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Some questions for you all.
1) How do you relate to the audience when you perform, do you see the audience as an adversary, or a friend?
2) When you are performing, do you get into a kind of dialogue with the audience, or is the music a one-way transmission?
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I hope no one who plays for an audience of any size sees them as an adversary. In an audition or competition, I don't necessarily think the audience are friends but neither are they enemies.
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I don't necessarily think the audience are friends but neither are they enemies. Frenemies.
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I have been very fortunate in my recent performance experiences. In the by-invitation-only recital series I and my colleagues have created and participated in over four years, we have come to know our audience and also come to the realization that they are there to enjoy the music. Hence, we as performers look forward to the performances as much as do our audience members. The music we make is all about sharing our love for the instrument and its literature, and each of us tries to engage the audience by our introductory remarks and also by the performances themselves.
In our case, then, these are friends, sympathetic friends, at that.
I can’t say that this prepares me better for performances before an unknown audience, but the experience does make me feel that, whatever the audience, they are primarily there to enjoy the music, so I don’t see them as adversaries, even if their presence may sometimes make me nervous.
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1) How do you relate to the audience when you perform, do you see the audience as an adversary, or a friend?
The audience usually is there to hear your playing. So 'friends' rather than adversary. 2) When you are performing, do you get into a kind of dialogue with the audience, or is the music a one-way transmission?
Sometimes it seems I pick up things while playing for others that I did not yet notice while playing just for myself. A new way of phrasing for instance, a new way to put dynamics. A new relation between parts. I have heard that the best performers often change the piece on the spur of the moment, which seems to point in a similar direction. I say "pick up" to indicate that this might be interpreted as some dialog. But of course you can still explain it as a monologue with some random noise.
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1) How do you relate to the audience when you perform, do you see the audience as an adversary, or a friend?
As a friend. I can't really imagine the opposite. If someone was an adversary why would they listen to me perform? They would be very welcome to leave. 2) When you are performing, do you get into a kind of dialogue with the audience, or is the music a one-way transmission?
I don't think I feel it as a dialogue. Depending on the space I will try to project into it if its a large one (to back of the house kind of thing, just some spatial awareness on my part). I try to acknowledge with confidence the audience before and after playing and simply hope they will enjoy my performance.
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I’m glad you asked this question because it has been a concern to me for quite a while. I am not good enough to sense with the audience needs, but my piano teacher is: she adapts how she plays based on the audience response. All I can think of doing is to concentrate on the music and how I want it to sound and feel. I don’t know if that’s enough....... And quite honestly, I do not have extensive performance experience. I wish I did
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I’m glad you asked this question because it has been a concern to me for quite a while. I am not good enough to sense with the audience needs, but my piano teacher is: she adapts how she plays based on the audience response. What do you mean by adapting based on the audience response? Does she change the program? I can't imagine why of how a pianist would change how she plays in a classical recital or why that would be a good thing.
Last edited by pianoloverus; 05/23/18 06:34 PM.
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I’m glad you asked this question because it has been a concern to me for quite a while. I am not good enough to sense with the audience needs, but my piano teacher is: she adapts how she plays based on the audience response. What do you mean by adapting based on the audience response? Does she change the program? I can't imagine why of how a pianist would change how she plays in a classical recital or why that would be a good thing. No, there is obviously no change in the program.... But there might be a change in dynamics, phrasing or rubato. She can sense when the audience is with her, but I cannot. I am too engrossed in my own personal world. She is not the first Pianist that I have heard make a similar statement but I have never seen a real explanation about how to make that audience dialogue happen. Maybe it is just the years of performance experience that I don’t have.
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I tell people that there are two things that you should be aware of when you play for an audience.
The first thing is that you know what you are doing. The audience may not, so you should do all you can to make it clear to them. This will help those who know what you should be doing, as well, so you should not slack off.
The second thing is a corollary: If you make a mistake, some of the audience will know, so they do not need to hear it from you. The rest of the audience does not know, so there is no reason to point it out to them. It will only lessen their experience. Do not talk about it.
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I’m glad you asked this question because it has been a concern to me for quite a while. I am not good enough to sense with the audience needs, but my piano teacher is: she adapts how she plays based on the audience response. What do you mean by adapting based on the audience response? Does she change the program? I can't imagine why of how a pianist would change how she plays in a classical recital or why that would be a good thing. No, there is obviously no change in the program.... But there might be a change in dynamics, phrasing or rubato. She can sense when the audience is with her, but I cannot. I am too engrossed in my own personal world. She is not the first Pianist that I have heard make a similar statement but I have never seen a real explanation about how to make that audience dialogue happen. Maybe it is just the years of performance experience that I don’t have. It makes zero sense to me that a pianist would change dynamics, phrasing, etc. depending on how she thought the audience was reacting. I assume that the pianist has thought out the interpretation and generally sticks to it. But even if the pianist is the type who claim they play differently each time(which I think is mostly hogwash except for minor changes), I also cannot imagine how changing any of the things you mention would help out a pianist if they thought the audience wasn't with them. Do they start playing louder if they hear someone snoring?
Last edited by pianoloverus; 05/23/18 07:34 PM.
