Mistakes in performance
AlCarruth@aol.com
Tue, 4 Jun 1996 08:42:30 -0400
I don't solo on the harp myself (I only know .7 of a tune!) but I do
sing church gigs occasionally, and perform folk music with guitar, etc., and
I know a lot of other performers. So, herewith a couple of my thoughts.
Butterflies are good, up to a point. They are appropriate if they keep
you from relaxing too much. I always find that the sound I like to make, and
to hear, has a certain edge or urgency to it. Remember, you are trying to
communicate, and a little bit of tension helps to get the point across. When
singing a solo I will usually stand a bit off balance for the same reason;
'lean into' the music, rely on it for some of your support. And, by the way,
the softer the music the harder you need to lean on it.
One tip I have found helpful is to start learning a new piece a week or
two before a performance, preferably one that pushes your technique a little.
It gives you a break from all that music you are 'sick of'. and, after all
that hard work the old pieces will seem easier. At very least you will be
able to approach them with a bit fresher ear. There are few things as
uninspiring as listening to a performer who is just going through the notes
for the umpty-umpth time, and this can help you find a new 'take' on the old
stuff. DON'T include the new piece on the program!
You should always be performing a little below your current skill level.
If you are sweating over technique you can't be thinking about the music.
What I often say about building holds for performing as well;
Apprentices make mistakes and don't know what to do about them, Journeymen
make mistakes and hide them, Masters make mistakes but they are part of their
style. Some mistakes are impossible to hide, of course (like the whole group
of basses in one chorus who came in a half page early, and fortissimo, with
'Tuba mirum spargens sonum' in the Verdi 'Requiem'; fortunately in dress
rehearsal), and you simply have to learn not to make those apprentice-level
mistakes. One journeymans trick is to remember where you made a mistake the
first time through, and play it the same way on the repeat so that people
think you meant it. The jazz guy showed mastery; he used his mistakes as
opportunities to explore new harmonic possibilities in the piece. In order to
do that you have to be pretty skillful, but the fact is he still made
mistakes. I wish I could play the guitar as well as Segovia made mistakes.
;-)
Most people will forgive a lot of rough edges if you can get the point
across. Think about what you are trying to say with the piece, and do what
you have to to get into that frame of mind before you start. With the harp
you are already halfway there, it is such a fetching sound that people want
to get into it. Draw them in. That is why they are paying you the big bucks,
not because you are 'perfect'.