Tips on Performing Your Music for Others

Have you ever dreamed of performing a piece you created for others. Imagining that they are captivated and held spellbound by the music? If you have, you know that it can be a long road from actually coming up with something, practicing it, and then giving it to an audience. In my own case, I had a good opportunity to perform. It was in a coffeehouse that already had a decent piano.

The problem was that I was playing for people who had come to listen mostly to guitarists on open mike night. Young guitarists that sang and played mostly Rock music or a derivative of it. I didn't care so much about that because I had the chance to go in front of people and share the gift of music.

In public speaking it's said that the fear of standing in front of a group of people and talking is caused by the anticipation of losing face - of looking or appearing like a fool. Now, some may be able to get up in front of a group and actually feel better than they felt before getting in front of people, but the reality is that 99% of us are going to feel some kind of anxiety.

There are two schools about stage fright. One school believes that you can completely rid yourself of it (extremely hard to do and a somewhat unrealistic). The other says that you can never fully conquer the fear but you can manage it and reduce it to a level where you can function and perform.

So far, I'm in the second group and I've learned a few techniques that allow me to perform well. One is that I practice enough to where I feel confident that I can perform above the normal level. The second technique is to accept the feelings of fear and reframe it into the emotion of excitement. In other words, I may be scared, but I'm also feeling excited. I focus on that part.

Most of the performance anxiety will dissipate soon after your performance begins anyway. It's usually the first 10 minutes or so when you're the most anxious. My goal when I get on stage is to focus on and enjoy the process of sharing the music with others. My focus is not on the audience.

The best performances occur when you can completely forget about the fact there are people listening. Then they can share in the magic that comes through you.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

MORE RESOURCES:

Ticketmaster to Power Live Music Ticket Sales On Billboard.com - MarketWatch

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ticketmaster-Power-Live-Music-Ticket/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B18C9279F-F4C5-4D5C-B837-2AC78F1D79B3%257Dcid=1272317802ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNHdDPc_XkXDAzEIaO65N9a0oaHytQTicketmaster to Power Live bMusic/b Ticket Sales On Billboard.com/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Billboard is uniquely qualified to provide consumers with credible chart data, authoritative bmusic/b analysis and access to both popular and up-and-coming b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ticketmaster-Opens-New-Ticket-Centers/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BB3D33F8A-5EE3-4182-B212-C0C8A75B53DF%257Dcid=1272317802ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNGGEslxVOlmPA698kyT-fk4mz20TQTicketmaster Opens New Ticket Centers in Five Publix Supermarkets b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272317802hl=ennobrall 14 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Metacafe Invites Viewers to Get Their Groove On With New Music Channel - MarketWatch

Music Review | #39;Fugitives#39; Tracking Composers on the Run - New York Times

Sources: Apple, music labels talk DRM-free songs - CNET News

Nokia Music Store Italy: More Than 4 Million Songs - MarketWatch

He Can Bring the Wine and the Music - New York Times

Music Review: Chinese Democracy - Entertainment Weekly

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html%3Fid%3D138b79aa-5779-4cf6-9af4-88428082ddf8cid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNF8TpdWNRc1KhyOb0D9gBXyKY7WLwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=pq_TaBPLPsEJimgurl=a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/f9641d42-c225-4a1b-9d17-2f28fe494717/chinese%2520democracy.jpg%3Fsize%3Dl width=80 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Canada.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20241280,00.html%3Fiid%3Dtop25-20081119-Music%2BReview%253A%2BChinese%2BDemocracycid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNFHepjWBpGTB4Gw5vvDbuYVXPGFzgbMusic/b Review: Chinese Democracy/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fEntertainment Weeklynbsp;-/font nobr8 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1This is unapologetically huge bmusic/b, not fit for tiny iPod earbuds. At times it#39;s possible to hear the world-changing CD that Rose — whose banshee howl b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-1fd=Rurl=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1599694/20081118/guns_n_roses.jhtmlcid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNF2wIvAuArSXZGGLlr35udLHiheMQAxl Rose#39;s Most Amazing MTV Moments, In Bigger Than The Sound/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMTV.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-2fd=Rurl=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/official-uk-chinese-democracy-premiere-announced-183375cid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNG9CHz3mie9ZHDDQtSHvqhnJtckZAOfficial UK Chinese Democracy premiere announced/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMusicRadar.com - The place for music makers/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-3fd=Rurl=http://www.411mania.com/music/columns/90673cid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNFhhBiRbEJ1wtcaR7Pkt5TSPDXczA411 GN’R Roundtable: Appetite For Destruction/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobr411mania.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-4fd=Rurl=http://www2.islandpacket.com/theguide/chinesedemocracy1119cid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNGJczeeF-f5GO_d-U6hGcX11nVagwnobrHilton Head Island Packet/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-5fd=Rurl=http://idolator.com/5092900/chuck-klosterman-likes-chinese-democracy-even-better-now-that-hes-heard-itcid=1272078017ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNHo1hXgJQqDNtmavK1xMHE0WrnokAnobrIdolator/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272078017hl=ennobrall 115 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

paidContent.org - Gaming Roundup: NatGeo; Music Mogul; Square Enix ... - Washington Post

Microsoft slashes prices of several Zune music players - Seattle Post Intelligencer

