Kinds of Practice

Performing Time (continued)

e. Remember to breathe when you perform. Take a few deep breaths before you start playing to relax you and to clear the toxins from the brain. Write the word “breathe” at key spots in the score to remind you in case you start to hold your breath.

f. Avoid false starts. Set a proper tempo by taking the time to hear the first phrase of the piece in your mind before you play a single note. If there is a particular section of the piece that cues you into the proper tempo, mark it, and then hear that section in your mind every time before you start.