superstitions
Rumor has it that every night before he goes onstage, MTT kisses his cufflinks, given to him by none other than Leonard Bernstein.
Whenever I perform, I make sure to NOT carry a goodluck tiger (stuffed) (and on a keychain) given to me by a friend (who, as a violist, will hopefully NOT stumble upon this thread) because I have found that it is actually a bad luck tiger.
Anybody else feels like sharing their superstitious actions?
Replies (37)
I never usually play the piece I'm about to perform less than two hours before the performance, because what usually happens is I'll play it perfectly, and then that sets you up for a worse performance. But I generally like to just be well warmed up and have worked on all the spots needing working on in the morning and then crash in in the afternoon until the concert, doing whatever, be it reading, surfing the net, practicing piano, just something not violin.
i usually eat and drink something...a banana and water...chocolate....hmmmm....and then i try to warm my hands up somehow just before i play...and that isnt easy to do!......i usually practice at home right before i perform...other than that....i hope for the best. cheers!
I always suck on a mint or chew some spearmint gum. The flavor just wakes me up and get me out of my "nervous wreck" stage before a concert.
My one spare bow always gets a single pass of rosin, frog to tip, and is then quickly returned to the case...
Aside from that I dutifully observe the usual backstage rules: no pre-concert program reading, avoidance of whistling, and certainly no eating of peanuts--ever.
Eric
...did I forget to mention the rule about yellow?
Eric
OK, Eric - could you please explain the thing about not whistling. It's the second time I've come across it.
I had an experience when performing once, I was out on stage, about to play the Vitali Ciaccona and one of the voice teachers was backstage, he started whistling the Dvorak Humeresque just as I was about to play my first chord. I was totally out of my element after that for a good page or two of the music. I couldn't get the annoying piece out of my head, and I had just gotten out on stage and was feeling relaxed and comfortable, and that totally took me off the edge as far as my concentration and personal readiness was concerned.
Kelsey, that sounds like a conspiracy to me.
My accompanist went off stage and talked to the teacher then came back on and we played so he at least wouldn't be whistling while I was actually playing.
This particular teacher and I do not have a good history together, so it wouldn't actually suprise me if he did do it on purpose.
The rule about whistling developed from early theater crews who, without modern headsets and moniters, employed whistling to indicate set changes and synchronize riggings. They gave these signals from opposite wings, usually over the applause and commotion of the audience. Any stray chirp, toot, or wolf whistle from backstage could have set them amiss. It then just developed into a superstition for the back halls of any theater.
Now the peanuts--that's a different story...
Theatre, eh? That puts some things into perspective. I suppose that the same scenario would exist on a musical stage too. I knew someone once not connected to any of the arts who believed that whistling was an evil thing, and frowned especially upon women whistling. I'm an inveterate whistler. Except before a solo --- guess I've been influenced.
If one played every scale in the Carl Flesh book then one would be late for ones concert!
what's this about peanuts?
I usually eat a banana before,
I've heard the banana thing quite a few times, and I've always wondered how true it was. Is just something you do, or can a single banana really make or break your performance? Ok, that might be going a bit overboard. How about: Can you feel a difference between con banana and senza banana?
A banana is a good source of potassium, which is also a natural beta blocker. It helps relax your nerves a bit before a performance. I had one once before a high nerve lesson that I had and it does help. Plus it's all natural and a healthy item to it!
I do feel the difference con or senza!!! I like that!
Tangent superstition: bananas are bad luck on fishing boats. So don't take one to your next off-shore performance.
con banana lol
I keep a little orange plastic monster type thing in my case.
Out of curiosity, would banana daiquiris have the same effect?
I'm sure that with too many banana daquaris, you wouldn't catch any fish, either.
Eat chocolate, it saves our memory (seriously).
Don't let black cats cross the path before you!
Read your horoscope for the day of the performance. If it's bad, say 'im not superstitious' 3 times!
