Getting over mistakes!!
In last week’s blog I spoke about how you can use your mistakes in a constructive and positive way in the practice room. This week I’ll take it a step further and talk about what to do when mistakes happen during a performance.
How you respond when making a mistake is one of the most critical skills that you need to develop as a performer. We’ve all been there, becoming fixated on one little mistake at the start of a program, and for that to lead to another mistake, and another, and another. You can feel the snowball growing bigger and bigger through each passing bar, and end up kicking yourself at the end of the concert for letting the first silly little blemish get to you.
Ever though we’d all love to produce flawless performances night after night, unfortunately mistakes are going to happen, whether you like it or not. It’s inevitable! Now, I’m not willing you to make lots of mistakes, don’t get me wrong…but the stark reality is that playing “perfectly” is like a mirage in the desert. So it’s best to form a recovery plan for when things don’t quite go according to plan.
In Bob Rotella’s book “Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect”, he talks a bit about having “instant amnesia” following a bad golf shot, whilst retaining only the memories of the good shots that you’d played. This kind of mindset is not only great in preventing mistakes from snowballing in performance, but it also keeps your confidence up whilst maintaining focus on what is ahead of you, instead of dwelling on the past.
This is also a clear example of how necessary it is to mentally change gears for performance. Moving from an analytical, critical, problem-solving mindset in practice, to a “Just do it” execution without internal analysis is essential in achieving peak performance. However this way of thinking must be practiced regularly in the days and weeks before a concert, or else it won’t come naturally under the crunch.
An important thing to become aware of is how you respond physically, mentally, or emotionally after making a mistake.
Do you cringe and tense up some of the muscles you use when playing your instrument? Do you berate yourself and become distracted with insults and less-than-helpful self-talk? Or do you give up easily, or get angry and start to punish yourself for making such “stupid” errors!?
Once you can recognise how you react to a mistake, then you can devise a strategy for when (not if!) they pop up in the future.
Here’s a simple 5-step modified strategy from Don Greene’s “Performance Success” book that I use as my mistake recovery process:
1. Accept the mistake – It’s done and in the past. The sooner you can accept it and concentrate on playing the rest of the piece, the better!
2. & 3. Breathe deep and relax your key muscles – Big belly breaths help calm down your fight-flight response, and releasing excess tension with your out-breath helps stabilize your playing and quieten the mind.
4. Get back into the present – Use a cue word (or words) to get back on track. Words such as “stay with it” or “keep going” are good, or I simply use “focus” to help bring my mind back onto the task at hand.
5. Perform at a reasonable level – Consolidate your position and get back in the groove. If you try and make up for past mistakes, you could easily end up making things much, much worse. So play it a bit safe and get your ship back on an even keel before making your next big surge!
Going into a performance without a “mistake plan” is like going outside on a rainy day without an umbrella – you know you’re going to get wet, so you’ll end up pretty annoyed that you didn’t leave the house better prepared! So don’t forget to pack your umbrella!