Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Let's ask David Nevue lots of Questions!!

It's gotten a lot worse as I've gotten older. I used to write a LOT of poetry, and even considered myself a "poet" before the music started kicking in.

I remember when I was young (college) I wanted to be a story editor full-time.

Yikes! I think I'd go mad if I was doing that now.

David, well it's a relief to know that you're human.... Although maybe not, 80-plus songs in your active repertoire or practice rotation, that sure is a lot considering you don't use any sheet music! Wow.

How do you get ready for a performance? Do you decide the program in advance, what you play and in what order? Do you write it down? Do you use that list during the actual concert?

If you do decide the songlist in advance, do you then practice for the concert by playing those pieces in the order that you'll play them in the concert?

Let's say you're playing 5 concerts in the next 10 days, are you likely to play the exact same program for each concert?

Sorry, that was another barrage of questions! But thanks again for taking the time to answer them and everyone else's.

As the saying goes (if it does go) "A thousand thank-yous!"

I'm VERY human.

Yes, I outline songs for each concert out a couple of weeks beforehand. Every concert is a bit different. Some are more secular (schools), some more spiritual (churches), and some in between. I try to measure the expectations of my audience before each show.

For example, I have three shows coming up in Jackson, MS, Abertville, AL, and Duluth, GA.

The Jackson show is at a church - a thursday night service. So my concert will have much more spiritual content. I'll share inspiration from the Bible, and play songs that draw from my spiritual walk.

The Albertville concert is a benefit concert for people who've never heard my music before. So I'll play a lot of instantly likeable stuff. My goal there will be to take these people who've never heard my music and turn them into instant fans.

The Duluth concert is actually a Whisperings concert. So I only have five songs or so to really hook people with. So I'll play the songs that I can tell the best stories with, because the stories sell the music.

Yes, I definitely run through the concert a few times. Also, more often than not I'll list my song order with "alternates" because sometimes, depending on my or the audiences mood, I'll want to play something other than what I initially put down.

So even after I plan the concert, chances are good that some aspect of it will change during the show.

So if you don't use sheet music, does each particular song change some each time you play it in concert? Or do you find you can remember note for note what the recorded (or originally conceived) version is?

And thank you for being so kind to answer all these questions! It has been very interesting reading your responses!

David,

This is a fascinating thread. Thank you!

I was wondering, as a human being, what is it like for you to hear others play your music?

Does that feeling differ in any way from David the artist?

Jeff

David, thank you so much for answering all these questions. Please feel free to tell us "that's enough" when you get tired...we don't want to impose on you!

But if you're not tired, I have one more question, or set of related questions..., and one that probably hits home to most of us adult beginners/ amateurs/ relearners, whatever the heck we are: Do you get nervous at the beginning of or throughout a concert? Does it throw you off if you make a mistake? (I guess I should ask if you DO make mistakes!) How do you cope with mistakes or nervousness?

I second that. How do you do it???

The songs remain pretty much the same every time I play them in concert. By the time I've gotten a composition to the point that it's "done", I've probably played it two hundred times. So over time it just settles into a routine and doesn't change that much anymore.

Hi Jeff,

It's very strange to hear my music played by others. I have this inner clock and expects the music to progress in a very particular way, with a very particular mood and motion. Other people have their own inner clocks, and their own way they feel things, so when they play, the song sounds very different to me than when I play it.

Sometimes its surprising and refreshing to hear, other times it's a bit jarring.

I imagine it's a bit like it must be when someone who doesn't speak your language tries to learn it and speak it. Some of the correct "sounds" may be there, but the grammar and intonation just isn't quite the same.

No, I'm enjoying this.

Yes, I get nervous, particularly the first three or four songs of a show. Usually, once I get through those, I settle down and just start playing without any nerves at all.

I'm often playing a concert and in my head I'm thinking "what's next?, what's next?, what's next?" and I start going into this mini-panic. But the thing is, I've done it so many times, I've just leared to trust myself and calm myself down. So I tell myself, "Just play, just breathe," and I do. I've learned to trust my fingers - they know what to do.

But yes, sometimes I do make a mistake. Often, they are just the kind where you slip and hit a wrong note in passing or something - not that big of a deal. But if you hit the wrong chord that can throw off your whole rhythm and then you have to try and recover from it.

Most of the time, when I make a major mistake like this, I just improvise my way back into the song. There was only one time where I completely lost a song in concert and had to stop playing - and it was one of the first concerts I ever performed.

One of the things I take comfort in (and you should too) is that people have very forgiving ears. More often than not, they don't consciously hear your mistakes, especially if you just keep going. It's like their brain "autocorrects" it for them or something.

The secret is, don't draw attention to your mistakes. If you hit the wrong note, just act like it was the right one. Most people don't take notice a mistake unless YOU take notice of it. Then they see your negative reaction to it and it's only then that they really notice.

So if you make a mistake, pretend you didn't and no one will know any different.

I remember one concert I did at a college where I played horribly - I made SO MANY mistakes it was probably one of the worst performances I ever gave.