Wear lucky shirt, underwear, etc. underneath. Wear lucky necklace, even if it touches the violin making an ugly 'zing' sound during playing.
Eat Lucky Charms.
Leave house/enter stage right foot first.
LOL!!!
I'm quite intrigued by this banana thing. So, in theory, it must be possible to formulate some sort of potassium-loading regime. (Modeled on the carbohydrate-loading done by athletes.) Imagine the entire musician population inspecting food labels, avoiding potassium until the day before the big concert.. and then out comes the banana juice, banana bread, banana split, banana chips, and just plain bananas! Some could probably make a lot of money creating a special diet for musicians. Hey, if they fell for the Atkins diet...
Hi,
The banana thing is a long term one. The potassium apparently reduces the side-effects of nerves. Other things that artists do that I know. Honey an hour before a concert. And, some like green tea; they say it wakes them up and calms them down.
I don't know about the chocolate thing... caffeine and sugar don't seem like a good mix for nerves!
Superstitions can go far. Sarasate had a talisman, some like to sleep with the music under their pillow the night before, others... god knows what!
Anyone has weird ones?
Cheers!
I like to start by breaking a mirror, then walking under a ladder - back and forth a few times - then maybe grab a black cat by the tail just to get it riled up.
Wait wait, back to the banana. Christian, by "long-term" do you mean that if I have an audition this weekend, I should start my banana diet NOW?
From the area of actual physical needs prior to a performance, I find that if I have a carb-rich meal no closer than 3 or 4 hours prior to the concert, I'm just bursting with energy. Also, an espresso and a fresh-squeezed orange juice about half an hour prior to stage time seems to work wonders.
From the area of absolutely baseless superstitions, there's one I think that is something unique to me. If I don't buckle the cummerbund and bowtie on the first pass, for any reason at all, the concert will be a fiasco.
Hi,
Emil, that's hilarious! Alex, no, you don't have to start now. But I mean I know that many artists do this prior to every performances. Nothing will stay in your system indefinitely unless your having problems....
Cheers!
Hey Emil, if I have a carb-rich meal, apart from the diabetic coma, I also find myself bursting with something very different - and very unpleasant.
I usually refrain from eating anything starting from 5 hours before a scheduled audition or competition. I don't play well on a full stomach, and usually when my stomach is empty, and my adrenaline starts rushing because of nervousness or excitement, I do pretty well.
If I ate before performing, I'd definitely throw up.
espresso? man my quartet once did a morning concert of the third razoumovsky quartet, we all went out for coffee before the concert. that last movement was SO bad. incredibly fast and schizophrenic. i learned my lesson.
if you're an introvert, or otherwise someone who is affected by coffee (makes you stay up late) then coffee before performence probably isn't the best idea. If you're an extrovert, or someone who isn't affected by caffine (like me, i can have a coffee and then fall asleep), then I guess it would be ok, though I'd prefer to wait and then head to the pub :>
hah, no i drink coffee a lot, and i'm not particularily introverted although my nervous system generally runs pretty fast. It doesnt seem to mix with performing though, for me.
bananas work a treat for nerves :-)
I've found that if I haven't eaten pretty recently before a performance, I feel really weak and whatever I play hasn't been as good as it could have been. On the other hand, playing when you're stuffed makes me feel immobile and isn't so good either.
I don't have any superstitions or good luck charms but my mom thinks it's lucky if the odometer on her car turns over to a certain number before a big performance!
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January 29, 2005 at 10:30 PM · during the day, I'll try be as relaxed as possible. Maybe have a practice session and go through everything. But once I get into the green room, I will not play the piece all the way through. I'll play (for example, Haydn G-Major) the exposition and development then stop. then i'll play the development and recapitulation then stop. then later I might just go over the cadenza. all of these have rather large gaps inbetween, so that in my mind I'm not playing the piece in full. I have no idea why i do this.