Dave Wirth
We are all well aware that nobody is perfect. If this is the case, why would anyone in their right mind expect that performers are? Performers are performers for one reason: They learned not to broadcast their mistakes with flinching. Flinching, to me, is the physical response to a mistake. Thus comes one of my favorite things to teach: How to perform without flinching.
In performance, flinching is the enemy because it lets the people watching know that a mistake has happened in the first place. There's nothing so jarring than hearing a performer cry out in embarassment over some silly mistakes. The funny thing is that to most people, mistakes don't even matter so much. Miles Davis was fond of saying, "Do not fear mistakes; There are none." In a previous post, I talked about how Yo-Yo Ma had learned let go of trying to be perfect so he could have the passion in his performances, as well as mistakes. Learning how not to flinch is the key.
Here are a couple of ways to learn not to flinch:
- Ask a friend or spouse to throw paperclips at you. The less you flinch, the better.
- Have a trusted and loving friend hurl small insults at you, and then have them buy you lunch afterwards.
- Play guitar in a loud place where distractions are the norm.
Once again, mistakes are inevitable. It's only the reaction that counts. Getting used to distractions, internal or external, is the way to really perform music and enjoy it too.
