Performance Preparation

This is discussed too little by far, if you will excuse the oxymoron. So much time is spent in the practice room perfecting pieces for a wonderful concert performance, only for it to be ruined by nerves. Some people suffer terribly with nerves but they can be controlled, and being forewarned is certainly being forearmed. Teachers should definitely relate their own stories and experience to students, both good and bad.

People react differently to nervousness, the important thing being to learn how you react yourself as only then can you go about calming or perhaps more accurately, controlling your nerves if they affect your performance adversely. There is no substitute for experience of course, regular performances and time should improve your ability to translate good work in the practice room to a good performance in the concert hall.

Rarely will performers play to the utmost of their capability under the pressures that a recital or examination offer. 110% accuracy in your practice will probably only translate to about 90% in a performance, hence 90% accuracy in the practice room could lead to an under par performance.

It is important to mark-up your music in pencil, drawing attention to anything you think you may forget. These reminders really do help and are invaluable in a performance when under pressure.

Theatre music can be as tricky as any music, with frequent changes of key, metre, tempo, and instrument and colla voce sections with singers who often fail to realise that the musicians in the orchestra pit cannot read their mind!

One of the hardest things regarding theatre music is the myriad of cuts that are invariably made, usually on the band call itself and which can be a nightmare to follow on opening night. A wonderful idea is to cover any music that is cut with blank paper Blu-Tacked in. The paper can be cut to the required shape so that the next bar or note can be found instantly. It takes a fair amount of time but it is a real lifesaver.

Another problem associated with the pit orchestra is doubling. In order to keep the orchestra small players are often required to play more than one instrument. In extreme cases up to five different instruments may be required from piccolo to baritone saxophone and most of the woodwind family in between!

Before a performance or exam, try to visit the venue. Reeds respond differently according to the type of acoustic that you play in. A lively, reverberant acoustic will produce a flattering sound and provide ease of articulation. A slightly harder reed than usual may be needed in order to feel right. A dead acoustic with soft furnishings can be hard work, giving more blowing resistance than usual and making staccato in particular noticeably more tricky. In this case a slightly softer reed than usual is probably wise.

This type of acoustic will not flatter your sound, and with the audience further dampening the sound your true tone will be heard, beautiful or otherwise. One or two spare reeds should be taken into a performance just in case a change is needed, but be sure that these reeds have been played on previously and that their playing characteristics are known.

On to the performance itself.

Take your time, do not feel that you need to rush. Inexperienced players rush on to stage, begin playing immediately and then rush off without even acknowledging their applause! Listen to a live radio concert broadcast and time how long the players take to tune up and finally get themselves settled and ready for their performance. This is expected by the audience and has been such for a long time.

Try not to notice people in particular when you walk onto stage. Look in the direction of the audience, smile in acknowledgement of their applause but do not look too closely and make specific eye contact. Hundreds of staring eyes have the effect of making you want to stare back but this will probably cause a loss of concentration, so try to avoid this. Large concert halls with powerful stage lights mean that the auditorium is in complete darkness from the stage, perhaps an easier scenario as you could almost be playing to nobody, not being able to see beyond the glare of the lights.

Try not to worry about the tricky bits. If you focus on them too much your concentration will be lost and could result in silly, avoidable mistakes. If you do make a mistake try not to dwell on it; it cannot be rectified and you will make further mistakes should you fail to regain your concentration. When performing try to remain in the present and immediate future of the piece that you are playing, not five minutes ahead.

When playing music it is our task as a performer not only to play the correct notes and rhythms, but also to evoke the personality, or the mood of the piece. In order to accomplish this we must surely use our imagination whilst we play, perhaps in the same way as an actor. Our experience of life is of the utmost importance and we bring our pain, sorrow, happiness and ecstasy to our performances.