Afterward, person after person came up and complimented me, saying how beautiful and wonderful the concert was. One person, who was a professor at the college, said that in his 15 years there attending concerts, he'd never heard anyone come in and play the piano so smoothly and gracefully.

I learned a big lesson that day. It doesn't matter what *I* think of my performance. It doesn't matter if I make mistakes. People still love it. So I've learned to just play and enjoy it, and if I make a mistake, oh well, life goes on.

David said:

So do you plan your concert program with that in mind? For example, do you think things like "I don't want to play that piece until at least halfway through the concert, this piece is a good one to start with because it's easy and I can ease my nerves with it." Of course, I am not a professional musician, but when I play in recitals or at parties where I play several pieces, I always try to plan the order of pieces so that something easier comes first and the more challenging ones (or longer ones) come later in the program. But maybe that's not how others do it, maybe you prefer to get the more difficult pieces out of the way early on?

Also, I like what you said about believing yourself, believing your fingers. So much of what makes us nervous is all unfounded fear, I try to remind myself that I have played the piece a billion times, there's no reason to think I can't play it now.

I think I need to tattoo this on my forehead, or make a big inspirational poster with this quote and hang it above my piano.

You probably don't realize how reassuring it was for us to hear that (a) you still get nervous, (b) you even make mistakes, but (c) you can get away with mistakes if you just keep playing. My big problem is that I still reflexively say "oops" (or ) when I mess up. I have been working on this and getting better, but since mistake-free public playing is apparently impossible, I need to master the fine art of playing blithely on without acknowledging the mistake.

Incidentally, I always use your piece, "The Gift," as the first piece whenever I play for anybody. I now know it well enough that I can play it on autopilot; it always sounds terrific; and it lets me get over the worst anxious moments without messing up and just feeling more anxious.

I don't know if you have listened to any of our attempts to play your music, but I must ask you to please not listen to mine, you will definitely be jarred. I am a beginner, only a little over a year. I love your music and love trying to play it, but I wouldn't want to scar you for life by hearing me attempt your music!

But I can't wait for the new ones coming in Sept.!

Thanks for giving us such beautiful music!

WOW! This is all so awesome to read all the responses you are giving David..

I too like the quote that Monica pointed out..

Originally posted by David Nevue:
It doesn't matter what *I* think of my performance. It doesn't matter if I make mistakes. People still love it. So I've learned to just play and enjoy it, and if I make a mistake, oh well, life goes on

I have been so inspired to not give up..

For a question or two I would like to ask this..

Was your music already a career or was this something you started out doing from a hobby?

Would you say that one must be passionate about what they are doing in order to become successful is a true statement?

And for the last one, how much time do you spend a day practicing?

Thanks again... I am a new fan!

Yes, I play songs that I tend to have NO trouble with first. I start almost every concert with "The Vigil". It's simple, and I can play it even when nervous.

Exactly.

That's a big part of it. People don't usually notice (or pay attention) to a mistake until you acknowledge it by your facial expressions.

If you just act like there was NO mistake, then even if they think they heard one they'll discard it, because they figure you must know what you're doing.

Never let 'em see you sweat.

That's great! Thanks for letting me know. It's a rather strange thing knowing there are all these people out there playing my pieces!

Well, I haven't listened, but even if I did, please don't worry about it. I didn't say that to make people feel intimidated. Obviously, people are on different levels, and so that fine. I'm always happy to listen when folks play my music. It's fun, even when it is a bit jarring.

And by "jarring" I simply meant the rhythm thing, not so much the actual playing. When I hear one of my songs, my mind automatically starts playing it back the way I play it. So when it's not exactly that way, it's like there's a mental "disruption in the force" in my brain because it expects a certain thing but doesn't get it.

It's like when you expect strawberry ice cream, but then someone hands you chocolate. It's not that it's not GOOD, it's just different.

It was definitely a hobby. I did my first albums just because it seemed like it was the thing to do. I mean, if you write songs, you have to record them right?

I don't think it was until I released my fourth album, "The Vigil" that I started thinking a real career as a pianist would be possible.

I worked full time at Symantec Corp. as a Quality Assurance Manager until just five years ago. That's when I tool the "leap" and decided to go for it. So far, so good (mostly).

Yes, in most cases. I mean, if you're not passionate about what you do, then other people have no reason to "follow" you. If you don't care, they don't care. If you do, they do.

All generally speaking, of course.

I practive five days a week, usually for 1-2 hours a day. On average, I'd say 90 minutes.

Exactly what every choral director I've ever sung under pounded into our heads- DO NOT react if you make a mistake! Don't let it show, no faces, no stopping, no head shakes, nothing- just keep right on going. If you don't let them know, most people will never realize a mistake was made. Now, if only I could do that when I'm playing.....

Hmm, don't know that that tattoo idea would work well. Unless you have a mirror on your music desk- and then you'd really want that inked in reverse so you could read it.... Maybe the poster is a better idea....