Heisenberg Principle in Performance
13/06/07 12:12 Filed in: Humour
Why is it
that there seems to be an aspect of the Heisenberg
Principle when you try to perform? Let me explain
with an example, I'm practising at my guitar playing
on my own with a backing track track and it's all
coming on so nicely. Then I visit my tutor and
whether he asks me or I suggest I show him how I'm
getting on. What ever the case the result is nearly
always the same - the performance is far worse than
my private practices. Why?
I suppose that it is with more and more practice that things move more to an autonomous or intuitive level. More credit from me to all performers - whether stage, screen or music or whatever. I have found that I haven't had this with other aspects of public performance (in the loosest sense). When I have spoken in public I invariably use a set of brief bullet points to create a framework of what I need to say. Therefore I repeated the performance then the result would be different. Music is not as freeform as that - not for me - and I guess not for most. From the classic music that is completely transcribed that every performance should be a repeat of others to jazz improvisation which is still based in a tighter framework of time and melody. But why - why do I (and I guess others) fluff things up when watched - or as is the basis for a number of video clips - when showing off to someone else. Maybe we're more focussed on seeing how the others respond, maybe it is just a mental thing of knowing that someone is watching you.
There is, of course, only one answer - more practice and more performances. I think that the ability to fluff things up will diminish if I do more performances.
I suppose that it is with more and more practice that things move more to an autonomous or intuitive level. More credit from me to all performers - whether stage, screen or music or whatever. I have found that I haven't had this with other aspects of public performance (in the loosest sense). When I have spoken in public I invariably use a set of brief bullet points to create a framework of what I need to say. Therefore I repeated the performance then the result would be different. Music is not as freeform as that - not for me - and I guess not for most. From the classic music that is completely transcribed that every performance should be a repeat of others to jazz improvisation which is still based in a tighter framework of time and melody. But why - why do I (and I guess others) fluff things up when watched - or as is the basis for a number of video clips - when showing off to someone else. Maybe we're more focussed on seeing how the others respond, maybe it is just a mental thing of knowing that someone is watching you.
There is, of course, only one answer - more practice and more performances. I think that the ability to fluff things up will diminish if I do more performances.
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