Hi ShiroKuro

Just listened to your recording and it sounds fine to me. Not perfect, but it'll never be!

I played at my Teachers recital this year, where like you I was the only adult, the rest were children/teenagers. I actually quite liked that situation. My performance was nowhere near perfect, and I certainly made mistakes. And if you make a mistake, or even if you come to a complete stop, it's not the end of the world. Just gather yourself and carry on.

I assume you are playing from music? I wouldn't try doing it from memory. At my recital everybody played from music. If playing from memory was required I wouldn't have been there.

At my teacher's previous years recital I played Maple Leaf Rag and I had it almost completely memorised, because I've played the piece for decades. However I had very little practise prior to the recital because my Mum had died a few weeks earlier. I got 3/4 way through playing it from memory (but with music in front of me) and then went blank. I didn't know where I'd got to in the sheet music in the heat of the moment, and had to go back to the start of the section I was in. Nobody mentioned it and indeed my teacher's husband, who is an ex concert Pianist (and a much better Pianist than my Teacher) came up to me and congratulated me. To some extent I'm sure he was being polite! I've since had a lesson with him (earlier this year), now that made my hands sweat! But I needn't have worried he's a lovely man.

Just go along and do your best. Good luck

Simon
All round average Jazz, Blues & Rock player.
Currently working towards ABRSM grade 8.

ShiroKuro That's a beautiful piece, I can see why you chose it. The piece is way beyond my playing level and I would never have the courage to perform in a live recital, but since you asked for opinions here are my thoughts about tempo issues. You play the piece in a steady way, but I think the issue is that you are not differentiating enough between the lengths of short and long notes - you are playing them too "similarly" to capture the nuances in the tempo. If you listen to the professional recording and immerse yourself into that process, you can imagine waves rolling gently up onto a sandy shore, they approach slowly and build up, then there is the cascade of water as they break. That is the sort of feeling I have when listening to this piece - I find myself mentally anticipating the next musical "wave". Maybe if you try this you might get a better idea of which sections to speed up slightly and be more conscious of the rests.
It sounds like a good idea to play an easier piece before this one, as it might help to relax you before playing this piece. You are clearly a talented and confident player and with time I'm sure you can finesse this piece, but if you feel you need more time then perhaps just play the other two easier pieces at the upcoming recital, to take the pressure off.

"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

    ShiroKuro

    2 things:

    I like it very much and if you played to that standard at the recital you'll do extremely well.

    Never compare yourself to a professional.

      ShiroKuro I take it back, he's written it so it's a little off-beat but it's intentional! I would try to play it softer and more delicately in the left hand like he does; maybe hearing the off beats in the left hand so clearly was why I thought it a playing error. Or maybe I just was hearing something else in my head 😂

      I think the original tempo has more momentum but your tempo is also good and I wouldn't force yourself to go faster. I think you're ready to perform this 🙂

        Thanks everyone, lots of food for thought here! And also, I feel very encouraged! I'm definitely going to play this on Sunday! 🙂

        @Simonb yes, I'll be playing with the score out. I always use a score in a performance situation.

        @Nightowl , those are great comments, thank you! Re playing multiple pieces, the recital I'll play at this Sunday only allows one piece. It's the concert I'll play at in late November where I plan to play three pieces, and this piece (Sept Song) will be the middle piece.

        re your comment here:

        You play the piece in a steady way, but I think the issue is that you are not differentiating enough between the lengths of short and long notes

        This is such an interesting comment! I think it's because I'm playing with some degree of "fear" -- IOW, fear of messing up, fear of getting lost or fear of moving into the wrong next section.

        @Player1

        I like it very much and if you played to that standard at the recital you'll do extremely well.

        Never compare yourself to a professional.

        Thank you for the nice compliment! And the important reminder!! 😃

        @twocats

        I take it back

        No, no, don't! 😃

        Jokes aside, my teacher uses the term "convincing" -- this was in the context of me talking about the parts where I'm not playing it as written, and he'll say "yeah, it doesn't matter as long as it's convincing."

        I think your original reaction shows that I'm still not there yet, because how I played it wasn't quite convincing. It's getting close, but not there yet.

        he's written it so it's a little off-beat but it's intentional! I would try to play it softer and more delicately in the left hand like he does

        This, definitely. Ffrench is excellent at voicing, and he brings a softness to spots where I'm just pounding desperately at the keyboard ....

          ShiroKuro This is such an interesting comment! I think it's because I'm playing with some degree of "fear" -- IOW, fear of messing up, fear of getting lost or fear of moving into the wrong next section.

