The Performance Stage

In the previous two entries, I wrote about the Four Elements System (4ES) and the first three elements in practice: Technique, Sound, and Musicality.

Many believe that working on these three naturally leads to performance. Essentially, if I practice Technique, Sound, and Musicality, I am free to go on stage and will inevitably succeed because I have covered all the bases, right?

Wrong!

You can and must practice your performance as part of the 4ES. This means that you should strive to reach a performance level in anything you play, even if it is just a short snippet, and definitely once you can play longer sections of the piece.

Here are some things you should pay attention to, beyond all the aspects covered in the previous three stages:

• Learn it by heart: If the piece is meant to be performed from memory, start doing so as early as possible.
• Know your entrances: This is crucial. Learn the score!
• Practice timing: I don't mean practicing with a metronome. I mean actual timing. In performance, you usually cannot begin playing exactly when you feel ready, as we tend to do in the safety of the practice room. You must learn to get yourself ready to play at a particular moment, over which you may have very little control.
• Practice the physical aspects of the performance: Sit if it is a chamber music piece. Stand if it is a concerto or sonata. Do not walk freely around the room unless you are planning to stroll around the stage. Practice turning pages or pressing pedals in real time.
• Practice in your concert clothes: Do this a few days before the real performance. If you plan to play in a suit or any other restrictive or unfamiliar clothing, spend some time playing in it before you go on stage and discover that it restricts your playing. (Oh, I have stories to tell...)
• Perform under pressure: THAT is the real difference between the practice room, or even the Green Room, and the stage. Since you can never feel quite as relaxed on stage as you do in the practice room, try to make yourself a little more nervous during this stage of practice. Record yourself as soon as possible. Challenge yourself to play the same section three or five consecutive times without stopping. Not the full piece, please. Use your family, roommates, spouse, or, if your neighbors do not possess firearms, open the window...

The Mental Side

The last two pieces of advice are more internal, but they may be the most important.

Think forward: During the previous three stages of practice, your mind was mostly looking backward: What did I just play? How in tune was it? Was it fast enough? Was the sound right?

In performance, your mind must work differently. You need to be focused on the here and now, with a healthy dose of what comes next. This is a mental skill, and it needs to be practiced. Neglect it, and you may find yourself surprisingly confused and distressed on stage.

Think about your audience, not yourself: This is the moment to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the people listening to you. Imagine them sitting there. Ask yourself how they would react to what you are playing. Are you expressing your musical ideas clearly enough for them to feel them instinctively? Is your sound clean and rich? Could they forget, for a moment, about their lives and what they need to do tomorrow, and simply listen?

Whether you are playing two measures, two lines, or two pages, this is the final stage of preparation. Before you move on, ask yourself the most important question:

Is this enough for my audience? You will know the answer.