How to Overcome Scenic Fear When Playing the Piano

How to Overcome Scenic Fear When Playing the Piano

How to Overcome Scenic Fear When Playing the Piano

 

Has it ever happened to you that you had a work perfectly studied and at the moment of the concert you have not been able to give the best of yourself? Have nerves played a trick on you?

Practice and knowledge alone is not enough when fear and nerves are capable of ruining an interpretation. For this it is essential to achieve a mentality and psychological disposition that allows to take advantage of all the available potential.

 

What Do We Mean With Scenic Fear?

 

Fear is an involuntary reaction of our organism that occurs as a preparatory mechanism in the face of a dangerous or emergency situation. It is a fantastic tool that has served the human being throughout his evolution to survive.

However, fear is a great obstacle when it manifests in a situation that does not pose a real danger, such as playing in public (piano,singing, guitar,etc). This exaggerated fear is what is known as stage fright and affects a huge number of musicians, producing in them physiological reactions (dry mouth, trembling and excessive sweating in the hands, acceleration of the pulse, muscular tension …) and thoughts irrational.

 

Why Do I Become So Nervous When Playing Piano In Front of People?

 

Fear of failure and high perfectionism. Anxiety and excessive perfectionism are closely related. Although during the study you must pay attention to correct any errors, you have to assume that errors or imperfections during the interpretation can happen because you are human.

 

  • Low self-esteem.

A lack of confidence in yourself means that you have doubts about your ability to play a good performance and that undoubtedly leads to failure.

Examples: “I always get bad auditions”, “I’m not worth for this”.

  • Focus on the results.

Learn to enjoy the path and process, rather than the final result. Examples: “If I do not get it right, I will not get the place to enter the Conservatory”. Excess of mental activity. When you are continuously bombarded with instructions and thoughts, your mind is blocked and nerves appear.

Examples: “Do not forget the silence of compass 14 …”, “Beware of running in the sixteenths of the scales”.

  • Worry about what they will say or the expectations of others.

The pressure to have a good image before others manifests itself in adults and not so much in children. As we grow, we fear more the evaluation of others.

Examples: “If I fail, what will my teacher think?”, “I’m afraid he does not like the concert to the public”.

  • Other reasons: Excessive shyness or introversion, insufficient and inadequate study, touching works above your level, etc.

 

Get A Successful Pre-Action Mentality

 

1. IDENTIFY AND REPLACE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

The life we have is a direct consequence of what we think. Therefore, you should take care of your daily thoughts that define your way of understanding the world and, in this case, music.

Analyze for a while the language you use when you talk to yourself during the study or before a performance. Are you really objective or do you have rather irrational thoughts? Make a list with all of them and rewrite them from your most rational part and try to be more constructive and realistic.

Example: Negative thinking: “The performance will be awful, as always.”

More “rational” substitution: “I am anticipating in an irrational way something that does not have to happen and that is the product of my nerves.”

The fact that on other occasions I have not had a good performance does not mean that this time it has to be I have prepared myself as well as possible and I am going to focus on giving the best of myself. “

 

2. FOSTER POSITIVE THOUGHTS.

Although it may seem silly, repeating positive phrases to your brain helps to have greater confidence in yourself and to calm your unconscious mind. You can use these examples as a guide to create your own list of positive thoughts that you will use as a mantra:

– ”I have played the piece many times without problem, I just have to repeat what my hands and brain have done so many times during these months.”

– “Nerves help me stay alert and get better performance, I do not have to fight against them.”

– “I’m going to give my best.”

– “I want to share with the audience what I love the most and let them enjoy it as much or more as when I go to a concert by someone else”.

– “…”

 

I also advise you to collect the positive experiences you have experienced in past auditions and bring them frequently to your conscious.

 

 

 

*Another Perspective about Stage Fright by Francisco Pieklo:

 

What is Stage Fright or Scenic Fear?

