# For Musicians...



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Are anyone here musicians? This includes non-professionals, I'm referring to anyone who has performed music in front of an audience, small or great, for profit or nonprofit.

I have a question for you all. Do you ever feel that the audience is more interested in watching your _performance _rather than just listening to the music? For example, people would come up to you and comment, "You're a fantastic player! You're so talented!" rather than, "That piece you played was very moving. I've never heard it before," or, "That was a favorite piece. Thank you for playing it."

Then, if you could choose, what kind of impression _would _you want on your audience: love for you, or love for the _music _through you?


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I used to be a freelance French hornist, and performed with many,many different orchestras,concert bands,opera companies and chamber ensembles over the years until a neurological disorder forced me to quit.
I've performed under such well-known conductors as Joann Falletta, Maurice Peress,Arthur Weisberg, Dalia Atlas,David Lawton, and David Alan Miller,to name only a few, and I auditionied(unsuccessfully) for orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic,Washington National Symphony,Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony and others.
I've performed in Italy,Switzerland,Australia,New Zealand ,Samoa and Fiji.


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Are anyone here musicians? This includes non-professionals, I'm referring to anyone who has performed music in front of an audience, small or great, for profit or nonprofit.
> 
> I have a question for you all. Do you ever feel that the audience is more interested in watching your _performance _rather than just listening to the music? For example, people would come up to you and comment, "You're a fantastic player! You're so talented!" rather than, "That piece you played was very moving. I've never heard it before," or, "That was a favorite piece. Thank you for playing it."
> 
> Then, if you could choose, what kind of impression _would _you want on your audience: love for you, or love for the _music _through you?


I play the flute but don't think I'd go as far as calling myself a musician by any stretch of imagination. I used to perform (in school) as well as in choir. Mostly it was ridiculed or treated as 'uncool' by other school kids. Used to play the piano for entertaining the old folks tea meetings. They didn't seem to care much for my playing either. Mostly they were happier if we spent time with them chatting and got off the piano


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

I play acoustic piano and the digital version. acoustic guitar and the electric version. acoustic drum and the digital version. english ocarina and the i-phone version. for violin, harmonica, didgeridoo, er hu etc, I haven't learn the digital/electric version...if any.

I would love the audience to love my music, through me.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Easily, I would choose for the music to be loved, especially because I play music that people don't tend to already know. It actually irks me greatly when people compliment my playing and not the pieces; I tend to feel as though I did something wrong, that I was being too flashy or whatever. I don't want people to notice me, but rather to respond to the music and realize that it's the music and not me that is provoking the response.

Might sound terribly ascetic or high-flown from me, but I still despise performers drawing attention to themselves.


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## PicklePepperPiper (Aug 3, 2010)

I'm attempting to become a musician.

And World Violist brings up a very good point, that the music should be allowed to speak for itself - ultimately it is about the music.

However, I see merit in being a performer, because to be honest it's one of those superficial, selling points. If you're animated when you play, that visual connection for the audience is extremely helpful with "selling" the music. It seems almost criminal.

I can't abide performers who play just for themselves, to flounce their greatness. At the same time, I can't abide people who do not perform at all, and do not have any physical evidence of their enjoyment of the music. So it's very much on the fence for me.

-PPP


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Yes it is entirely and sadly true.
Also, when people come from concerts and attempt to recommend it to me, they focus solely on how the musicians performed whereas I would much rather hear what they performed.

Not to mention their evaluation of performance is extremely shallow and superficial.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

As for myself, I've had experience with some public performance, not anything professional yet. I've played flute on several occasions, once with a local orchestra accompanying me.

I got the opportunity in my church a while back to play a short flute solo by a small French composer whom I care a lot about. A lot of people commented on the performance, but I think there were a few who really commented on the fact that piece was just plain beautiful.  It was a small success I guess, to share that small composer, because he made beautiful flute music, although he's not much known for any other works (his name is Georges Hue).

I also got to play a wonderful piece with an orchestra, by the American composer Charles Griffes, and that was also an attempt to share that composer with the audience. All I know is the conductor greatly appreciated the work, and probably some others. I consider Poem one of the greatest Flute Solos ever written.

If I become a professional musician one day, I really hope I can share music that way with an audience, by playing something rare and amazing, and revive obscure composers if possible. It's not really about me, it's about the music. I'm just a poet, or a messenger.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I think non-musicians are perfectly capable of answering this thread, too.

I would expect performers to convey the spirit and emotional content of the music, such that I would feel gratified, after having paid a concert fee (a minority of concert I attend are free, but let's say you are performing for a ticket paying audience who attend expecting to be gratified/entertained). Yes, so if well performed, both the music and the performer deserve our applause (at the end). Simple as that.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

For classical music (which society generally holds as having higher "class" than other music), I would definitely say that they're more interested in the music. For pop/rock concerts and recitals/school concerts, however, I think it's more of a "performance" thing. It really depends on the purpose of the performance--if it's meant to showcase the music, the audience will be interested in the music; if it's meant to entertain or showcase the performer's skill, the audience will be looking for that instead.

On the other hand, there are some odd ones like be who are _always_ more interested in the music than the performance.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I'm always interested in both the music and the performance. The two factors can't really be separated. Of course,if you're listening to a work that's unfamiliar to you,such as a new work being played at a concert,you're momentarily more interested in the work than the performance. 
But the quality of the performance is very important in these instances,because if it's a poor one,it won't do the music justice,and you might be inclined to blame the composer even though it was the performer's fault.


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