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Control your nerves with a routine: A professional pianist reveals a day of a live concert

Control your nerves with a routine: A professional pianist reveals a day of a live concert
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What exactly is a concert performance like?

This time, I’d like to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like leading up to an actual concert performance.

I hope you find it helpful.

On the day of the concert

Concert day

Imagine waking up to find that it's the day of the concert.

Even if you actually have a concert coming up, you might find something useful here.

morning (before noon)

morning (before noon)

https://pixabay.com/

9:00〜

This morning, when I could finally wake up at whatever time I liked again, I woke up to find it was 9 o’clock.

The ideal situation is to have no other plans on performance-only days.

The real performance is at night, so I got up leisurely to conserve my energy.

I try not to do anything special so that I don't feel tense.

9:10〜

However, one thing is clear: I’m conscious of the real performance, so until I calm down—that is, from the moment I wake up in the morning until just before practice—I keep listening to my favorite songs.

TodayBABYMETALIt is.

I'll keep listening to it on single-track repeat.

The body is honest, and my bowels are more active than usual.

It's always like that on the day of the performance.

10:00〜

as usualI'll have a light breakfast.

And I get myself somewhat ready.

The one thing I absolutely must not forget, I took care of by the day before.

10:30〜

as usualI'll start my practice with the usual Bach.

After strumming a riff, they casually move into today's set piece.

Since there’s also vocal accompaniment, we’ll practice in performance order as usual.

When I let myself go with the flow of the changing tones and harmonies as I play, the tension eases somewhat.

Still, I can’t shake the tension, so I’ll also practice the arranged BABYMETAL pieces I always work on.

Because of the difference in genre, it's a great moment when you forget all about the real performance and become completely absorbed.

The strength to do different rings of the same kind at the same time.

12:30〜

Timeout once things settled down.

The morning practice is over.

afternoon

afternoon

http://www.photo-ac.com/

13:00〜

Maybe because I had breakfast a bit late, I’m not hungry, so I’m going to the hair salon I booked for 1 p.m.

I leave everything related to my hair, such as styling, to a neighborhood salon called Pastel Hair.

It's best to have a professional do it rather than agonize over it yourself.

Finished in 30 minutes.

13:30〜

Buy what you like at the neighborhood convenience store, go home, and have lunch.

not very; not much; too (excessively) [context-dependent]I don't want to think about unnecessary things.So I choose based on convenience, speed, and feel rather than the price.

But I won’t try any new ingredients.

I'll choose something I've eaten before.

15:00〜

After a quick run-through of just the performance pieces, I’ll head out for a vocal lesson to tune up my voice right before the actual performance.

Because the dress is large and bulky, I’ll put it in a small travel case and roll it along as I move.

From the outside, it looks like a traveler with a styled hairdo, which is a bit puzzling.

My mental state is a bit more unstable than usual before the performance.

Even as close friends, since we're both the main acts, we’re considerate of each other.

Until arriving at the venue

Until arriving at the venue

http://www.photo-ac.com/

16:30〜

The lesson finished without any issues, and we headed to the concert venue.

For a concert starting at 7:00 PM,Need to prevent it from becoming a battle with hungerthere is / there are

Dehydration, lack of sugar, and hunger are the first enemies of performance.

I sweat quite a lot during rehearsals, so I need a sports drink.

When I'm low on energy and my brain isn't functioning, nothing goes well.

It’s most important that your head works better than your fingers.

Buy some fluids and nutrition before entering the venue.

Since I had already bought one sports drink, I bought plain water instead.

Purchased one sweet bread.

Since I had already bought chocolate, I’ll buy bread as a precaution.

It's fine even if you don't eat.

Arrival at the venue, rehearsal

Arrival at the venue, rehearsal

http://www.photo-ac.com/

17:15〜

Enter the venue and check the schedule.

We often can’t secure the full performance-length amount of time for rehearsals.

Therefore, you need to decide in advance which parts you will perform in the rehearsal.

This time, I went through it from the beginning as much as was permitted.

Focus is everything.

Being able to bring the same level of focus to practice, rehearsal, and the actual performance is the key to getting through the real thing.

The same as always; this is important too.