          Totally understandable, I'd never be brave enough to play in a live recital. You've done the hard part - you're playing all the right notes (and there are a lot of them). 🙂 I agree with @Player1 - you should never compare your playing to a professional, that way misery lies. But it is good to listen to the original recording for inspiration and to help identify those areas where notes need to be played faster/slower. If you love the piece (and what's not to love about it?), that also helps. Good luck, brave person!

          "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

              Nightowl (and there are a lot of them)

              This is very true!! 😃

              Anyway, thank you for your kind comments!! This whole thread has really given me back my confidence!

              Obviously it's not perfect, and as @Simonb rightly said, it never will be. But I think it will be good enough, and I can both enjoy playing it and learn something in the process.

              Let's see what my teacher has to say on Wed! 🙂

                @ShiroKuro Just make sure you can play it "cold", because you will have no opportunity to warm up or refresh your memory. Playing it five times in a row before you can say "that sounds pretty good" doesn't count - that's the illusion of mastery. But if you walk to the piano first thing in the morning, before doing any practicing, and sit down and play it - you are ready.

                  Sam Just make sure you can play it "cold",

                  thanks @Sam !

                  because you will have no opportunity to warm up or refresh your memory

                  I'm not worried about memory since I'll be playing from the score, but mostly likely, I'll be sitting in the audience (getting progressively more nervous) and then have to get up and play. Cold, as you say.

                  So I'll practice that way.

                  Mr SK is going to wonder when I walk into the house after work and go sit down at the piano first thing.... 😃

                      7 days later

                      ShiroKuro I also perform at a community school recital once or twice a year. And then some years I take a break from it which happens to be what I'm doing right now. It's often recommended to have a high level of comfort with the piece you're playing. The pressure of performing means that you're going to get a lot out of the experience so that you get more comfortable with being up on the stage performing. I don't know that you need to add to that by choosing a piece that's a challenge for you. Having said that, your recording of the piece would make for a really nice performance. If that were exactly how you played it in the recital then I think it would be quite nice.

                      As Sam says, get a comfort level where you can just sit down and play it. I would also say that it can help if you get a chance to play on many different pianos. That's not always practical, but it helps with responding to different piano behaviors.

                      Don't let yourself worry about it too much. Especially on the day. Someone said to just smile, go up there and play. When I perform in this situation, there are always mistakes. It's better if you maintain your narrative and don't stop, but I have plenty of cases where I got stuck and either lost pace or had to redo a section. At the end I usually give myself credit for getting through it. I started the piece and I made it to the end. Bravo! No one is paying you for this performance so don't worry about it too much. I will say, I'm much more comfortable doing this now than I was about 5 years ago. It's hard playing as the adult when there are a lot of kids in the recital. Someone has to be the example adult. I was more comfortable with the idea when I first saw another adult up there. So even if there are no other adults, you could be that person that inspires another to get up there! You know there will be others that want to do it.

                      In general, I'm glad for the opportunity to perform and that's not going to change. But the build up to a performance and then finally getting through it kind of hollows me out for awhile. Then I just want to recharge and play whatever and whenever I want. And I know I will be back.

                      If you haven't already done this performance, just bring your confidence and positive energy and try to enjoy yourself. I know that sounds ridiculous but also sounds right. 🙂

                            Pathbreaker I don't know that you need to add to that by choosing a piece that's a challenge for you.

                            I chose the harder piece because I'm scheduled to play in a concert at the end of this month. At that event, I'm playing three pieces, so I decided to play the hardest of the three at this recital as preparation for the concert. As it happens, that was absolutely the right choice, because now (the recital was yesterday) I know what I need to do to prep for the concert.

                            Pathbreaker Having said that, your recording of the piece would make for a really nice performance. If that were exactly how you played it in the recital then I think it would be quite nice.

                            Thank you! As it happens, I didn't play it that well yesterday. 😃

                            Pathbreaker just bring your confidence and positive energy and try to enjoy yourself.

                            Yep, that's what I did 🙂

                                  I was not familiar with the original composer's recording until after I listened to yours. I think you were ready to play the piece in public for the first time, and to call it a success if you hit 90% of what you did on the recording in front of people. It is also time, now that you have played it, to work on it more - the pressure of having played it publicly and preparing for that experience can pay big dividends in learning.

                                  As to some specifics - you tend to rush when things are more difficult, e.g., the double thirds passages around the a minor scale (at least that's what I hear without the score). I suggest elongating them at times rather than rushing through them, and in this piece, you might want to vary what you do with repetitive passages so it is not always the same (or not, a different aesthetic choice).

                                  Make your fingers follow the singing voice in your head, don't them rush you. BREATHE, SING.

                                  Hope this is helpful. Again, I thought you were ready, and if Sunday was not your best performance ever, it is still an opportunity to learn to do better.