This is a very interesting topic that could dictate a lot on how we progress and how we discover our strengths and weaknesses.

Many performers today have chosen to stick to performing works by one or just a few composers. This allows a complete dedication and sinking into the depths of a specific language and style. On the other hand, we have performers who like to discover as they play – as they grow as musicians, finding new pieces and challenging themselves by immersing themselves into the unknown.

What I find interesting is how the repertoire we chose shapes us. Different aspects of our playing require various degrees of care at different times in our growth.

For instance – for the very beginners it is incredibly important to nurture technical aspects and finger independence. Playing piano is a lifelong journey and providing the technical background that can healthily grow and change over time – is crucial. This unfortunately does mean a lot of etudes and technical exercises as well as continuity in practice. Being in shape and focusing on different aspects of technique is a condition number one when playing any instrument.

At a young age- going through a lot of pieces is incredibly important. Getting the sense of styles, structures and forms can only be done by experiencing them with our hands and listening to recordings.

What is wonderful about music is that we can simply choose so much…
In my teaching I find that it is very beneficial to give to a student two pieces with different speeds of work in mind. one piece that requires a long layering and investment, practise that is “for the long run”, where the process is prolonged and the satisfaction / feedback feels at a slower pace too. The other piece in return, provides more instant gratification and the sense of completion and achievement happens sooner. This is psychologically very important, that we have a sense of reaching for understanding of what we are doing.

Understanding of Styles

Many traditional schools decided the set way for understanding music styles through centuries. This means that in each grade you will be examined on the usual – one baroque piece, classical sonata or sonatina, a romantic piece and something “later” than romantic period. This, in addition to technical exams consisting of scales and arpeggios, provides the most common structure at which we as society raise musicians. The idea behind this is of course to glance over the history of music in deeper and deeper layers as we go through education. Only later in life can we actually start programming in the manner that fits us as people and our characters.

I tend to programme at least one of the 3 leading groups of composers – German, French, Russian. I always combine it with something that personally feels right.

Knowing What We Like

Different epochs had different focal points in music communication. It is not until the romantic period that human emotion and state of spirit was in the central aspect of music making. That coincided with piano sound becoming the star of the show too, as opposed to previous aesthetics. This is naturally due to instrument development too- the piano as we know it is relatively young and all the previous instruments had a lot to offer though they were all limited in their own ways.

In baroque for instance, it wasn’t relevant which keyboard instrument was used. In classical period likewise – the appeal of piano was based on its practicality rather than the beauty of the sound. The multi-practical usage of keyboard instruments included many things.. replacement of orchestra, for composing, handy sized keyboards were used for travelling and performing too.

We could say that different styles had different aesthetics at heart and this could maybe be a point of attraction for us.

We all have different tastes and characters and music truly does offer enough for everyone.

What’s incredible about an interesting repertoire combination is that one piece can shine a light on another one, and thus show us the sides that could be seen only in terms of context.

I will write a few practical proposals just as one of many ideas – in hope that they might be useful to some!

• I frequently like to “sandwich” centuries: take something very “early” and something recently composed. That provides a satisfying sense that time has passed, that piano changed so much and that there is a link that we have to find and feel. Some unbelievable combinations are Bach & Berg, Schoenberg or Rameau & Ligetti, Scarlatti & Scriabin. We get to see how harmony travelled, how the concept of sound changed, how form changed. It can be really magical!
• We could take the same form and travel through centuries with it – for instance Sonatas. They existed as a constant form but varied in length, structure etc. Choosing different composers and making a journey out of it is a wonderful idea.
• We could choose pieces from the same style but match them based on the content and the character. Many people combine Brahms and Schumann as they so beautifully fit. Here also, the possibilities are endless.

1. Character matching – if we opt for several pieces that we individually like, that don’t necessarily have a strong link between them, it could be a good idea to watch for the contrast of characters / keys / narratives of the pieces. It is nice when pieces give us a lot of opportunity for expression, hence variety is always welcomed. Sometimes it is hard to sustain attention if the expression tends to linger around the same point. It makes it easier to have different worlds within different pieces.
2. At the end of the day – it is not really relevant how you programme your performance. If the music you chose reflects your desires and your inner needs, it is more likely you will be an invested performer and draw your audience in. That is more important than intellectualising over the external structures.
3. Maybe the most important one: choosing what will benefit our growth, what will be of technical / musical benefit to us. Every single piece contributes to our development and understanding and growing through performing is the only way forward in understanding music!

Happy practising with an open mind and heart!