I try to keep things as close to my usual routine as possible: the way I approach the piano at home, the sense of the seat height when I sit down, the distance to the keyboard, the distance to the pedals, and the sequence leading up to starting the performance.

Exhale completely with a deep breath and lower your center of gravity toward the tanden (lower abdomen).

I direct the energy from my lower abdomen (tanden) toward the image for the beginning of the piece.

We will keep following this usual flow.

And then, the performance begins.

Many different things are running through my mind.

But stay focused.

Command, command, command to the brain to return to the song immediately.

For things you really can’t stand but that can be improved at the venue, it’s essential to identify them carefully here and fix them.

If time allows, we will rehearse in dresses as much as possible.

I want to check everything: how to walk to the stage, how to greet, how to sit on the chair, any awkwardness during the performance, how to stand.

When you wear a dress you haven’t worn for a while, you may feel slight discomfort, especially due to changes in your body shape, so be mindful and fix whatever can be adjusted.

Useful items to have include double-sided tape, a stapler, a glue stick, and safety pins.

Regarding the performance aspect,IC recorderHaving it and checking the sound with earphones is also effective.

iPhone’s recording feature...is quite something as well.

Doors open

Doors open

18:30〜

Because the clock tower has a homely, welcoming feel, we will visit customers directly to greet them.

18:45〜

Right before it's my turn to go on, I retreat to the dressing room for focus time.

in the meantimeChocolate and MoistureI'll save it.

The cacao flavor comes through strongly.

This is what I ate today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXO2AOQ1Lc

production

production

https://pixabay.com/

19:00〜

Repeat deep breathing and focus so as not to lose sight of your tanden (lower abdominal center).

The more nervous you get, the harder it becomes to find your tanden.

Since I'm the leadoff performer today, the 7:00 p.m. chime will be my cue to go on as the show begins.

The bell rings every hour.

The bell rings as many times as the hour.

It chimes seven times at 7:00 p.m.

But I didn’t ask how many times it rang.

While passing by the guests with a smile, move smoothly near the stage, following the same movements as practiced in rehearsal.

In front of the piano once more—just like in rehearsal, just like in my usual practice—I take a deep breath, focus on my core, gather my energy, and head toward my destination: yes, the piece I’m about to play!

The performance is starting.

Alright, the main event of the day begins!

If you’ve visited the Clock Tower as a tourist, you probably know it’s an old wooden building.

The Sapporo Clock Tower is a historic building located at Kita 1-jō Nishi 2-chōme, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido. It is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.

Sapporo Clock Tower – Wikipedia

Summer is hot and winter is cold.

You can hear the sounds from outside clearly through the gaps.

It’s a busy road, and since there’s a hospital nearby, ambulances pass by frequently.

During today's performance, an ambulance was avoided.

But from the back window, I can hear a crow cawing... and it's kind of cold...

Whoops! The window was open!!

The crows, who can probably hear my piano, keep on singing without matching the rhythm of my Mozart.

It's okay for a little while, but I ended up reacting to the crows that kept crying...

I ended up repeating the part that wasn’t supposed to be repeated!!!

Even so, I played it through to the end.

Being conscious of the crows was the reason for the defeat.

Also, during my daily practice, I was just lamenting how the good parts end so quickly—what a waste!

Was it something that happened as part of intensive training?

Was it a prank by the gods?

How difficult it is to maintain unwavering focus no matter what happens...

In fact, even when things like this happen, customers hardly ever notice.

Even if you aim for perfection, it's rare that you can deliver a 100-point performance exactly as planned.

After that, the window was closed.

However, my companions were struggling with ambulances passing nearby.

There are a lot of ambulances today...

Even so, I’m impressed by my teammates’ concentration in not noticing the sound.

After the performance

After the performance

http://www.photo-ac.com/

20:30〜

On their way out, we see them off, feeling a bit relieved by the customer’s smile.

I'll keep at it and won't get discouraged.

I would appreciate your continued support.

21:00〜

While grateful that everything ended safely, we celebrated with our companions.

Cheers!!

24:00〜

The date changed on my way home, and thus a long day came to an end.

As a result of being tense for the entire day, the fatigue lingered for the following three days.

Still, it's something that makes you want to try again and again, just to experience that tension once more.

Why don’t you all try experiencing the real thing for yourselves?

The more presentation experience you gain, the more you learn.