Strategies for Fixing Last-Minute Errors in Violin Performances and Auditions

May 17, 2024, 6:26 PM · I was helping a student with an upcoming audition, working on a well-learned and memorized piece, when a strange thing started happening: a couple of "new mistakes" were worming their way in.

This is often the case - something is memorized, polished, you've even performed it a few times - then some weird glitch starts happening: a memory slip, a missed shift, a bungled string crossing.

So what do you do? How do you ensure that it all goes correctly in performance?

Here is a video where I talk through a basic strategy, and I've also written it out in more detail below, for those would would rather read through the steps!

So here's what my student initially said she would think about, right before going on stage: "I need to remember not to mess up, in that one place!"

Well yes, that is true. But also, NO! "Don't mess up, don't mess up!" - this is not the mantra that is going to help you in this situation.

So what is? What do you need to tell yourself?

You will need a much more specific message, and to come up with it, you will need to stop and do some basic analysis. It is going to sound extremely simple, but somehow we often neglect to truly look at the problem - as if it simply could not be a "real" problem, occurring so close to the performance.

Here is a four-step approach, which involves going straight to the problem and breaking it down:

1. Identify where exactly in the music the problem is this happening. Rarely are these things completely random - they usually happen in the same place every time. Identify this in a way that you can remember - not everyone will have the same way of thinking about it, so make it your own: It was on the first page, seventh line. Or, it was in the melodic section. Or, it was in the A major part. Or, it was in the part with all the triplets. Or, it was in "the part where the dog chases the bird." Use whatever helps you identify that section in your mind!

2. Identify what exactly went wrong. The answer has to be much more specific than, "I messed up." It will be something along the lines of: I played a C natural instead of a C#. Or I missed this particular shift. Or I skipped an entire section, from m. 103 to 114. Or, I played the repeated figure twice instead of three times. Or I missed three consecutive notes during the fast passage.

3. Figure out why it went wrong. Here's the step that we have a tendency to skip. We just try to go straight into playing it again. However, identifying exactly what went wrong is the key to fixing the problem in a more permanent way. When you know what led you astray, you can fix the entire mental and/or physical pathway that got you there and create one that is more streamlined.

Importantly, please avoid any variation of this explanation: "It happened because I'm just no good at the violin! I can't do it! I can't do anything!" (sob)

Not helpful!

Put such thoughts aside and get to the core of the problem. These are the kinds of questions to ask, and some sample answers:

Why did you play a C natural instead of a C#? Maybe it is because there was a whole passage of C naturals right before that one C sharp and so your ear keeps hearing it that way.
Why did you miss the shift? Maybe it was because there was a page turn in the music, so you got in a habit of stopping here but not really playing the shift in time.
Why did you skip a section? Oh, it's exactly the same as a section that happens later in the piece. Compare the two sections and make sure you know what happens the first time, then the second time, so you can consciously do the right one at the right time.
Why do you play the repeated figure twice instead of three times? Maybe you have been displacing the beat. Or maybe you just never have actually counted it consciously.
Why are you missing notes in the fast passage? Maybe you have been so focused on fingers that your bow arm never adequately mastered the string crossings.

Answering this question about your particular problem will require some thinking and sleuthing, but if you can get to the deep core of the problem, then your solution will be better-informed and more likely to work.

3. Decide exactly what you need to do differently, then do it correctly, repeatedly. Play your repetitions very conscientiously. Here are some example solutions for the problems I brought up - yours will be different but perhaps these will prompt your thinking:

For the wrong note: "I need to mentally hear a C# and then place the finger a half-step higher than I have been."
For the bad shift: "I need to stop doing a mental page-turn pause and play the shift in time, until there is no feeling of hesitation."
For the memory slip: "For the identical passages, after the first one I need to go to the 16th note passage that starts on the A string, not to the coda at the end that starts on the D string. I need to keep track of which is the first and which is the second time."
For the wrong number of reps: "I need to place the beginning of those repeated figures on the second beat and then count three repetitions."
For the botched fast passage: "I need to practice these two measures on open strings until I can do the string crossings, then add the fingers. Then I need to nail the string crossings.

You get the idea - you are going to have to come up with your own solution - one that corrects the faulty thinking that got you in this place.

4. Abbreviate the solution into a positive "mantra." This step comes after "practicing out" the glitch, to help solidify the last-minute correction into positive, streamlined instructions for yourself. Before you walk on stage, give yourself a few reassuring reminders. Here are some samples, based on the example problems above:

"C# after all the C naturals."
"Bold shift at the page turn."
"After first repetition, go to the A-string passage."
"Three reps on beat two."
"Feel the string crossings in the fast passage."

I hope you find this helpful in preparing for any performances or auditions. Happy playing!

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Strategies for Fixing Last-Minute Errors in Violin Performances and Auditions

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