So on Friday, I did my first live piano performance for the London piano institute live feed. And it was brilliant! There was a concert with 32 students in total playing a wonderful variety of singing, guitar, piano and other talents. What was great is that everyone was at different levels, some (like me) performing for the first time in the world of zoom, others a bit more experienced.

When my teacher Stefan first asked me if I was OK to perform, my initial thought was (quite reasonably I believe) “absolutely not!” But of course, I said, “yes I would be delighted”. As Richard Branson says “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

So – I thought it would be interesting to give a brief overview of what was going through my mind once the concert started, to show what happens at a first live performance (at least to me!)

I was feeling pretty calm and about 10 minutes before I was due on I did some practice to warm up my fingers and get ready. All day prior it has been excellent but at this point, I couldn’t get past the first bar! Of course, this causes a spiral of over trying and making things worse. OK..

“Take a deep breath and don’t think about it- it will come” (it came).

I was number 9 on the list so at least I was quite near the beginning and I always prefer to get things over and done with. As the other performers started to finish my anticipation grew. “Number 4 done. Almost halfway to me. number 6.. how long will they play for? oh, they all sound really good. I hope I am as good

Number 9. Oh, that’s me! Here we go get ready

My fingers are shaking- OK this is new. Breath deep for a count of four.. and go!”

I want to talk here about what I call “internal monitor”. When you are in calm familiar situations this monitor is focused outwards to the world and helps you out and works for you. For example, when you’re practising playing the piano at home, this monitor is looking at the music and actively assists the subconscious mind (the bit that knows the music and plays automatically). More often than not in these situations, they are working in synch and the disruption caused by the monitor is minimal.

The conscious brain is calm and is assisting with the music looking at the age and calmly going “ok next up is the first chord sequence, next up 4th finger on C sharp and so on.

When in the live situation is felt very different. Suddenly, the internal monitor assistance has gone awol. No help whatsoever. in fact, it’s a hindrance. What’s happening is because of nerves, it is focused on the situation around you because it senses danger and is hyper-alert. This is known as the fight or flight response which is a very handy thing when you are in actual danger, such as being chased by a tiger- but not so useful when you need grace and finesse on a piano!

So, back to my performance, I was completely reliant upon my subconscious to guide me through. The only bit I stumbled on was where the conscious brain suddenly jumped in with “watch out this is the bit you mess up!!!!!” This sudden interruption threw me off and I lost my flow.

Here I had 3 choices. 1) Throw my telephone (zoom camera) out of the window, 2) throw myself out of the window or 3) just start again as if nothing had happened (I did choose C but it was a close-run thing).

I got to the end of the piece but I can’t remember how I got there. Kind of like when you have been driving somewhere and you suddenly find yourself at your destination with zero memory of the journey.

One thing that helped me was a simple strategy that calms down the crazy nervous system and helps you relax a little. Take. Deep. Breaths. I know this is obvious but when you are stressed, you forget to breathe and it becomes very shallow and from the chest. When you take rhythmic deep belly breaths it tells your stress system, everything is going to be ok.

Was it the best version of this I have ever done?

No.. but that’s ok.

Remember there is a difference between doing my best and performing my best.

Doing your best is about controlling what I can and preparing and being ready as best I can. My absolute best performance is then something that is subjective and can always be improved.

As this is not the objective, the main thing for me was to experience the thrill/fun/horror of a live performance.

Did I enjoy it?

Loved it.

To quote Eminem again, “You better lose yourself in the music the moment, you own it, you better never let it go.”

There is quite a significant difference between them, let alone having to play on any given piano except for the one you are used to playing on.

The upright piano has vertical strings and is more seen as the ‘household’ piano used for training children or plainly for a practice instrument. The action is that of hammers hitting against the vertically strung strings within an upright wooden body.

The grand piano is strung horizontally and the hammer action hitting from the bottom upwards. The sound of the concert grand is much richer and more beautiful than a small ‘baby grand’ which are overstrung. When one has to perform on an instrument, it’s vital to have a practice performance, so as to ‘feel’ the instrument as in feeling the resistance of the notes or keys when pressed down, as well as to hear the sound and test the position of the pedals and chair.

Take your time to feel and hear and test the instrument, so that you will feel comfortable with performance.

When you do find a situation where you are asked to perform and the piano is a challenge concerning maybe sound or tuning or notes not working properly, it can be quite alarming and nerve-wracking!

Best is to just decide to make the best of it, join the group and have fun as far as possible.

At least it will be like playing an old blues piano – like a honky-tonk piano in a bar!

