one person at the same time, most of the superpowers that the movies try to make graphic.  The powers are more satisfying in my dreams.  Sometimes I dream I can play or sing the pieces, that I am only learning - a power that I can develop through practice.  And there is always the jukebox of the mind, playing a soundtrack of 100000 melodies that I don't have to pay royalties on.  I have to say the jukebox of the mind doesn't waste much time on Telleman or Mozart. 
May your flow of dreams come under your control.  Remember the comfort available from a relationship with a  certain historical person - and follow his instructions.  

[kawai_cs]

In my old days I would learn a lot of pieces by myself just to see if I could play them. It used to be Chopin and Beethoven mostly. I can play (mostly poorly though) a little bit of every Chopin etude, sonata, many mazurkas, etc
So before my recital I used to have this nightmare that my teacher changed my recital program last minute and when I am in the middle of Chopin's Polonaise in d I realize that I haven't actually learned some pages (which I haven't, indeed). Very tiring, horrible dream!

[dcstudio]

I am in the middle of Chopin's Polonaise in d I realize that I haven't actually learned some pages (which I haven't, indeed). Very tiring, horrible dream!

that is such a common theme in these dreams... unlearned or forgotten music...lol.  regardless of whether it means anything or not---lots of us have that dream.

[immortalbeloved]

I am watching the Sopranos right now and dreams are a huge theme--the psychologist in the show seems to give them much consideration.

I know it is just a show--but I do think dreams mean something, whether they are trying to give us insight into something is a wholly different matter.

I remember when I first started playing chess--I actually wrote about the same thing on a chess forum a while ago--I was having nightmares of leaving my queen unprotected and the rest.

[oldlearner]

From my recollection of that wonderful program, the woman treating Tony Soprano is actually a psychiatrist. Psychiatry comes from the tradition of Freud and Jung where dreams, especially for Jung, are very important. Psychology is more research-based and there appears to be no scientific research to support any profound meaningfulness of dreams.

If someone is troubled by particular things (and Tony certainly is), the mind is preoccupied by them and it's hardly surprising that they come up in dreams. That may be the extent of their meaningfulness.

Talking to a therapist about one's dreams and perhaps as a by-product gaining insight into ones's problems and self can be therapeutically useful -- for some patients and with some therapists.

[keypeg]

I haven't had any about piano, but I did have one for violin and one for choir.

In the first choir I joined, one of the members was very nervous with the idea that I would drop the papers out of my binder and that I would not do things properly when we performed.  So then I had a dream.  We were performing, I opened my binder, and my children had cut the music into paper dolls.  The dolls were not in the usual chain - they went spilling on the floor as 50 or so little dolls.  So I was on my hands and knees while the choir was performing, picking up the paper dolls, trying to piece them together and read the notes on the paper scraps.

With violin, the tip of my bow would break off, the hair would be loose like a pony tail, the bow would snap in half.  And I was forever chasing my teacher who would just be around the corner teaching somebody else, or leaving as I arrived.

[outin]

Had one last night...not really nightmarish, but uncomfortable. Tried to play a digital piano on a stand, but the thing just kept on getting lower and lower until finally I was sitting on the floor. Tried everything to make it stay up but nothing helped 

[dcstudio]

Had one last night...not really nightmarish, but uncomfortable. Tried to play a digital piano on a stand, but the thing just kept on getting lower and lower until finally I was sitting on the floor. Tried everything to make it stay up but nothing helped 

hmmmm....  interesting.   the morphing piano that's impossible to play--I have had that dream too.. 

[visitor]

once had a dream i walked into my piano room any my grand had turned into a pearl river!

[dcstudio]

once had a dream i walked into my piano room any my grand had turned into a pearl river!

that's so Freudian...lol

[bronnestam]

I believe that some dreams - not all of them - are some kind of messages from our subconscious minds. They may not be very wise messages, but they reveal what is eating us deep inside. And as the subconscious cannot speak in abstract terms, it shows the messages as symbols.

Since I started to play the piano again, some years ago, I have had a very recurring dream, in slight different versions. I enter a room or a hall where there a lots and lots of pianos of interesting shapes, like in a giant piano store. And I get happy and decide to play a bit, but every piano I come close to, undergoes a strange transformation. Either it turns out to be something else than a piano, or the keys disappear or turn out to be completely broken. Or lots of other people come between me and the piano so I have to go elsewhere. So I look for another piano ... same story there ...

Well, this symbolism is very easy to comprehend, I think. I long for playing the piano, but something in my life is in my way.

After all, I have had the famous "toilet dream" all my life - anyone else? I should think so. I seriously need to go to the bathroom, and I find a lot of toilets but they are alwas malfunctioning in some way or the other. I cannot lock the door, the WC simply isn't there, or looks broken or dirty or whatever ... so I run around in desperate search, until I wake up for real and realize that I must go to the bathroom for real, of course.  
The message? My subconscious mind stops me from wetting my bed ...

At least the piano dream has begun to change lately. I play for real in them, and I play rather good too! So obviously my subconscious mind has started to accept that I AM a pianist for real now, not just chasing a dream.

(To clarify the last sentence above: I am an amateur pianist and I am not very good. Nevertheless I dare to call myself a pianist.)


If anyone but me has tried self hypnosis with the help of guided recordings, you know that a common hypnosis technique is to give suggestions which are designed as symbolic images. Which in fact are meant to work just like dreams, but in the opposite direction. You create these images and try to "plant" them in your subconscious mind, in this way convincing it that this is the truth.
(And it really works ...)

[mjames]

had a recital but for some apparent reason i forgot how to play the piano. like literally forgot everything about the instrument and I couldnt even remember what I was supposed to play! (it was supposed to be rach's op. 3 prelude, a piece that had been troubling me during that period...dont worry...the problems have been conquered by now)


oh, not a nightmare but I once had a lesson with arthur rubinstein about a chopin nocturne I was studying back then. the dude (well my subconscious) gave me some pretty good advice about the piece that I would incorporate in real life.

That's actually not the only time that happened. Pieces I'm usually obsessing with (currently op. 27 no. 2 and op. 44) will often show up in my dreams. Strangers will just come up to me and correct my performances etc..

[visitor]

[bronnestam]

oh, not a nightmare but I once had a lesson with arthur rubinstein about a chopin nocturne I was studying back then. the dude (well my subconscious) gave me some pretty good advice about the piece that I would incorporate in real life.

This means you know you are far better than you consciously think. 
Actually I have used this little "trick" too. When I have an issue with a piece (typically all the time), I ask myself which advice I would have got from a real seasoned and famous pianist, and strangely enough I also know which answer I would have got ... 

[dcstudio]

I live on the Mississippi gulf coast... those pianos are made in Pearl river county about 45 minutes away from me.   I have played on a few Pearl rivers they are very common here.

[indianajo]

outin, keypeg those dreams are so funny.  thanks for sharing.