It’s also helpful, and important, to consider why an audience member comes to a performance. It may be a famous player or program, or a notable event or holiday, or just the desire to enjoy the audience experience.

If they explicitly came for your particular performance, you have a motivated audience and your internal purposes are more in play. If they came for an event which coincidentally has a piano element, then I think the discussion must expand to their reasons for participation. I’ll enjoy considering that aspect.

I really like your comparison with cooking for others. It also includes why someone may not wish to perform for others at all, becoming a better to cook to enhance their own meals and experience. A dinner party is such a different thing. Thanks for the topic.

Perpetual Beginner, Yamaha P115

    ShiroKuro It's interesting to me that "sharing my interpretation" didn't come up in my own descriptions...

    Maybe think of it that way might actually help me relax a bit more and focus on the music rather than being distracted by all the pressures of performing.

    I've seen the advice to think of sharing music vs. hoping not to mess up as being helpful in calming performance nerves.
    I haven't quite got the knack of it yet. I end up with a hybrid "I hope I don't mess up while I'm sharing this piece that I love".

      macuaig It’s also helpful, and important, to consider why an audience member comes to a performance.

      Excellent point!!

      macuaig If they explicitly came for your particular performance

      This is the easy sort, because if they came for my performance, they are friends, and that reduces the pressure significantly.

      If they came for "good music" and expect a professional-level performance, that might make me a little nervous, to say the least!

          It might be better in another thread, but another concept might be "why perform WITH others". Have you ever performed with a group? As a for instance, have you played with an ensemble of other instruments?

          In my case, I play with a trio, piano-bass-drums. The drums keep me honest about timing. The bass makes me pay attention to chord structures that may or may not be what I intend and adjusting on the fly is sometimes a requirement. And if I miss a note or notes, I HAVE to keep going, it's not optional. Also, it makes one concentrate in ways they wouldn't otherwise as it can lock you in to a timing you may not be comfortable with (too fast or even too slow), and also introduces a lot of background noise that can be distracting.

          Might be a different subject, but it's what came to mind when I was reading the posts. It could be an ensemble. It could be a band. It could be another player either on the same set of piano keys or another player at another piano at the same time. It could be a vocalist singing with you. Lots of possible dynamics.

            Bellyman "why perform WITH others"

            To me, the answer to this is quite different from the question of performing for others.

            I used to play regularly with a violinist, and before that a cellist. After I moved, I hard a hard time finding musician friends but now I have a cello friend.

            To me, playing with someone else has the benefits you mentioned, in terms becoming a better musician through being part of a musical ensemble, the social aspect of sharing music with other, and also the chance to play music that I can't play on my own.

            All of these are truly wonderful to experience.

            But to my original question: if I'm playing solo music, I don't have to perform it to enjoy it. I can play it on my own, for myself.

            The same could be said of an ensemble. You could just play with your friends, or you and your friends could perform for others.

            So that's where the question is. Why perform?

            🙂

                ShiroKuro But to my original question: if I'm playing solo music, I don't have to perform it to enjoy it. I can play it on my own, for myself.

                Indeed, I do play sometimes just for my own enjoyment. Something typical of late is to fire up Pianoteq and turn the reverb up way too high and play something "dreamy". I can mentally wander off in my own little world, any direction I wanna go. 🙂

                P.S., didn't mean to hijack the thread. I had just had my coffee and my brain was quite busy. LOL!!

                  No, no, hijack away!! 🙂

                  I think I'll be thinking about this for a long time... 🙂

                  A friend asked me about her daughter’s art teacher who told her if she doesn’t have an explanation for the point of view of her excellent drawings, they are not art. I’d consider this a clumsy way of trying to teach, but I could see a possible intent.

                  Art vs illustration. Art can be well executed - and demonstrate an underlying message. Illustration may just be an exercise in skillfully rendering imagery, just for the sake of the execution.

                  Relating to music performance? Does musical art have to negotiate with others, or is the development of personal competencies a valid pursuit of its own? I’d say of course it is, and performing for others is a different exercise entirely. Again, very similar to cooking for oneself vs holding a dinner party. They are separate activities that of course would inform each other, but are not required of the same person.

                  I’ve known people who perform publicly frequently enough that they no longer desire to play alone. They can be two different activities.

                  Perpetual Beginner, Yamaha P115

                    Pallas My teacher says we make art to connect with other people

                    Ooh, I like that!

                    Re playing for people “who might judge,” I started to feel at some point that other musicians generally make the most sympathetic audience.

                        macuaig performing for others is a different exercise entirely

                        Yes, performing is its own animal, IMO anyway!

                          ShiroKuro So that's where the question is. Why perform?

                          The best reason I can come up with is if you can answer yes to the question of will your performance provide pleasure to the person hearing it (and if you have any interest in pleasing other people, which not everyone does). Thus it's the performer's own self assessment of their playing, and of the listener's expectations, that determines whether to perform or not.

                          Some people express belief in a "need" or "duty" to perform, but I'm not one of them. I play for myself. I can read a book or watch a movie for my own personal pleasure. Same with piano. At the same time, if someone want to perform, go for it! It's a big tent. There's room for both approaches.

                              Stub Some people express belief in a "need" or "duty" to perform, but I'm not one of them

                              Right... this is super interesting, because I would not have described myself as someone who has a "need" to perform, and certainly I don't feel a duty.... I'm not good enough for that! 😛

                              But, I am very motivated to perform... I just can't quite articulate why. Certainly there's a pedagogical benefit, i.e., I learn a lot and my playing benefits from performing. But I don't think that's really why, it's more just like a nice side benefit rather than a core reason.