Time to adjust and in your mind become Monk playing his jazz piano pieces with great success and many today would give a lot just to be able to play even close to what he did!

As mentioned, do give attention to the stool or chair that is offered that it can be adjustable or bring your own with the correct height that works for you. Sitting too high or too low can really affect your concentration and technique during a performance.

Also, make sure that the pedal is working well and make sure you do not have to wear special shoes to reach it properly. Some pedals can be very ‘high’ – so do test it.

It is an absolute must to try out or do a short rehearsal on the piano that you will be performing on. If not, it can be quite disturbing when one realises that the keys are either very hard or very loose. You might even find some are out of tune.

So it’s always wise to try out the instrument one will perform on so that you will be prepared and peaceful and able to give your best without having to think of notes, or chairs, or clothes etc. To give an example from my own life which was not at all funny at that time, but thinking of it now, it’s quite hilarious!

Aways dress that you feel comfortable and especially with regards to your shoes! Never use new shoes as it will affect you when walking and especially when having to pedal unless they have been walked in’ and comfortable. The heels need to be the height you are used to.

I had a very nasty experience performing at the ‘Musaion’ concert hall at The University of Pretoria in South Africa. We were a group performing various pieces and I was playing the Ab Major Ballade of Chopin. Not an easy piece at all.

In preparing for this event, I found a new pair of beautiful shoes with lovely heels – the newest look and all seemed good.

They fitted beautifully.

Well at the end as I went up the stage, I realized that these shoes were a bit floppy and high and when I came to the lovely concert grand, these shoes did not work with those pedals at all.

Well, needless to say, I had no other option but to try to ignore it and play, trying my utmost best to control the sustaining pedal with these horrific shoes!

The problem was that it threw off balance and all my concentration was on the pedal!

I got through the piece of music – but could not enjoy it nor pass on the emotions that I would have loved to convey to the audience.

The new-look was not worth it.

After that, I decided never again to give so much attention to the outside look as to the music that I wanted to convey.

Who really cares about our looks?

If the music is higher than our looks or ourselves – people can really enjoy and be taken into another world of great enjoyment!

Playing on digital pianos, keyboards or stage pianos

Artists are often these days asked to come to perform at an event where a digital piano is provided to perform on.

Therefore one needs to be able to adjust to these easily.

Digital portable pianos are very convenient for the travelling artist. That means you can take your own good stage piano or keyboard with to perform on. In that way, the artist has full control over the instrument. But should you not have this privilege and have to use a piano provided at your performance venue, it’s very important to test the piano or keyboard before a performance. On the digital piano, notes are in tune and at least there will be no false notes (not as in the possibility of an acoustic piano that can be tuned a bit “off” of the A144 hertz mark).

There are however other criteria that are important.

When testing the feel of a digital instrument, once again, feel the keys and make sure it will work for the music you are playing.

It is really difficult to play a fast Bach prelude on a lower-end keyboard or digital piano that does not have graded hammer action or weighted keys. There has to be enough resistance for your fingers as if you are used to an acoustic piano. Your fingers will be used to the resistance of having to push down a key fixed to a hammer on the inside of the piano. Some keyboards or even cheaper digital pianos are too ‘loose’ for a classical piano player and it becomes very difficult to control your technique and play evenly. This problem is absent on the higher-end digital pianos – rather called Stage pianos or performance pianos.

These are the best to play on and a real pleasure. The price is however not cheap, but worth it. Examples are like the Roland RD 800 or the Yamaha CP 300 just to give two examples. These performance digital pianos will either have a graded hammer action with a piano feel or have weighted keys.

The weighted keys action I personally enjoy more as it more resembles the acoustic piano.

These portable pianos are of course heavier than the cheaper graded hammer action pianos which are more digital and having less hardware.

Adjustment to your portable piano:

If you are playing a piece of music with deep bass notes one will need a good stage piano to be able to create the atmosphere you want. Some of the lower-end digital pianos can only sustain some notes and notes dies away soon after touch. Sustaining of sounds can be a problem. So do try out the keys you will be using to get the feel you need on the instrument and if you should adjust by peddling more or create more movement.

There is a very important element to take into account when performing on a digital piano or keyboard. Normally one talks of a keyboard or a workstation as of an instrument with many functions, used with many sounds for creating, sequencing or writing music and using orchestral sounds as well.

Most digital pianos or performance stage pianos only have a few settings for piano sounds like organ, vibraphone, guitar, and strings and a few others. It’s really important to play chords on the instrument and to hear or feel how many sounds the instrument can produce while putting your pedal down. It’s very frustrating when one wants to get a certain effect of continuing sound with a bass note that needs to be held with the pedal, just to find that it vanishes away! The reason is that the piano does not have enough ‘polyphony’ available (that is the number of notes that can be played together before the sounds start to cut out or fade.), so make sure that it can work for you – or you will have to repeat the bass note more often.

Before your performance, make sure the pedal is working properly and adjusted for sustaining for that specific model. If you find that it is not sustaining, you will have to change the polarity on the pedal or on the system.

Another element to take into account on your digital keys is when you want to change from one sound to another within your piece of music, one has to make sure that the piano allows for that and that it will be executed without a split second of a break.

On most of the stage pianos, this problem has been addressed but on the cheaper ones, there will be that split second of a delay or sound just disappearing and that is not OK at all during a performance.

So do test your performance instrument before performing that this will not affect you – then rather just stick to one sound.

Finally, the adjustment from one piano to another, or one digital piano to another can be a bit of an adjustment, but with a bit of testing and trying one can easily do the adjustment.

It’s important to test your instrument that you will perform on and then just to enjoy it!

Leave self-criticism or thinking about how others will esteem you, outside the door of the concert hall, as it will inhibit your playing.

Only be aware of the music.

Believe in your sound, give it and bless others with it!

Totally ignore all possibility of ‘mistakes’ or mishaps – just play and enjoy and you will do well!

I would also recommend reading my article on the art of performing the piano in public for more tips on improving your live piano performances!

Let’s be honest, performing the piano in front of a live audience can be daunting.

It takes courage and a fighting spirit to perform especially if you perform a difficult piano composition.

The truth is that performing the piano in front of an audience is as much a skill as learning the piano.

Just as you learn how to play the piano by taking lessons, you need to learn how to perform the piano in front of an audience by performing regularly.

The more regularly you perform, the easier performing will become for you.

The key is performing in front of an audience. You need to step out TAKE MASSIVE action and make yourself uncomfortable. (At least initially). 

Playing the piano requires extraordinary discipline. Practising your scales, arpeggios, sight-reading and developing your aural skill takes tremendous time and effort.

Often times one forgets that performing live is as much an art as the very act of playing the piano itself.

This is the reason why many people suffer when performing live. They forget it takes practise and repetition just like their piano playing!

The fact is performance is an art and a science. It’s an art as no two performance are ever the same and a science as there is a definite methodology to walking to the piano, sitting down, composing yourself and finally performing the piece. There are numerous techniques that one have to acquire in order to perform at your best. That is the scientific part!

When performing live, you are literally putting yourself under a tremendous amount of pressure, therefore:

-> You need to learn how to shut the audience out and focus on your instrument and the music.

-> You need to learn how to focus under pressure.

-> You need to learn to continue even when you make a few mistakes.

-> You need to excel on the stage!

In due time if you are faithful, you will reap the rewards of your hard work and eventually become less concerned about performing live.

It will take time for you to become the performer you want to become, but with dedication you will most certainly achieve your goals!

There is also an inner game going on inside of yourself, and you need to learn to let go of your critical voice and just focus on performing without judging yourself.

You will then perform in the zone!

Make sure you spend some time thinking about all the aspects of performance before performing again!

Here are a few tips for helping you perform better:

– Work on your psychology more than anything else – i.e. speak to yourself using positive affirmations. Listen to audio clips from Anthony Robbins or Brian Tracy!

– Make sure you REALLY know your material. If you know the score extremely well – you will be more confident. In fact to the degree that you DO NOT KNOW the score to that degree you will probably suffer on stage! Competence builds confidence…

– Dress for the occasion. If you are dressed up you will definitely perform better.

– Make sure you do a ‘dress rehearsal’ in front of a friendly audience before performing in front of the REAL life audience!

– You can perform live at pianos throughout London. We recommend the pianos at St Pancras International station. There you can perform your piece in front of a very friendly audience. (See: http://streetpianos.com/london2012/pianos/st-pancras-station/)

Also lastly, do not be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes.

You will make some for sure and it is a learning process.

Playing the piano is a journey not a destination… The secret is enjoying the journey!

Remember once again performing is as much an art as playing and it needs to be studied!

Ask your instructor to help you with tips and techniques to become a better performer.

In due time if you do not give up but persist, you will become the performer that you have always wanted to become.

Now is the time to take the first step and at least perform at that dress rehearsal!

May you succeed greatly in your piano performance.

If you work at it – SUCCESS IS YOURS!