“But I played so well at home.”

So goes the story of many pianists who don’t understand the difference between practice and performance. But once you understand what that difference is, all you need to do is employ the right strategies to be as successful in performance as you are in practice.

In my opinion, the biggest difference between practice and performance is control.

There’s nothing glamorous or fancy about real practice. Imagine Leonel Messi or Roger Federer. You can bet their practice is (or has been) focusing on one single move for hours at a time until they completely master it.

Think of practice as the distortion of reality by drilling a specific move until it’s “automatic.” In practice you can repeat a certain move ad nauseam. Can you imagine calling a timeout during a game to practice a move for 30 minutes before resuming? It’s like watching a DVD at home compared to watching a movie at the theater (get it?).

In short, practice is structured, methodically rehearsed and habit-building.

Performance, on the other hand, is another beast altogether. If you practice the right way things can randomly (frustratingly) go down the gutter.

Back to this idea of control. A saying in football is that the best team is the one who manages their time the best. Think about that.

Manage your time because you can’t control your outcome.

For the 2015 season, there was no NBA team that scored higher than a 50% in terms of field goal percentage (shots made). That means they miss half their shots! Every NBA team! Do you think that applies to their practice? Of course not, that number’s usually 100% if not 200%.

And don’t forget luck.

If you look at the most pivotal moments in professional sports, sometimes it comes down to pure dumb luck. The ball literally bounced their way.

So knowing what you know now, how do you practice for performance?

It’s simple, really. Practice performing.

What does a team do when they want to simulate the game experience? They scrimmage. But remember that scrimmages are a very small percentage of their practice. It could be 5% or 10%.
If you scrimmage too much, you will lose the valuable skills and knowledge you gained through practice. So make sure your run-throughs (performances/scrimmages) are just to evaluate where you’re at.

Here’s a formula that will help: 10 practices = 1 successful scrimmage. 10 scrimmages = 1 successful performance. So that’s 100 practices and 10 scrimmages just to get 1 good performance.

Now all that’s left is for you to execute.

Happy practicing!

When it comes to having a successful piano recital performance no one can deny the importance of consistent practice and performance rehearsal. But there’s one thing you can do that doesn’t even require a piano to enhance your success.

Bow.

That’s right, a simple bow.

It’s funny to think it can all basically depend on looking at the ground. So let’s dig deeper and you’ll understand that this one thing makes all the difference in the world.

Many concert artists have said that performance starts before you even play a single note, that it starts the moment you set foot on stage.

The moment the audience sees you.

So, everything you do before you even sit at the piano affects your piano performance (a.k.a. “stage presence”).

In the book “The Creative Habit” the author talks about “keystone” habits. This single “master” habit lays the foundation from which all other actions, plans, and strategies lead to success.

One single habit. One starting point.

So think about your bow, the way you walk to the stage, and even your posture as keystone habits. Rehearse them until it’s completely automatic, completely natural. This will be your secret weapon against nervousness.

And nobody will know but you.

In my last “How to Make Piano Practice Automatic” post I talked about making practice into a habit. So when your pre-performance routine is a habit, it becomes something familiar and something to depend on for when your nerves get the best of you.

And the opposite is also true. If you don’t feel confident when you bow (i.e. you haven’t rehearsed it enough), it can create negative momentum that spirals into a poor performance.

Also, give some serious thought to starting a keystone habit for yourself first thing in the morning. That one thing you do as soon as you wake up will set the tone for the entire day. It could be something as simple as making a cup of coffee or a quick mantra.

Do it every morning and you’ll see a difference in your day.

So what else can you do before playing that first note on the piano? Do you have a specific routine for your day?

Sharing is caring, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

As always, happy practicing!