                              I guess some of it is because of the reasons I suggested at the beginning of this thread

                              What are we doing when we play for someone else? Showing them our musical skills? Sharing our love of music in general? Sharing our love of a particular piece? Trying to create an emotional/musical experience for the other person?

                              But I feel like there's something else, that I just haven't articulated yet...

                              So maybe another part of it is what you said,

                              if you can answer yes to the question of will your performance provide pleasure to the person hearing it (and if you have any interest in pleasing other people, which not everyone does). Thus it's the performer's own self assessment of their playing, and of the listener's expectations, that determines whether to perform or not.

                              Maybe it's like why we do anything for other people, we hope it makes them happy, and we feel good doing something for others?

                                  Pallas My teacher says we make art to connect with other people

                                  ShiroKuro Ooh, I like that!

                                  So do I!

                                  Music for me is the most wonderful form of non-verbal communication. I want to tell a story, one that cannot be told in words. I want people to be moved, fascinated, sometimes comforted and sometimes unsettled. If after a concert somebody compliments me on my technique, I know I have failed. But if somebody says that the music made them dream, or it made them cry, or it filled them with joy, then I'm happy.

                                      ShiroKuro Maybe it's like why we do anything for other people, we hope it makes them happy, and we feel good doing something for others?

                                      Yes, and the second part rings true--gift giving often does as much, or more, for the gift-giver than for the giftee. It makes us feel good giving of our own free will.

                                      Thinking about this some more since I posted yesterday, it occurs to me that performing in front of others also satisfies the showman in us (I'm thinking in very general terms and not about anybody here!!). We like our moment in the spotlight and a little bit of praise. This is definitely not to say it's showing off, but rather that most people do appreciate having their egos stroked now and then. For those who don't perform, they get it in other ways.

                                      ShiroKuro, how strong is your need to perform? My teacher performs a lot, in some small things and in some major undertakings. I suspect there is a level of compulsion present in her need to perform. Injury has forced her to cut back some and it is very hard on her.

                                          Pallas “His hands were like butterflies.” Many thanks for that. You have made my week.

                                          Perpetual Beginner, Yamaha P115

                                            Stub ShiroKuro, how strong is your need to perform?

                                            I mean, it that strong.. I wouldn’t call it a need..

                                            But performing has always been part of what I envision as part of my piano activities… almost like it’s a given.

                                            And it obviously matters to me enough that I make efforts to do it…

                                            But I wasn’t playing for others all throughout the pandemic, and I certainly didn’t stop playing. So not performing isn’t something that is upsetting or something…

                                            It’s hard articulate.

                                            I think maybe it’s more social than I realized…

                                              I've been thinking about this a lot since the thread started. I've had some long-winded responses in mind, but I think I can distill it down to the following.

                                              1) For whatever nature and/or nurture reasons, my brain is wired to respond to music in an intensely positive way.
                                              2) Listening to music also evokes a strong desire not only to listen to it but also to create it myself.
                                              3) HOWEVER, I do not enjoy the music itself as much when I am playing alone than when I am listening to it. I shift from audience mode to performer mode, which is mentally very different for me, and not as positive.
                                              4) HOWEVER, when I perform for others, those two seem to collapse together in a good way, and I enjoy the music even more than simply listening to it. For whatever personal psychological reasons, the presence of an audience allows me to inhabit the audience mode even while in performer mode, and then some.

                                              That's about it. 🙂

                                              Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                                                TC3 HOWEVER, when I perform for others, those two seem to collapse together in a good way, and I enjoy the music even more than simply listening to it. For whatever personal psychological reasons, the presence of an audience allows me to inhabit the audience mode even while in performer mode, and then some.

                                                That’s awesome!!

                                                • TC3 likes this.

                                                  Hi ShiroKuro

                                                  For me performing for others is secondary to performing with others. The first is a lovely benefit of the second.

                                                  Apart from classical lessons and practice, I play in a pop/rock band, a big band and attend a sort of jam night. At the moment the big band is not gigging, it's purely a rehearsal band (though that might change next year). The jam night does one gig a quarter, and although we rehearse weekly the pop/rock band only does 5 -10 gigs a year. Most recently last Thursday, which was a lot of fun. So for all that playing (about 90 rehearsals a year) I get to do about 12 gigs a year.

                                                  I was someone who was completely frustrated as a youngster. I could only play what was written in the sheet music, and I wasn't great at reading that in those days. The thrill of playing in a band is something that at one point in my life I never dreamed I'd achieve. It was only when I was about 19 that I found out how to break my reliance on sheet music.

                                                  I could quite happily, continue doing what I'm doing without the gigs. It's the interaction with other musicians that is more special to me. I've made life long friends from music, and they are people I've played with, not played for.

                                                  Cheers

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

                                                    That’s fantastic @Simonb !

                                                    And 12 gigs a year is once a month, that’s a lot!

                                                    And I think the social element is really important, and wonderful.

                                                    So far, I have found one person here to play with, but our schedules don’t match up well so e don’t play together as often as I’d like. Hopefully I can find a few more musicians, and a few pianists, to have some more varied musical interactions. Given that we’ve only lived here for a year and half though, I think I’m doing ok. 🙂