Efficient Practice   

The psychologist and scientific researcher K. Anders Ericsson established in 1993 that it requires at least 10.000 hours of deliberate practice (about 10 years) to achieve an expert level of performance in any given domain. Musicians need about 15-25 years to attain an elite international level. More information about deliberate practice you can find at:

http://www.uvm.edu/~pdodds/files/papers/others/everything/ericsson2007a.pdf

There seems to be a universal limit for how much deep practice human beings can do in a day. Ericsson`s research shows that most world class experts( including pianists, chess players and athletes) practice between 3 and 5 hours a day, in session lasting no more than 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes. Here are some reasons:

Deliberate practice is not inherently enjoyable.

It requires to identify the elements of performance that need to be improved and to work especially on them.

It is above all an effort of focus and concentration. 

This is what makes deliberate practice distinct from the mindless playing.

It`s highly demanding mentally.

It also involves monitoring one`s performance and continually looking for new ways to improve. You must be observant and aware of what happens, so that you can tell yourself exactly what was wrong. 

Great performers choose to rest in the learning zone. That`s the location of skills and abilities that are just out of reach. We can not make progress in the comfort zone because those activities we can do already easily, while panic zone activities are to difficult. The three zones are constantly changing. As you operate in the learning zone, you will get more comfortable with the current skills and they will start to move into the comfort zone. The tasks of the panic zone will move to the learning zone and the cycle will continue.

"If the activities that lead to greatness were easy and fun, than everyone would do them and they would not distinguish the best from the rest."

Deliberate practice requires effort but is the most effective way of learning to play music at a high level!

                                 "Be yourself on stage" - Izmir 2013

                                       How to control stage fright 

 

Prepare, breath and visualize

Here are three very useful steps to control your stage fright:

1. Prepare

Practice is one of the most important steps. Nothing can replace our time spent with the instrument. Do not worry if the moment to say” Now I am ready” or “I studied enough” doesn’t come yet. This happens to all of us, but you still have to get used to the idea that at some point you have to play the repertoire on stage, in front of an audience. As soon as you start realizing this and preparing yourself - the better. You will become less anxious and more self-confident.

2. Breathe deeply

We are so used to breathe fast and shallow into the upper chest. This creates an imbalance between oxygen and carbon dioxide which can lead to: dizziness, muscle tension, stomach pain, fatigue, a fast heartbeat etc. The solution is to use the abdominal breathing. This exercise is very simple and can be repeated for two or three minutes.

Breathe in deeply and slowly counting to four, hold the air for two seconds and than breathe out gently and calmly.

3. Visualization

The visualization technique can be practiced several days before playing in front of the public, but also when playing the same day. Start with a deep breath in order to become relaxed. Than close your eyes and try to visualize yourself playing at your best performance on stage. Use your senses and imagine details: sounds, lights, expression of public, feelings. This exercise can be made during a whole piece or just some parts of it. Try obtaining the best performance in your own imagination.

  

                                       Positive self-talk before playing on stage

I will dedicate some paragraphs to the internal dialogue. I personally believe that our self-talk plays an important role when stage fright and performance anxiety is involved.

The fear of failure brings thoughts like this when we are in front of a public or jury: “ If I haven’t studied enough?” or “ If I make a mistake, if I have a memory slip or a bad day?” Sounds familiar? These thoughts usually increase the physical symptoms such as: clammy, cold hands, stomach butterflies, sweat, dizziness, fast heartbeat etc. What next? We need to face discouragement, worry, fear, uncertainty, and ultimately a weak performance.

On the other hand, positive self-talk gives us more enthusiasm, motivation and energy. Here are some examples: “I am ready. I have something to offer to the public. I expect to play at the highest level. I will have a nice sound, etc.” This statement helps us to focus on what we want to achieve, being in the same time very useful in controlling and balancing the negative and irrational thoughts.

The internal dialogue is just one from many factors which influence our performance results.

How do you control the negative thoughts before playing on stage?
Share from your own experience!