Last night I hardly got any sleep. Tonight I have to play some solos for a few hundred people. A local group asked me to do so, and now I have to stick to my promises. Tickets are sold out since weeks ago. If the weather stays as it is, they are going to give the concert in open air, admitting some hundred people extra. I’m all tense. Maybe I should have an afternoon nap as long as I can.
Wish me luck and a steady blow. I’m sure your wishes (and maybe a little prayer?) will help me.
cwmwl wrote:
Last night I hardly got any sleep. Tonight I have to play some solos for a few hundred people. A local group asked me to do so, and now I have to stick to my promises. Tickets are sold out since weeks ago. If the weather stays as it is, they are going to give the concert in open air, admitting some hundred people extra. I’m all tense. Maybe I should have an afternoon nap as long as I can.
Wish me luck and a steady blow. I’m sure your wishes (and maybe a little prayer?) will help me.
remember to play slower than you think you should, the adrenaline pumping in your veins will make it feel like you should go faster.
Take it easy, they’ll enjoy your playing, and even if you make a mistake, they probably won’t realise! Just keep the rhythm going, and call it a variation!
Keep it simple. Dump ornaments in the first pass, then add em in. Milner was absolutely right, you are most likely to speed up so go SLOW!!!.
Sincerely, I have learned from years and years of performing to USE the adrenaline in a good way. After a long time, it becomes your friend by making your music more momentous and energized than you can perceive from your side. Tape recordings will verify it.
It will become fun but terrifying at first.
Enter the time-honored musical tradition: keep playing! Use a juggling metaphor if you must; you’re juggling the balls and you drop one, swoop down and pick it up and get back to the show!!
Remember too that PERFORMING is different than RECITING. I use that terminology to describe the difference between your practice at home without responding stimuli versus the dynamic nature of live performance; things can go awry but also very well. Often, its just not what you expected to happen so adapt to the immediate.
Good luck!!!
[ This Message was edited by: The Weekenders on 2002-06-28 13:00 ]
Thanks for the support! I just came back, and everything went fine. The people almost went frenetic when I played (don’t know why, I made some unvoluntary “ornamentations”). We have been playing for over three hours, I had five solos: Give me your hand, Sweeney Brogan’s Polka, The Greencastle Hornpipe, The Harvest Home and Home to the Kyles. The last song was taken over by scottish bagpipes (I played it on my Bb whistle) and it sounded great. I’m so happy now. Once more, thanks to all of you. It was such a comfort to have some people backing me up.
Wilfried (edited - I forgot to add my name)
[ This Message was edited by: cwmwl on 2002-06-28 18:43 ]
Gm