 

Stage fright is a feeling of intense nervousness, fear, or anxiety that musicians can experience before or during a performance. This kind of anxiety can make it hard to focus on playing and cause physical symptoms such as sweating, shaking, or heart palpitations. In addition, musicians may worry about being judged or making mistakes. This fear can sometimes be so overwhelming that it affects their ability to perform well or, in more severe cases, pursue a career in music. 

As a different kind of performance anxiety, playing in front of your music teacher can also be a daunting experience for many students. The thought of being judged by someone who has the power to shape your musical future can be overwhelming, causing even the most experienced players to freeze up and forget everything they have learned. It is something every musician will encounter at some point in their journey when playing in front of people. Although it’s a common experience for most musicians, stage fright can become a serious issue for some. Therefore, it must be treated as part of the ‘extra-musical’ factors that we should account for and improve as performers. As a pianist, learning to overcome stage fright can be difficult, but it is paramount for advancing your playing to the next level. In this article, we will give you some thoughts and ideas that can help you conquer this fear. 

 

How to Deal With It?

 

First and foremost, ‘Practice is king’. 

 

The most important tip for conquering stage fright is acknowledging that most problems related to live performance anxiety come from a lack of practice and disciplined study. In other words, not having perfect control over the musical material leads to committing mistakes when playing in an even more pressuring situation than at home.

Think about it: if you could play each passage of the piece ten out of ten times without mistakes, then making a mistake when playing for someone else would be much less likely. So take the time to run through all your pieces until they are second nature to you. Doing this will ensure that you know your pieces backwards and forwards and reduce the chance of mistakes during a performance. 

Additionally, arriving early to try the piano, feel the room, and do the sound checks is essential. This will give you time to get comfortable with the environment and to become familiar with the set-up before performance time. 

 

Second, use positive self-talk and pay attention to your breathing, especially before going onstage. 

 

When dealing with stage fright, you should use affirmations such as “I can do this” or “I will play my best today”. As you repeat these words to yourself, slowly take deep breaths. This will help to lower your heart rate, reduce your stress levels, and ultimately calm your nerves before going onstage. One excellent and famous breathing method to reduce heartbeats is to inhale deeply for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale slowly for 8 seconds. This technique, also known as the 4-7-8 breathing exercise, can help calm your nervous system and slow your heart rate.

 

Third, stay connected to the music. 

 

One of the best ways to combat stage fright is to connect with the music in a way that you become part of the audience. As much ‘cliche’ as it sounds, the old advice of “try to enjoy the music” is still good. Remind yourself why you love playing the piano in the first place, and recognise the value of the music that you are sharing with other people. Instead of thinking of how people would criticise your playing, think of it more as a sharing act, in which you are allowing people to enjoy what you have been doing for a long time, and they are eagerly waiting for you to show them what you came up with.

 

Finally, don’t let mistakes undermine your confidence.

 

 Realistically speaking, mistakes happen in almost all live performances. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when and how serious they are. When they happen, don’t let them ruin your confidence. Try to keep playing without rewinding the mistake in your head. Oftentimes, the audience may not even notice the mistake and will appreciate your poise and professionalism in the face of a mistake. If you start playing and expect not to be perfect, this will give you a huge confidence boost and actually will make you play better and without mistakes. But if they happen, you won’t be surprised and you will be able to keep playing as you know it is part of the process. Remember, mistakes are an opportunity to grow and improve as a musician. Take note of what went wrong and use it as a guide to practise and refine your skills. Don’t let mistakes discourage you or hold you back from giving your best performance. Instead, embrace them as a natural part of the journey and use them to become better musicians.

 

In conclusion, it’s normal to feel nervous when playing the piano in front of an audience. However, with consistent practice, a deep connection to the music, and a positive mindset, you can learn to overcome stage fright and improve your performance. It’s important not to let fear hold you back from sharing your love for music with others. The more you perform, the easier it will become, and you’ll gradually feel more confident and at ease. So keep practising and performing, and remember to enjoy the experience!

 

How to Overcome Scenic Fear When Playing the Piano.

*Read out tips on how to manage anxiety on stage and about how to get fully prepared for it.

#pianolessonslondon #musiclessonslondon #musicteachers #singinglessons #violinlessons

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *