Playing Piano for Public Events

Source:Internet    Posted by:Learntopianoonline.com   Date:2009-12-29   Click:

If you practice and play long enough, you might get enough experience to play outside
your most intimate social circle. You might be asked to play piano for a church service
or as a member of a rock band. You might be given the opportunity to play the piano
as a paid soloist for a wedding, engagement party, or funeral. There are many chances
to play the piano in public if you are someone with reasonable talent and experience.
If you are playing from sheet music, you can make your life easier by preparing your
sheet music or songbooks ahead of time. Get some plastic sleeves that you can put a
page of music into and place each sheet in a sleeve. If you own a book, you can cut
the pages from the book and insert the ones you need into the sleeves. Then, clip the
sleeves in order into a ringed binder.

Using a binder makes it easier to turn pages without dropping your sheet music or
fumbling with a bulky book. The music is all right there, and you will not damage the
corners by trying to turn the pages too quickly. Another advantage of using the binder
is that you can put all the written music for the entire performance in one binder. Then,
you do not have to keep going from one sheet or book to the next over and over.

You might get some butterflies in your stomach when you play for a crowd. It is
perfectly natural. The main thing to remember is to relax. Tighten up your muscles and
then let them go. You will feel a sense of calm after you do this. If the situation is right,
you can calm your nerves by talking softly to other musicians while you are waiting for
the event to begin or the curtain to go up. Never talk when you will disturb the
audience, though.

The most important thing to do when you get nervous is to think about the music. Let
your mind drift away from the audience and the circumstances of your playing. If you
have chosen your song well, concentrating on the music will carry you through the
nervous times. You will not have to do much thinking about the event you are covering
because the song will speak for itself.

There are times when you play with other instrumentalists, such as in a rock or country
band. You might have written music, but often you will be improvising. Sometimes, you
will be trying to imitate someone else’s version of the song you are playing. Be sure
you know the goals of the group in this regard.

When you are playing with others, do not hog the limelight all the time unless you are
the featured player. In most cases, you will be just one member of the ensemble, doing
your own individual part to make up a balanced act. Remember to let others have their
turns to shine.

If you accompany a chorus, you can lead them to a certain extent. You can set the
pace according to the lead of the choral director. On the other hand, if you accompany
a solo singer, your job is to provide just a framework for the singer. At the same time,
you need to be flexible enough to mold your playing to the variations the singer makes
in her performance.

Playing for public events need not be scary. You do not have to be a musical genius to
do it either. Just do your best and your experience should see you through.