Aug. 20, 2015

Just Play It

There's some lessons about performance that are hard for everybody, every single performer keeps having to work on building these same mental muscles, but, YOU CAN'T FLINCH.  Even if you're playing only for yourself in a subterranean basement, you don't want to break down in the middle, throw your hand up in the air, and cry, "Curses!!  Another blasted mistake!!"  Seriously, when you make a mistake you can't let it be paramount and big, and then, you're playing for cleanness and clarity, and, of course, we do that, but not primarily.  Playing is many more things than that.  That's one of the great elements of playing, that you have to attain it by working and getting it, and it's freedom that leads you to that, and freedom is gotten by repetition and keeping good habits going.  And the habit of flinching because you're thinking, "Oh, I've made a mistake, now I've ruined the piece," or maybe thinking about why you've made the mistake, and pretty soon you find you're making a few more because you're distracted and aren't concentrating on the moment you're in and staying right with it.

Learn about spontaneity and believe in it [See blog, Spontaneity].  Make it a part of your striving for excellence.  Your playing can be really fine, you've worked long and hard on a certain piece and know it thoroughly in terms of fingering, pedaling, memory, and execution, you're satisfied you've done justice to the music, but be assured of this:  every time you play it again there's going to be a difference.  No matter how much you practice a piece of music it will never always be the same each time you perform it.  It's important to enjoy and not get tangled up too much in playing it "properly" when in terms of a standardized performance there is no such thing [See blog, Having A Spec].  It may help to remind yourself that all you're wanting to do is reproduce some beautiful music, and that, whatever happens this time around when you play it is the result of spontaneity.  It's worth repeating that it's important when performing to stay right with the moment.  That difficult spot coming up two pages from now will take care of itself when the time comes.

There are students who can play well who cannot seem to sit down to the keys without being distracted by the thought of making mistakes.  I wouldn't let that get into my body.  Accuracy will come TO YOU.  It's like a cat.  If you call your cat, she disappears.  If you don't call her, she's right there.  It comes and visits you if you leave it alone.  When you want it, it's harder to attain, and it hides from you.  So, don't bother to reach for it, just work, and play, and concentrate, and form good habits, let go of that perfection thing, and stay right with the moment.