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8i-0fd=Rurl=http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/18450/microsoft-revs-zune-software-drops-pricescid=1271983730ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNE2IG0_sqageA32NvQtOxGx1Ce3FAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=i4uyrRZ93tAJimgurl=news.digitaltrends.com/images/stories/2008/11/6556/microsoft-revs-zune-software-drops-prices-160x120.jpg width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Digitaltrends.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/388410_msftzune19.htmlcid=1271983730ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNFyDou0suGJFYAJqdTUzYb2_F4UpQMicrosoft slashes prices of several Zune bmusic/b players/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSeattle Post Intelligencernbsp;-/font nobr18 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By JOSEPH TARTAKOFF Microsoft slashed the prices of several of its Zune bmusic/b players Tuesday, hoping to drive holiday sales despite the weak economic b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-1fd=Rurl=http://profy.com/2008/11/18/microsoft-hopes-price-cuts-will-help-zune-in-the-holiday-season/cid=1271983730ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNFi0JUwuI9AmPiLSOiydU8OKBOXHwMicrosoft Hopes Price Cuts Will Help Zune in the Holiday Season/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrProfy/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-2fd=Rurl=http://blogs.eweek.com/applewatch/content/ipod/zune_price_cuts_the_economy_or_nanos.htmlcid=1271983730ei=so0kSfaEHZXM8ASkpdnFAQusg=AFQjCNERlzzdTxCJuu4mAGyA0kI8NvGTpwZune Price Cuts: The Economy or Nanos?/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobreWeek/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1271983730hl=ennobrall 28 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

INgrooves and 7digital Get Together for European Distribution - MarketWatch

Music - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Adults Can Learn to Play the Piano Too
Are you well past puberty and have always had a hankering for tickling the ivories? Maybe you didn't have the money as a child. Or your family was always moving.

How to Create Hip, Mature, and Lush Harmonies [correction]
Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in a single octave, the root on the bottom, the third in the middle, and the fifth on the top.Usually chords are "voiced!"This basically means that the positions of a chord's tones are scattered over the keyboard.

10 Top Reasons You Should Learn to Play Chord Piano
There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to "chord a song" at the piano. By "chord a song", I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune.

Living Life Loud
Change is good. Just ask the millions of unsigned artists worldwide trying to get their music heard.

Good News for the Musically Untalented
Have you ever been told that you were good at something but not good enough to make it a career or life ambition? Especially with music, if you're passion is music you are hopelessly outnumbered right from the beginning. "You better have a back-up job" or "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" are common refrains heard from well meaning adults who inadvertently had their dreams crushed out of them.

Buying A Guitar - Do You Know What To Look For?
Buying a guitar is an important decision that my students have often asked me about. They want to know what they should be looking for.

The Post-rock Revolution (Explosions in the sky)
A lot has been said about the 'post-rock' revolution as of late. The rise of instrumental bands such as Explosions in the sky, Godspeed you! black emperor, Maserati, and The Mercury Program has raised questions about the direction that music is traveling.

The Art of Music
Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.It is also the vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm.

Creating Stark Atmospheres
One of the things New Age pianist George Winston is known for is what he can do with just a few notes. In fact, in his piece Colors/Dance from the CD "Autumn" he uses an ostinato pattern in his left hand to create a wonderful stark mood.

Are iPods Changing the Way We Listen to Music
They're everywhere, and not only are they everywhere, they look cool too. Since its launch in 2001, 10 million have sold and 8 million of those were in 2004.

Structure Of A Successful Music Website
Ideally each page of your website should serve a specific purpose.The main purpose of the sales page for your cd is to sell the cd.

Piano Lessons and Perfectionism
Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most of us learned how to be perfectionists as children, trying to please Mommy or Daddy.

How Has Eminem Risen to the Top?
How is it that a little white boy from Kansas City has becomethe most well known rapper in the world? Starting from nothingand eventually moving up to a multi-millionaire, Eminem over thepast seven years has been in the eye of the public everywhereyou look. He has essentially entered a black man's business andgone to the top over the course of a few years, but how?On October 17, 1972 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St.

Building A Good Relationship With Your Guitar
The guitar is considered the friendliest musical instrument there is. It is because the guitar is the handiest musical instrument that could stand on its own.

How to Create Interesting Textures
A lot of new age piano music consists of repeating patterns, or textures in the left hand while the right hand improvises a melody. This approach is really a good one! It frees you up to create in the moment.

Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!
Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be a little scary at first, but if you are well prepared, you will find the experience much easier to handle. Whether you're playing with a band, or by yourself; are a seasoned performer, or a rookie; there are several things you can do to make the most of your performance.

Killer Piano Playing Secrets of a Chord Addict!
I wish you could have seen me play the piano when I was just learning. I was the nearest thing to "hopeless" that you could imagine.

Is Rhapsody Music Downloads Service Getting A Good Rhap?
Rhapsody music, from RealNetworks is one of several reputable legal digital services for legal music downloads. In order to download online music or hear songs from them you have to pay for them first.

New Age Piano Tricks
One of the things that makes New Age piano so enjoyable is that it's easy to get started.One of the "tricks" of the trade is to play an ostinato pattern in the left-hand while the right improvises a melody.

Learn Piano the Easy Way!
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, note reading is the way to go.