I have a piano recital coming up. I am really nervous. Any tips to get rid of nervousness?

Question

I have a piano recital coming up really soon. I practiced a LOT for it, but I am still nervous. I had feelings that I might mess up badly, or even forget the song. It is a competition. Anyone have to tips to make me confident for this event?

Answer 1

One: Take a deep breath. AND MAKE IT A GOOD ONE.
Two: Tell yourself there's nothing to be afraid of. That you're prepared and you know your stuff just fine.
Three: Imagine the audience, judges, etc in their underpants doing aerobics with Richard Simmons to your music on the piano and don't pee your pants laughing
Four: Talk about it. Keeping your anxiety all pent up can make it explode into tears or even a mental breakdown once you get on stage. Just chill out, walk, talk to your friends, get those butterflies out of your stomach.

I've been playing violin for 5 years and I've been on stage probably 30-40 times. Solo as well. And being judged. I get the jitters, but once I start playing, I gain momentum and confidence.

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

Real confidence in performance, whether musical or athletic, comes from preparation. The most important kind of preparation, after the practicing you've already done to get technically and musically comfortable with the music, is to practice performing.

One way to do that is to imagine performing, without actually playing. Think of you walking out onto the stage or hall, and picture yourself starting to play with the audience/judges there. You can even imagine playing the whole piece, if you have it memorized, or follow along in the music. You'll get the physical symptoms of nervousness, but you can in your imagination conquer them.

Mental visualization like this is a great way to overcome your fear of messing up badly.

Another way to practice performing is to play for people. Play for your fellow students. Play for your Mom. Play for your dog. Try a piece out in a master class. Imagine that they are your ultimate / final audience, and, again, you will be able to practice overcoming your fears.

Being nervous is not something you want to simply eliminate. I find that it is a very real source of energy and focus and can make the performance better than any rehearsal. The trick is to have enough of a center before you start spinning out of focus that the extra energy just adds to your focus.

Some people use Beta blockers. In extreme cases they are necessary but for the above reason I don't recommend them.

Answer 3

I'm a pianist. When you practice, practice being immersed or lost in the music from before you even hit the first note. Before you begin to play, think about a passage that is in the middle of the piece, then take a moment to think about the beginning. Imagine playing it and the feelings that it is evoking in you. Only then do you breathe in slowly, then play those first notes and let the music engulf you.

Practice getting "in character" many, many times. Then, invite friends over before the competition so that you can practice getting "in character" and perform for them. If you can do this two or three times before the competition, it will help you. It takes practice to learn to perform and the more practice in performing you have, the better.

When your friends come, hand them all a sheet of paper and a pen. Invite them to sit, stand, walk near you, do anything but inhibit your playing or talk. Their goal is to try to fluster you with their presence and your goal is to stay in the music no matter what is happening around you.

Good luck.

Answer 4

When you perform, you have a job to do. Keep your mind on your job. Get into your music. The crowd is in the back ground. Play for yourself to make you happy. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks, or who else is there. Enjoy what you are doing. This is your chance to do what you like best. If you mess up, pretend you didn't , and keep going. Don't ever stop for a mistake, that makes it more noticeable. If you keep going when you make a mistake, no one may notice it but you. Don't badger yourself. Relax keep your mind on your work. Don't think of it as a competition. Just think of it as a chance to show how much you learned.
Practice until you are confident, that you will not mess up. If you have spots in a song that tend to snag you, slow the song down and work on that spot to eliminate all possible snag spots. My teacher used to tell me 3 times perfect and if you mess up on a spot work on that phrase or measure or segment till you can do it 3 times in a row without a mistake. Every mistake has to be played correctly over and over till the mistake is ground out of your mind.
Hope it goes well for you. Have a positive attitude. You can do it perfect and if you do make a mistake, don't let it get you down. Just keep on going like you didn't make it.

Answer 5

Firstly, practise until you can play it with your eyes shut. That always helps!

Right before playing, take about ten minutes to just relax. Breathe deeply, it'll slow down your pulse and you'll play much better when calm. When you play, focus on the piece and nothing else.

Answer 6

Deep breaths... Don't think about what you'll be doing

Answer 7

dont be nervous. pretend that you dont care if you mess up because if you keep on thinking about messing up, you will. this always works. memorize it really good, and play it carelessly with your eyes closed. if you could do that, then you most likely won't mess up.

Answer 8

Concentrate on your work to the exclusion of all else. Let everything fade and only hear the music.

Answer 9

no matter what style you play learn some boogie !
10 min. of two fist-ed piano stomping blues will get you ready to play anything. use it as an exercise, it works...