Performing Often

[regards]

I am repeatedly advised to ‘perform often,’ and that is helpful advice. However, I am unsure how to start. I'm a high school pianist in an American rural suburb, the school underfunds music, and competitions are small and usually occur in the summertime. Fortunately, there are two large cities around an hour away. What other methods could I use to perform on a regular basis?

Regards,
Regards

[brogers70]

Churches in rural areas often have trouble finding pianists (never mind organists) - you might fill in when a regular one is on vacation. Around here, rural Vermont, it pays $100/service that requires playing 4-5 hymns and a prelude and postlude (which can be whatever pieces you are working on anyway). Congregations are grateful and not critical audiences. Assisted living places often have pianos and are happy to have someone come in and play for a while - again, low stress situation, and a good place to get used to performing. Finally, getting piano playing friends together and performing for one another can be good practice for performance.

[anacrusis]

Brogers70 has given you good advice. Churches and homes for old people are good places to perform to a grateful audience. Also, if you have any piano playing friends, organize gettogethers where you play for each other. If you are anything like me, you'll be way more nervous and self conscious playing for colleagues who you know can scrutinize what you do. Playing for an audience is childs play in comparison Or you can just check if any of your non-piano friends would like to help you out by coming over and listening to you play. Or your mom and dad. Any kind of audience will provide you an opportunity to practice performing and is better than doing nothing at all!

[Bob]

Ask someone to listen to you play.

You can also get a similar effect just by hyping yourself up for it.  And then add posting something online.  And you could do that in one take, one recording.  Or stream it live.  Similar effect.  Because if you make a recording, you don't really know who's going to hear that in the future, do you?  It could be anyone.  It could be someone that influences something.  So maybe it's super important.

[ego0720]

Playing for layman takes the pressure off. And naturally forces you to think how you can do better. I can’t quite explain it but it’s like an invisible mysterious energy that elevates you. Take note it’s doing it for yourself.

The experience of playing for experts and laymen are different.  Unfortunately if you like classical music just note that it’s really uninteresting to a non-musician so pick something more relatable.

[brogers70]

Unfortunately if you like classical music just note that it’s really uninteresting to a non-musician so pick something more relatable.

I can't let that pass without a reply. Some of the best reactions I've got to playing classical music, in small venues, have been from people who couldn't care less about classical music and knew nothing about it. Take away the stuffiness of a concert hall and let the performer be somebody they've seen around town and they will listen to Bach in a totally different way, much more personal and intimate. Classical music is great music and full of meaning and emotion. If people see it up close and personal, it works. No need to stick to pop or even to classical war horses.

[ranjit]

I can't let that pass without a reply. Some of the best reactions I've got to playing classical music, in small venues, have been from people who couldn't care less about classical music and knew nothing about it. Take away the stuffiness of a concert hall and let the performer be somebody they've seen around town and they will listen to Bach in a totally different way, much more personal and intimate. Classical music is great music and full of meaning and emotion. If people see it up close and personal, it works. No need to stick to pop or even to classical war horses.

I agree.  I do think classical music played WELL is accessible to a fairly large audience,  especially if it's not too niche. Many people play just the notes and sound boring, which is sadly too often how it's taught in lessons. Play with some panache, some vitality,  and people do react quite positively.

[ego0720]

Gentlemen,

I’m glad you found something that works with classical music. Maybe there’s something to it.  If you can name and recommend a few songs that you found accessible to laymen I would be interested to know and give it a go. Personally I found starting off with songs ppl really knew (familiarity) and then showboating classical music works for regular joes but not without a warmup or some type of bridge. Even then I feel it’s respecting the skills than appreciating the style or just getting it.

The response that classical music when played well as long as it’s not too niche and done with panache and vitality still implies conditions (limitations on selection as well as a need for sugarcoating or added spice) for interest. By and large laymen do not respond to classical music well. When looking at the market share it’s 1% or the least popular music genre. Laymen may love other things about a close-up performer playing classical music or of such parlor performance but it is suspect that they love the genre for its intrinsic value.

Once an artist becomes an expert in a field and become very engrossed in the study the thought process becomes a different animal.  Sometimes far out depending on the trajectory of immersion. It’s the same in many fields.

@ OP: know your venue and have fun performing.

[brogers70]

Gentlemen,

I’m glad you found something that works with classical music. Maybe there’s something to it.  If you can name and recommend a few songs that you found accessible to laymen I would be interested to know and give it a go. Personally I found starting off with songs ppl really knew (familiarity) and then showboating classical music works for regular joes but not without a warmup or some type of bridge. Even then I feel it’s respecting the skills than appreciating the style or just getting it.

The response that classical music when played well as long as it’s not too niche and done with panache and vitality still implies conditions (limitations on selection as well as a need for sugarcoating or added spice) for interest. By and large laymen do not respond to classical music well. When looking at the market share it’s 1% or the least popular music genre. Laymen may love other things about a close-up performer playing classical music or of such parlor performance but it is suspect that they love the genre for its intrinsic value.

Once an artist becomes an expert in a field and become very engrossed in the study the thought process becomes a different animal.  Sometimes far out depending on the trajectory of immersion. It’s the same in many fields.

@ OP: know your venue and have fun performing.

Most classical music is accessible to laymen. I can give a couple of examples. I gave a little recital in a nursing home, starting with Bach's French Suite in Eb. After the Allemande, one of the cooks in the kitchen who had overheard, definitely not a college educated musician, came running out and said "Hey, Bill, now I'm gonna have beautiful sounds in my head all day." Another time I gave a house recital and a neighbor who has a dairy farm next to our house came. When I played the Chopin Nocturne Opus 9 #1 in Bb minor she was in tears and came up to me in the road a few days later and told me it had brought her whole childhood back to her. Classical music has love, joy, tenderness, grief, anxiety, just about every possible human emotion - if you communicate that through your playing, people who know nothing about classical music will be touched. It's not some snobbish, secret code only open to initiates, it's life itself.

[ego0720]

Most classical music is accessible to laymen. I can give a couple of examples. I gave a little recital in a nursing home, starting with Bach's French Suite in Eb. After the Allemande, one of the cooks in the kitchen who had overheard, definitely not a college educated musician, came running out and said "Hey, Bill, now I'm gonna have beautiful sounds in my head all day." Another time I gave a house recital and a neighbor who has a dairy farm next to our house came. When I played the Chopin Nocturne Opus 9 #1 in Bb minor she was in tears and came up to me in the road a few days later and told me it had brought her whole childhood back to her. Classical music has love, joy, tenderness, grief, anxiety, just about every possible human emotion - if you communicate that through your playing, people who know nothing about classical music will be touched. It's not some snobbish, secret code only open to initiates, it's life itself.

We may have different interpretations of the point. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience. I kinda want to open a new topic on what classical songs everyone has found that worked for non-musicians. I tried searching the forums but did not see any topic for a list.

[brogers70]

We may have different interpretations of the point. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience. I kinda want to open a new topic on what classical songs everyone has found that worked for non-musicians. I tried searching the forums but did not see any topic for a list.

I think it's not the specific piece, but how you approach playing it, that determines whether non-musicians will get it.

[lelle]

We may have different interpretations of the point. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience. I kinda want to open a new topic on what classical songs everyone has found that worked for non-musicians. I tried searching the forums but did not see any topic for a list.

Do it! It sounds like something that would be fun to discuss. I partially agree with brogers70 that it has a lot to do with how you play it, but I'm not gonna pretend like it's not gonna be easier for non-musicians to appreciate Fur Elise and the Moonlight Sonata than for example the Liszt Sonata or a late Scriabin sonata.