Expectation of Performance

Performance ReminderI used to have this bad attitude that if I knew that I could handle something technically that it wasn’t worth working on. I also deluded myself into thinking that I needed to have an absolute commitment to original expression and thus time spent on “covers’ was not worthwhile.

Ok. I now think that to be a bit stupid. I have stagnated aspects of my musical self because of what must be a bit of arrogance I guess. Honestly , part of it I think is that I just don’t ever think I have enough time

Having the technical chops is a different aspect of musicianship than that which entails having such command of a piece of repertoire to which you can bring your full capabilities of self expression.

What am I getting at ? Well simply this. Working on repertoire that you can perform is very important, no matter what it is. So you must force yourself to perform. It so important that music schools force students to perform at recitals. The act of mastering a piece of music to the point that it can be performed fluidly and for the ears of others elevates a very important aspect of musicianship. Perhaps the most important because music is more alive when its shared.

So perform. How ? True we don’t all have audiences just waiting for us outside our front doors. My solution is to record and share. Share with friends, family. Share with the world and put it out on a blog or on your Facebook page. Just perform, record and share.

So now you need something to push you , yes remind you , nudge you because ok, it is hard. For now my solutions is simply to setup a reminder with one of the modern tools we have now at our disposal. I do most of my practice on my Mac Mini so in my case I’m using the Reminder’s app. Google Calendar is another great option, there’s tons out there. Just schedule because it matters and it will get easier.