i screwed up my concert yesterday... i went "blank suddenly" in the middle of the piece and had to go out.... then came back and do it again.... has this ever happened to u??

Yes, that happened to me once when I was about 10 and playing the piano in a concert- it's not very nice is it? I do sympathise. I suppose there's not really anything you can do but come back and try again, and I think that takes some degree of bravery!

I'm sure it won't happen again in a hurry- everyone has their off days but you know you're good!

lol definately!

a wek ago, i was auditioning for the prom.

and i was playing this piece, where i had practise it a million times at home...i was very confident about it

and then as i performed, the bgining was okay but suddenly, m mind wnt blank and i hit the wrong note

............

but i got in anyhow

well done then.....

this happens to everyone at some point... and there are worse things that can happen!!

i've just got back from a music centre concert... me and three of my friends got trophies... one of them (a cellist) put his cup under his chair because we were about to play again... we were playing "Night On a Bare Mountain" and in one of the rest pauses he kicked his cup over... clang clang clang... (it was soooo funny!)

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Dec 3 2004, 04:33 PM)

i screwed up my concert yesterday... i went "blank suddenly" in the middle of the piece and had to go out.... then came back and do it again.... has this ever happened to u??

Yes this has happened to me and it is really awful isn't it. I think you just need to put it behind you and not dwell on it. You did really well to come back on and perform again.

Oh yes, most definately.

I've been in a middle of a song and realised I don't know all the piece and should really have the piece in front of me to remind me. Usually I end up by playing a few chords (on the Organ) that sound something like I should be playing - or call (my mistake) improvisation!!

Craig

I had a memory lapse during a piano recital. It was a piece with a lot of big full chords and I forgot the chords so I just kind of moved my hands and played some wrong notes 'till I got back on. I was so scared I'd forget that part and sure enough I did! But I'm kinda glad it happened because now I have had a memory lapse and survived it and I know if I do it again (which I'm sure I will) life will go on. I'm still scared to play from memory though...

I had a sort of memory lapse at the symphony hall last night, altgough I actually remembered what I was supposed to be playing, I ended up playing to B naturals in a piece in F major... I think I put nick_flute off, although probably not as much as when we had to sing... She was the unfortunate soul who had me next to her!

You think I was unfortunate, you were the one who had me coughing all through the first half next to you, and my singing must have frightened everyone, hehe! Did you know that in Hark the Herald, the cymbols came in a verse early!! HOY!

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Did you know that in Hark the Herald, the cymbols came in a verse early!!

Nope, didn't notice about the cymbals.

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You think I was unfortunate, you were the one who had me coughing all through the first half next to you

Aww

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HOY!

That was so cheesy... "In a one horseee opeeeeeeeeeen sleighhhhhhhhhhhh... HOY!"

Plus the conductor cracked me up when he was making W motions to the youth choir.

Oh and of course some of flute choir coming in late with "HOY!" so it sounded more like "OI!"

i am trying to forget this incident.... fully prepare for my future concerts and exams....

Even being prepared doesn't mean the performance will be blemish free, I was prepared before yesterday. Sorry about the B natural nicki...

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ Dec 10 2004, 08:02 PM)

my singing must have frightened everyone

Your singing? You don't have a lisp to contend with sweetie.

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You don't have a lisp to contend with sweetie

I couldn't tell you had one

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Sorry about the B natural nicki

That is fine, it didn't bother me

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Plus the conductor cracked me up when he was making W motions to the youth choir.

I know why I found him so funny now, he looked so much like my old technology teacher .

Hoy!

has made my day knowing that someone didn't notice!

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has made my day knowing that someone didn't notice!

Aww, it is so not obvious! Did you know Liz is thinking of doing a reunion party?

Yup, will probably go! you?

Yes, if the date suits me.

our school band had to play some chrismas carols at the end of a show and the whole band missed out the end verse of 'o little town of bethlehem', and left my music teacher playing on his own on the piano

i'm always losing my place when i play the organ in my church but the people there carry on singing without me

QUOTE (violinandpianogurl @ Jan 6 2005, 07:34 PM)

i'm always losing my place when i play the organ in my church but the people there carry on singing without me

glad that they carry on singing.... my school's church doesn't.....worse congregation i've ever met...

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the whole band missed out the end verse of 'o little town of bethlehem', and left my music teacher playing on his own on the piano

I stopped playing a hymn one verse too soon last week... sometimes I start another verse when there isn't one
Always provides some light relief for the congregation.. by friend always finds it very funny when I do stuff like that.

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Dec 3 2004, 04:33 PM)

i screwed up my concert yesterday... i went "blank suddenly" in the middle of the piece and had to go out.... then came back and do it again.... has this ever happened to u??

Was it a single-performer recital or just a concert? Really awful if it's a solo recital, I've seen someone do a thing like this, but it was a bit different, she got stuck on the 2nd page of a Mozart sonata during a competition, she just couldn't go on. Then she tried to play 2 bars before that spot but then she failed again. After 5 times or so she suddenly jumped to another section and fortunately played normally until the end.

