# Your experiences playing music?



## Desafinado (Apr 13, 2014)

I hope this qualifies as a 'not so serious' thread, but wasn't sure where else to put it. 

I stumbled on this site today after attending a few classical concerts in the past few months, falling more in love with the genre, and starting to do some research. I started a thread earlier today and a member here replied while alluding to some of his experiences actually playing music. 

I thought the things he said were quite interesting so I did a quick search trying to find a thread that's surely been started on the topic already, but unfortunately came up empty-handed. So that leads me to this thread:

I'm curious about people's experiences playing music, from beginners to professionals: from practice, to performance, to the music itself, to any and all psychology involved.

Would love to read about it, or have someone point me to a thread that's already been made.


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## Desafinado (Apr 13, 2014)

I forgot to mention, I've played myself.

My parents started me out on piano when I was very young, and I wasn't bad at it, but it never took and I ended up more interested in sports during the period. I don't hate the idea of experimenting with piano again some day, but unfortunately don't have a piano.

At about age 16 I took up guitar and actually got quite proficient in terms of muscle memory and the ability to play tab, but I never had the motivation or time to delve deeply into music theory due to spending most of my time on high school, and eventually university. Luckily, I did have the chance to perform a few times as a guitarist, once at a coffee shop, and another time in front of a few hundred people while playing in a band. Great experiences to say I've done. I do own a guitar now and would eventually like to get more into it again, but the hobby seems to have fallen low on the priority list. These days I'm more into writing as an art form.

There was also a stint with trombone in high school music class, and I'm told I was quite good at it for a beginner, but I never carried on with it. 

All in all my experience playing music was never too intense. It was mostly a passing hobby and when I was more into it I got a lot of enjoyment out of doing it.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I have too many stories, and I'm only going to get more of them as I get older. I hope some of them are intriguing...

1. In my Junior year of high school, I played a piece from memory with a local orchestra. I wasn't nervous, but excited anyhow. I knew I wouldn't mess up too bad, but I had high standards for myself which meant being in tune all the time, always good tone quality etc. I was more into all these things as I was playing, when suddenly I started looking at my audience more closely. Memorizing my music allowed me greater ability to actually look at the audience much more than I normally do if I'm sitting on the stage in the back of an orchestra. Well, at 2 points of my piece, both of them somewhat "subito" forte/passionate moments, I saw at least half the audience sat up in their seat like I had startled them... I've forgotten how to play that piece from memory now, but I'll never forget that impression...

2. Keeping composure is not easy!! And it's not just about nerves, it's everything else too! Especially for a flutist that will lose their embouchure if the conductor does anything absurd!! It's not yet happened to me that I played a piece where I _seriously _had to watch myself, but I've played some humorous things in my time, and conductors don't help if they're laughing too.  Anyhow, every conductor has their own style of gestures and facial expressions and some are harder to read than others, so that's a big issue the first time one reads with an orchestra they're not familiar with. I've cried while playing in an orchestra before too, though I also didn't let that ruin anything.

3. Going back to my Junior year of high school and that solo performance, I was incredibly moved when a few people stood up in the audience after I performed. I was actually shocked/flattered. Today, not so much, in fact, I don't know if cheering and standing really gives me _particular _pleasure anymore for solo stuff. However, I do think it's proper that an audience cheers especially for a large group, for example after a piece ends with a bang, a roar of "bravo!" is extremely exhilarating, and especially if I thought it went super too. After all, as an audience member, I react in the same way too, sometimes shouting stuff. However, I do like seeing big crowds at concerts of any size, something is more comforting about that. It doesn't matter if they cheer or stand, I just like seeing people listening, even silently.

4. Nerves. Everyone has them at some point, and for different reasons than others too. I even get nervous for _other _people sometimes! The better you know your music, the less chance of getting shaking, dry-mouth, etc. but say some slip-up happens in performance, it can be hard to get your mind on track again since that mistake itself can make the adrenaline shoot up.

5. Other quirks happen in performance too. Page turn hassles, pages flying off the stand, miscounting rests, that awkward moment when a solo doesn't go well for someone else, etc. Mistakes happen. They are frustrating, but we live with them, and usually try to get over them as quickly as possible. Perfection is not always measured by such standards.


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Many years ago (about thirty? _Really_? Wow...) I used to augment my income by playing in covers bands - chart hits, oldies etc - along with a few sessions for radio advertisements/jingles/stings, which were an education and adventure. I think I already wrote about the Manhattan Transfer 'Chanson D'amour' French maid stripper lady in another thread, and if I can think of any stories that are PG rated I'll certainly post them.

Ah, I do recall a couple who would dine once a week in a restaurant we gigged in. Over time we ended up on first name terms with them. One night they asked to book us - well, two of us - for a private function to celebrate their wedding anniversary. It took place at their home, which at the time was the biggest and more luxurious house I'd ever been in (I be wots known as from peasant stock) but strangely lacking guests. They had laid on food and alcohol for my colleague and I which we were encouraged to enjoy.
But the job comes first and so we asked where we should set up. 
_"Upstairs in the main bedroom, please"_. 
Okay...
It turned out that we were to play while they lounged on their bed and feeding each other grapes and _holding hands._ And they didn't stop there.
What do you do? And more to the point, where do you look? The keyboard player said to me "just keep playing" and so we did.
The room was fairly dark and only a shaft of light from the window provided illumination, although it shone on more than we needed to see. 
And we had no set list and so started to choose songs we thought were appropriate and also amusing. Example: slow ballad version of 'Blue Moon'. Then 'Moondance'. At one point 'Bad Moon Rising'. 
Eventually their passions were spent. At that point we were tempted announce "Please be upstanding" and then to play 'God Save the Queen'. We settled on - I kid ye not - 'Yakety Sax'.
We were paid, packed up, filled our pockets with booze/food, and left. The following week they were back at their usual table in the restaurant and chatting away to us as if nothing had happened.


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