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I’m glad you asked this question because it has been a concern to me for quite a while. I am not good enough to sense with the audience needs, but my piano teacher is: she adapts how she plays based on the audience response. What do you mean by adapting based on the audience response? Does she change the program? I can't imagine why of how a pianist would change how she plays in a classical recital or why that would be a good thing. That's Surprise Symphony, right? Wake them. If the audience is asleep, pound a few notes to wake them up. If the audience is not paying attention, do something surprising to get their attention. If the audience is having trouble following along, put extra emphasis on the melody or main elements so the audience can hear them. If the audience is following perfectly (they've heard the song a thousand times), bring out secondary themes so they can hear more depth. There is no one in the audience who knows the piece as deeply as the performer (unless they are also a performer or similar). Guide the audience so they can see in the piece what you have seen.
Poetry is rhythm
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It makes zero sense to me that a pianist would change dynamics, phrasing, etc. depending on how she thought the audience was reacting. I assume that the pianist has thought out the interpretation and generally sticks to it. But even if the pianist is the type who claim they play differently each time(which I think is mostly hogwash except for minor changes), I also cannot imagine how changing any of the things you mention would help out a pianist if they thought the audience wasn't with them. Do they start playing louder if they hear someone snoring? I don't see it as any kind of conscious dialogue with the audience, but to me every performance is definitely different (not that I perform all that often). I don't just mean that I make different mistakes each time . There is something intangible in the atmosphere of the room--the quality of the audience's silence, maybe-- that affects the feeling of the music and draws out different things, whether I intend it to or not. This effect is more obvious when I'm performing as a singer and can see the audience, but I notice it at the piano as well. Even if it's only changing "minor" things, those can make all the difference in whether a performance communicates or not.
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I recently gave a recital to a group of audience (approx. 90 people) - most of them were friends, colleagues, and other piano friends. More than 50% were non-musical people.
My piano teacher introduced me and told people to turn off their phones. When I went up to the stage, I gave a brief talk welcoming everyone. It actually helped me feel less nervous. I explained to everyone what "Barcarolle" means and encouraged them to get the feeling during my playing. I also explained the 4 movements of the Sonata would be played non-stop as a set (implying people did not have to applaud). I was joking that practicing the sonata was like a musical workout.
Afterwards, many people came to me and thanked me for taking time to explain the pieces to them. It was very helpful. They also fully agreed what I meant by "playing the sonata was like a workout session".
During the performance, I was mostly focusing on the music. I played from memory so I felt somewhat liberated - which probably helped me connecting to the audience. This was the first time I played so much music in one setting so I was quite nervous in the beginning. However, about half way into the program, I actually felt better and started enjoying the process. I had a small memory slip in one earlier piece that caught me by surprise but I tried again and it worked. At the end of the program, no one brought this up - not sure if they were being nice or they did not notice. Other than that everything went quite well - my teacher even told me this was the best she had ever heard me playing these pieces after countless times at my lessons. She said the energy during live performance carried me to another level that boost up my performance.
To respond to some comment above: Actually I believe playing for the live audience (especially for a supporting crowd like friends and family) and playing at home are totally different things even though we are playing the same pieces with the same music/dynamic markings. Something about the live performance is just not the same - the energy level, the anticipation...whatever. One thing is to look confident on stage - if I look scared and worried on stage, the audience will also feel that insecurity and started worrying about me. It can change the atmosphere and energy in the room. Even though I ended up playing everything correctly, it would not feel the same for me and for the audience. I know It's easier to say that. I am still working on that. People said I look confident on stage - that's why they were surprised when I took out the paper towel to wipe my sweaty hands between pieces.... (a sign of being nervous but I had to do it)
No, I am not a very experienced performer myself but it does get a little better the more I do it. For the pieces I played at my recital, I had performed in front of people about 4-5 times before the big event so that also helped. When I sent out the invitation, I was concerned that many people already heard part of the program they might not come again. To my surprise, almost everyone still came to support me.
Sorry for the long post. Good luck to everyone trying to be a better performer.
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I’m glad you asked this question because it has been a concern to me for quite a while. I am not good enough to sense with the audience needs, but my piano teacher is: she adapts how she plays based on the audience response. What do you mean by adapting based on the audience response? Does she change the program? I can't imagine why of how a pianist would change how she plays in a classical recital or why that would be a good thing. That's Surprise Symphony, right? Wake them. If the audience is asleep, pound a few notes to wake them up. If the audience is not paying attention, do something surprising to get their attention. If the audience is having trouble following along, put extra emphasis on the melody or main elements so the audience can hear them. If the audience is following perfectly (they've heard the song a thousand times), bring out secondary themes so they can hear more depth. There is no one in the audience who knows the piece as deeply as the performer (unless they are also a performer or similar). Guide the audience so they can see in the piece what you have seen. I hope the above was not meant seriously. I can't imagine any professional pianist even thinking about such things no less doing them.
