Physical and Mental Issues in Piano Performance

In preparing for a concert performance, musicians are faced with tremen-dous challenges. Besides adequate musical preparation, performers need to be prepared to tackle the physical and mental stresses associated with the performance situations. Knowledge of injury prevention and the nature of performance anxiety, therefore, is essential. For pianists, there is often an additional challenge of playing from memory. An understanding of memory processes would be beneficial to the development of effective memorization techniques necessary for successful piano performance. In this book, the author discusses the issues of physical tension and injuries, overwhelming performance anxiety, and memorization in piano per-formance. The book demonstrates how these seemingly separate issues are interrelated to one another, and how problems in one area may exacerbate problems in another. It explains that just as tensions and memory difficulties may affect musical deliverance, effective musical communication may help alleviate tensions and memory problems. The author also offers practical solutions in dealing with physical and mental tensions, and suggests techniques for music memorization.