So I was distraught. Here I was, an hour away from a masterclass and I couldn't even play through my piece without some monumental trip up. What was I going to do within this hour? Drone? Drill? Hammer? No. I was going to try something completely different. Something everyone told me never to do.
I was going to drink some
I was going to drink some
Coffee
Eight onces of black, bitter, caffeine infused bean juice. It was fantastic. I didn't touch my cello or look at it or pay any attention to Bach for that entire hour. I just drank my coffee.
I'm the first on the program. Crap. Why did I drink that coffee? Everyone knows that caffeine is the downfall of every performance. Don't freak out.
And so I took my bow, pulled it across the string, and played Bach without a single flub.
Huh?
So I try again for my next recital, my next masterclass, and my next orchestra concert. Never been better. So for those of you who believe you have to eat 33 bananas, meditate for an hour, and then warm up for 2 more right before your performance, I challenge you to try something different (unless eating 33 bananas is working for you).
As a future nurse, I've decided that the caffeine has had a positive affect on my body before a performance. I used to get MASSIVE headaches before any performance due to my nerves and stress, and while I was told that coffee would just make me jittery, I've discovered that small amounts of it have improved my playing by dialating the blood vessels in my head, getting rid of the headaches, and allowing me to focus in a way I was not able to before.
So go ahead! Experiment.
I'm the first on the program. Crap. Why did I drink that coffee? Everyone knows that caffeine is the downfall of every performance. Don't freak out.
And so I took my bow, pulled it across the string, and played Bach without a single flub.
Huh?
So I try again for my next recital, my next masterclass, and my next orchestra concert. Never been better. So for those of you who believe you have to eat 33 bananas, meditate for an hour, and then warm up for 2 more right before your performance, I challenge you to try something different (unless eating 33 bananas is working for you).
As a future nurse, I've decided that the caffeine has had a positive affect on my body before a performance. I used to get MASSIVE headaches before any performance due to my nerves and stress, and while I was told that coffee would just make me jittery, I've discovered that small amounts of it have improved my playing by dialating the blood vessels in my head, getting rid of the headaches, and allowing me to focus in a way I was not able to before.
So go ahead! Experiment.
RSS Feed