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I have been very fortunate in my recent performance experiences. In the by-invitation-only recital series I and my colleagues have created and participated in over four years, we have come to know our audience and also come to the realization that they are there to enjoy the music. Hence, we as performers look forward to the performances as much as do our audience members. The music we make is all about sharing our love for the instrument and its literature, and each of us tries to engage the audience by our introductory remarks and also by the performances themselves. That's a great experience. Hopefully it will help you get comfortable with the audiences you perform for. I recently gave a recital to a group of audience (approx. 90 people) - most of them were friends, colleagues, and other piano friends. More than 50% were non-musical people.
My piano teacher introduced me and told people to turn off their phones. When I went up to the stage, I gave a brief talk welcoming everyone. It actually helped me feel less nervous. I explained to everyone what "Barcarolle" means and encouraged them to get the feeling during my playing. I also explained the 4 movements of the Sonata would be played non-stop as a set (implying people did not have to applaud). I was joking that practicing the sonata was like a musical workout.
Afterwards, many people came to me and thanked me for taking time to explain the pieces to them. It was very helpful. They also fully agreed what I meant by "playing the sonata was like a workout session".
During the performance, I was mostly focusing on the music. I played from memory so I felt somewhat liberated - which probably helped me connecting to the audience. This was the first time I played so much music in one setting so I was quite nervous in the beginning. However, about half way into the program, I actually felt better and started enjoying the process. I had a small memory slip in one earlier piece that caught me by surprise but I tried again and it worked. At the end of the program, no one brought this up - not sure if they were being nice or they did not notice. Other than that everything went quite well - my teacher even told me this was the best she had ever heard me playing these pieces after countless times at my lessons. She said the energy during live performance carried me to another level that boost up my performance.
To respond to some comment above: Actually I believe playing for the live audience (especially for a supporting crowd like friends and family) and playing at home are totally different things even though we are playing the same pieces with the same music/dynamic markings. Something about the live performance is just not the same - the energy level, the anticipation...whatever. One thing is to look confident on stage - if I look scared and worried on stage, the audience will also feel that insecurity and started worrying about me. It can change the atmosphere and energy in the room. Even though I ended up playing everything correctly, it would not feel the same for me and for the audience. I know It's easier to say that. I am still working on that. People said I look confident on stage - that's why they were surprised when I took out the paper towel to wipe my sweaty hands between pieces.... (a sign of being nervous but I had to do it)
No, I am not a very experienced performer myself but it does get a little better the more I do it. For the pieces I played at my recital, I had performed in front of people about 4-5 times before the big event so that also helped. When I sent out the invitation, I was concerned that many people already heard part of the program they might not come again. To my surprise, almost everyone still came to support me.
Sorry for the long post. Good luck to everyone trying to be a better performer. And thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Poetry is rhythm
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Some questions for you all.
1) How do you relate to the audience when you perform, do you see the audience as an adversary, or a friend?
2) When you are performing, do you get into a kind of dialogue with the audience, or is the music a one-way transmission? I've been performing a recital once a month for several years now, in the same lecture hall and for a similar sort of audience, of which about 30% attend regularly, and another 20% attend intermittently. The rest are first-timers. None of them are musicians - they are all in a related profession to mine, and my recital precedes the meal and lecture (non-musical) that follows. Those attending for the first time usually don't know that there is a short piano recital (which is not billed on the program) to start the evening's proceedings, and I like to keep it that way - I don't want any musically-trained people in my audience who attend specifically to hear me perform, because I'd probably freak out with stage fright at the thought. My mission initially was just to give enjoyment to my audience, the vast majority of whom have never heard classical music performed live before. Therefore, I play a variety of pieces which have some immediate appeal, whether melodically, harmonically or rhythmically (or all three), of which only a few are familiar to non-pianists. (I've never played Für Elise or The Entertainer, for example. In fact, I've never learnt Für Elise - and don't intend to ). I hope to get them interested in classical music, and over the months and years, there have been people who started or re-started music lessons or became interested in learning to play, from chatting to me following the recitals. Good music performed live reaches the parts that YT videos etc don't (to paraphrase a well-known TV commercial about a certain alcoholic beverage ), and I'm totally informal and unstuffy during my performances (and try to look like I'm enjoying myself even when I'm trying to extricate myself from a bad memory lapse, or keeping a grip on my nerves ) and when answering questions about the music and composers when we mingle afterwards. No formal bowing (I just smile and nod to them when they applaud) and no dressing-up (my audience mostly dress informally, and so do I): I'm not a concert pianist. And I'm not lecturing, so I don't use jargon or musical terms. It helps of course that I'm one of 'us' (i.e. in an identical or similar full-time profession), who just happens to play the piano, so I'm someone they can relate to - not that I make light of how many years I had lessons and the amount of practicing I did to get to where I am, or to be able play the pieces well, when they ask me such questions about myself. In other words, they are friends and colleagues (a stranger is just a friend I don't know yet ), and my music-making is a two-way street.....
If music be the food of love, play on!
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If a performing artist considers his audience as the enemy he has chosen the wrong occupation.
Longtemps, je me suis couché de bonne heure, but not anymore!
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If they don't listen in absolute silence and with complete attention and admiration I slam the fallboard closed, give them the finger, and storm off stage.
Last edited by pianoloverus; 05/29/18 08:25 PM.
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