Posted by Mary Ann on May 28, 2003 at 08:45:34:
In Reply to: performance mindset posted by Tim on May 27, 2003 at 19:45:09:
Pretty much along the lines of what Mark said, but a little more general: you have switched modes from enjoyment to critical listening. Been there, done that, and it's why I don't do solo recitals. It ruins the piece for me....because I lose my focus on the music and start focusing on the details of every little thing.
I just recorded a piece on Sunday for a CD. On violin.....and not that difficult; we recorded "Misty." We had done 12 takes about a month ago and weren't happy with any of them. On Sunday, the 5th take we decided to keep. On all of these, I had to quit thinking about the details and immerse myself in the music; to do that, I had to have the details basically out of the way, and wait for a take where both of us made only mistakes that didn't ruin that particular performance. It's about getting "above" what you're doing and just doing it. Hard to get there on a difficult piece; I remember once at a master class Janos Starker said that a pro should be able to perfrom at 80% of capacity....which implied that you should not perform a piece that demands more than 80% of what you can do.
Good luck; calm down and just play music, and the audience will love it. In college, if you major in tuba, you can take the intense technical approach and have a long time to prepare for a higher level recital. For now, just enjoy the piece, ok?
MA