I've also done a lot of blunders when performing or accompanying, especially when accompanying using a score, I'm always afraid of the book to fall every time I turn the page. Once I forgot that I should turn using my left hand but I did it with my right, then the whole thing was falling. Luckily I could catch it with both hands, omitting 2 bars or so before trying to get back. Fortunately the choir director didn't say anything about it. When accompanying without a score (free improvisation) most of the time I mess up the introduction-the 4 bar passage that you play before the congregation starts to sing. And sometimes I mess up the whole thing, but luckily everyone keeps singing.

It's great that you could come back to do it again, in fact sometimes the audience may take it as a practical joke you had planned already. (well, usually not )

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I stopped playing a hymn one verse too soon last week... sometimes I start another verse when there isn't one   Always provides some light relief for the congregation.. by friend always finds it very funny when I do stuff like that.

i add extra verses all the time, the congregation are used to it now lol

I have had plenty of mind blanks but the worst thing that happened to me was when I had a violin exam (gr6) and I was kind of ill with a tickly throat. I went through the whole of Fantasia on Greensleeves with a bright red face trying to stop a coughing fit from coming out. At the end (a very very bad end) I didn't manage to hold on to the last note and do some beautiful vibrato, instead I started coughing like mad. The examiner was a bit surprised.

QUOTE (Keys @ Jan 8 2005, 09:36 PM)

I have had plenty of mind blanks but the worst thing that happened to me was when I had a violin exam (gr6) and I was kind of ill with a tickly throat. I went through the whole of Fantasia on Greensleeves with a bright red face trying to stop a coughing fit from coming out. At the end (a very very bad end) I didn't manage to hold on to the last note and do some beautiful vibrato, instead I started coughing like mad. The examiner was a bit surprised.

eeek... you've reminded me of my grade 6 violin exam... I was playing a piece... I forget what it's called, I remember it as "the Wienawski" or something like that - the composer's name. one of the little rubber thingies on the feet of my shoulder rest had come off, I'd replaced it with one of those sticky foam squares but it didn't grip the same... the pieces starts with these crashing chords, double, triple... I think a couple of them were even quadruple stopping if I remember rightly??? anyway... first chord, my bow comes crashing down on the violin and my shoulder rest slipped... I foolishly didn't stop, explain to the examiner, adjust and start again - oh no, nothing so sensible! I played two pages gripping the violin in a weird contorted way to try and stop it just falling off my shoulder, and only stopped to adjust it at the page turn. D'oh.

Lol and deary me. I have memories of shoulder rest problems...

QUOTE (Keys @ Jan 9 2005, 05:13 PM)

Lol and deary me. I have memories of shoulder rest problems...

Yeah... mine kept falling off during my school performance...

Its playing with dodgy music stand that always gets me! My flute wouldn't dare let me down!

For some reason, schools certainly, always have the most appauling music stands. The amount of concerts where they've suddenly dropped 2 foot, and I've had to finish playing by ear, or kneel down to read the music if I don't know it well. And worse, is when you're trying to do a page turn and the whole stand it so wobbly it just goes playing!

And they always self destruct with such a huge racket.

QUOTE (tamsin @ Jan 9 2005, 05:22 PM)

For some reason, schools certainly, always have the most appauling music stands. The amount of concerts where they've suddenly dropped 2 foot, and I've had to finish playing by ear, or kneel down to read the music if I don't know it well. And worse, is when you're trying to do a page turn and the whole stand it so wobbly it just goes playing!

Most of the time in school half of the orchestra use their feet to keep the stand upright.
The worse thing about stands are the ones where the top bit ( er where the music sits) can't stay up and you're basically leaning over it to try and read the music.
Oh the pain.

Yes, or the opposite, where the stand is so upright that it's almost leaning forwards and it won't go back, so the music keeps falling forwards onto you. Or when it collapses oh-so-slowly, and you know it's going, but you can't stop playing, so you just have to pray that you get to the end of the piece before the stand finally gives up.

And the shoulder rests- yes, I know that one too, you're in the middle of a page of running semiquavers and it drops off... Always the most inconvenient moment, always!

My shoulder rest tends to fall off with a loud clatter in orchestra rehearsals just as my conductor starts to bring us in for the next piece! It kind of doesn't help that I'm a viola player.... I'll say no more...

stands falling over.......brings back memories. iwas playing clarinet in our swing band with 2 other clarinettists, we made a mistake,couldnt stop laughin and then kicked the stand over oops!

Oh I remember once (ages ago) knocking my music stand over at least 3 times in half an hour in an orchestra rehearsal. My conductor was not best pleased. And I wasn't even a viola player then ....

My worst experience is standing in the front row of my school choir in a concert and I was singing from the score - it was Joseph, and we had to clap in one of the songs (the one that starts "Back in Canaan the future looked rought," *clap* *clap* *clap*). Well my score went flying into the audience and landed on the headmistress - how embarrassing was that!

QUOTE (cheeble @ Dec 4 2004, 11:33 PM)

this happens to everyone at some point... and there are worse things that can happen!! i've just got back from a music centre concert... me and three of my friends got trophies... one of them (a cellist) put his cup under his chair because we were about to play again... we were playing "Night On a Bare Mountain" and in one of the rest pauses he kicked his cup over... clang clang clang... (it was soooo funny!)

i knocked my glass over just before a solo with my band (repiano cornet solo- in the mood) - luckily it was on carpet so i picked up my cup and let the coke soak into the carpet- nobody noticed - but i did get very dehydrated - but the solo went alright