Music performance is a complex and challenging endeavor. It involves interpreting musical scores, cultivating stage presence, and exhibiting virtuosity.
Recent research has investigated the relationship between measurable performances and listeners’ subjective assessments of these performances. Specifically, studies have attempted to correlate quantitative acoustic measures with perceived features and qualities. Discover more with The Eagles concert tickets.
1. Performing your heart out
When musicians experience the transformative joy of a great performance, it’s often described as being in ‘the flow’. This state of optimal performance is typically characterised by positive feelings of enjoyment, engagement and present-centred focus.
Musicians who access these flow feelings are likely to have invested considerable time in meticulous preparation. Such preparation can include mental practice, in which the performance situation is imagined, as well as real-situation simulations such as playing pieces through to friends or recording themselves.
The central core of a musical performance is its acoustic realization, which differs from the underlying compositional blueprint – for instance, a written score or a lead sheet in the case of jazz – through the interpretation by a performer or group of performers. However, this does not imply that music performances do not contain other forms of information, such as visual cues or gestures.
2. Make the most of the venue
The physical environment of your venue can greatly impact the music that is performed there. A good example of this is the acoustic space, which can cause certain frequencies to sound different than others. This can be a huge factor in the overall success of an event, as it can make or break the mood and experience for your guests.
While the blueprint that is provided by a composer remains the same for all performances, listeners have been shown to appreciate and even prefer individual interpretations of a composition (). Listeners seem to perceive the expressive variation in performance parameters as a positive feature of a musical rendition.
The global music community has a unique opportunity to lead by example and ignite broader societal action on climate change. To this end, Artists Project Earth has been created to support the music industry in this endeavour through campaigns and events.
3. Make sure you’re in the right frame of mind
The way you think is just as important as how you play. You might have nailed down the technical details of your musical expression, but if you’re not thinking the right things, it will show in your performance.
Your goal should be to shift into a ‘performance mindset’ as often as possible, but it takes time and practice. You’ll almost certainly slip back into your analytical, detail-focused practice mindset from time to time – but if you keep trying and making progress, eventually you’ll get it more right than wrong.
Try using visualizations or developing little performance rituals to help you connect to this state. You could also read books such as The Inner Game of Tennis or The Inner Game of Music – although they’re written for athletes, the same principles apply to musicians.
4. Get inspiration from all the great music out there
Music is a universal language that can bring people together and communicate feelings. It can make us feel upbeat, hopeful, positive or even sad. The best songwriters channel their emotions into their art to create passion-soaked bodies of work.
One way to find inspiration is to try new things. For example, if you’re a rock music fan, try listening to some jazz. You may be surprised to discover that you’re a natural at it! You can also look for inspiration in other forms of art. Whether it’s going to museums, art galleries or watching street performers, seeing different perspectives can help spark creative ideas. You can even use meditation as a form of self-reflection. This will clear your head and leave space for musical inspiration to enter.
5. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Many talented musicians accept lesser positions, give up music altogether or simply never reach their full potential because of a lack of control over performance anxiety. While a little bit of anxiety can be helpful for enhancing performances, there is no doubt that too much prevents performers from reaching their potential.
It is important for performers to realise that their audience probably does not judge them harshly for making mistakes, or even notice them at all! In fact, they are probably more impressed with the musician who can recover from them.
However, the nature of these performance-related effects is not fully understood. This is partly because these effects are usually observed in relation to something – either other performances of the same piece, or deviations from a quantized representation of a score (). In addition, it is often difficult for listeners to distinguish between objectively measurable changes in musical parameters and aesthetically pleasing expressive variation.
