Playing
To An Audience
Sooner
or later someone is going to ask you to play the piano for them,
or you are going to want to share your music with other people.
The same advice applies whether you play for an audience of hundreds,
or just your family and friends.
If you are going to play anywhere but in your own home, check the
piano to make sure all the keys work properly. Then, make sure the
piano sounds in tune. (Do not try to play a piano which is not in
good condition because it will spoil your music.) Find a piano stool
or seat which is the right height for a good playing position.
Choose music which you know well and which you can play without
hesitation. Do not play the most complicated piece you know, or
the most recent tune you have learned, as you are more likely to
make embarrassing mistakes with these. If you are going to play
more than one piece, pick tunes with different rhythms and speeds,
in different keys, so your playing does not sound all the same.
Mix loud and soft music, and save the best and most dramatic pieces
until last.
Work out good beginnings and endings for your tunes to make your
playing entertaining and professional-sounding. Try to hear each
tune in your head before starting to play to get the speed and the
feeling of the music right.
Above all, have confidence in your playing - whatever you play will
be enjoyable for your audience as most people like the sound of
the piano.
Never announce that 'you cannot play very well', or 'you will probably
make mistakes' - this kind of talk is likely to make you do these
very things. If you do make a mistake, make a joke of it or ignore
it - most people will probably not notice a mistake anyway. Never
play with cold hands, because your fingers will be stiff.
There are many places where you can play in public if you want to
- College and Music Society concerts, local Talent Nights and other
places you may find advertised in local papers, music magazines
or on notice boards. Alternatively, arrange musical evenings with
your friends or family.
Playing to an audience, once you have conquered the initial nerves
which everyone has, is an excellent way to improve your playing
because it gives you the incentive to play better and polish your
music. Practise playing to an audience by looking out of a window
while you play and imagining that the whole world is watching and
listening to you, or play to a cassette or tape recorder.
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