Piano Masterclass and more

On Saturday morning, I performed the Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 12 in C minor on stage.  I had a rough start considering the adrenaline from watching the first performer get absolutely roasted on stage by Dr. Penneys.  I had a tough time adjusting the bench (couldn’t tell if I was going up or down) so I couldn’t lower the height.  It was quite embarrassing to say the least and kinda rattled me a bit.  After a couple minutes, I gave up and just played through the piece.  Not surprisingly, then, it wasn’t my best performance (hit more wrong notes than what I’m used to).  I recall during the opening passages (where I  was still adjusting to the instrument), I told myself to just focus on the melodic notes and dynamic range of the piece, which I think I did an ok job of.   After my performance, she went onstage and started asking me some questions.  Apparently she was peeved by my taking so long to adjust the bench and follow through.  I had rolled up my sleeves since it was kinda warm in the music hall, and she had a few comments about it (“you should tape your sleeves to your arms or cut off the sleeves”).  She made me walk on stage to the bench probably 3 times or so and just sit and play without taking my sweet ass time to get ready (or even roll my sleeves).  The decision to play (and how to play) should occur before you walk on stage.  And all the unnecessary movements and time spent between adjusting the chair and playing will just make you even more nervous.

She then asked if I knew where the middle of the piano was.  Apparently, I didn’t.  She pointed to the Steinway emblem on the piano as the center of the piano (which was about where the E-flat black key was), and to always sit in the middle of the piano.  I had always thought it was at middle C.

Sitting in the middle of the piano and far enough from the keys (enough to be able to stand up without using your hands for support), posture, and planting your lower leg/foot (more or less right angle to the floor) will give you better support and balance.  Especially with this Etude, which requires a strong trunk.

The other thing was that I was leaning too much towards to the bass register and that my playing was clearly biased towards those notes.  She wanted me to play the accented top notes (with equal emphasis as bottom accented notes)–think “ocean waves crashing against rocks on both sides”.

When she demonstrated this, I also noticed that she laid her hands pretty flat when playing the opening passage, with very minute digital movements–though every note was played clearly.

There were 5 or so performers in all.  The pieces included the Chopin etude, Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu, Chopin’s Ballade No. 4, a Liszt Concert Etude, Rachmaninioff Corelli Variations, etc.  Dr. Penneys was very tough critic though I believe she meant well.  She has a way of saying something that you aren’t likely to ever forget.  Even if you’re supremely talented, she’ll still put you in your place.  Her blunt comments reminded me of Simon from American Idol and Donald Trump from The Apprentice shows, but the difference is that her criticisms are intended to motivate those who are serious about music to improve their playing, whereas I can’t say the same for Simon or Donald.

Needless to say, I wasn’t too pleased with my performance and afterwards just drove back to my place and took a nap.  I realized that performing onstage in a music hall is a lot different than practicing in the practice rooms or at your home.  You have to adjust to not only the pressure, but also to the instrument, and the acoustics of the building/room.  On the positive side, most of her criticisms of my playing had more to do with the mental aspect rather than the musical.  She did comment that I played the Etude “well”, but it could be better if I incorporate those things.   During Monday’s lesson, Dr. N commented that she thought my performance went very well and that she felt Dr. Penneys thought the same.  And that Dr. Penneys comments were complimentary (really?).  I told her that I didn’t necessarily feel that way (one of those moments where you just wish you’re wrong) but maybe I’m just being too hard on myself?  But I did come out of this experience a lot more knowledgeable about music, piano performance, etc.

Later that night  (Saturday), I went to a friend’s house for poker night.  They threw a surprise birthday thing for me and it was fun.  Admittedly, I was still upset about what happened earlier in the day, so I took it out on everyone at the table.  Played from 9:20pm till sunrise (6:45am).  I was just in the zone that night–making the right reads and knowing when to play aggressive, when to bluff, when to fold, etc.   You know it’s your night when you can sense that you’re ahead by a little bit (your top pair with 10 kicker beats his top pair with 7 kicker) and push him all in for the rest of his chips–knowing that he’ll call.  The final hand of the night was reminiscent of the final scene from The Cincinatti Kid.  I raised on the button with K5o and the big blind calls.  The flop comes out J65.  I bet out a little less than the size of the pot and my opponent raises me three times the amount.  I call (hoping to get either a 5 or K on the turn).  The turn card’s a 5 of spades.  He bets about two-thirds the size of the pot.  I had already calculated his chip count before the flop so I knew that if I made a medium-sized raise here, he will probably try to put me all in (if he’s on a draw or with top pair).  Plus, he most likely can’t put me on trips.  So I raised him about 2.5 times. He calls.  On the river, a 2 of diamonds.  He goes all in (2-3 times the size of the pot).  I think about how he played this hand and wondered how likely is it that he was holding 34 and chased an open-ended straight or had a boat.  Knowing the player and remembering some memorable hands between us, I thought I had 70% odds of having the best hand here.  After 4-5 minutes of deliberation, I call.  My trip 5’s held up. Biggest pot of the night.  Fittingly, a record was set that night.  I just wished it could’ve been the other way around– en fuego at the piano masterclass and loseWeight Exercise all my money at the poker table instead.