Recording at home is like in Glenn Gouldās studio trying to make perfect recordings. Since weād listen to a recording over, a little miss get noticed.
When playing outside your home including friends & family gatherings, youāre less concerned with missing notes. Not playing against a metronome your tempo would vary a bit.
Last October I played āWhat a Wonderful Worldā on an old piano in a store. A young man was watching not in a critical way like a teacher but out of curiosity. Feels like a Show nā Tell in class. Youāre in control showing others something interesting.
In December during a Christmas gathering played an arrangement of āHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmasā on a second-hand piano. A lady whose husband used to own the piano watched and asked for permission to record. Again like a Show nā Tell. Somebody wanted to keep the sound of the piano that was in her home for memory. Restarted the song to make sure she got the best sound.
Iāve been to 1 gathering where half the group had music lessons but only played for their teachers so donāt feel the stress of competing with anybody. Another gathering people are musical. Many play with a local music group or a choir. My playing blended in quickly. Everybody appreciates music and not critical of every little mistake.