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.....or superstitions do you have as a pianist?

I swear that I play better on the day I cut my finger nails. Now, since I cut them at least once a week sometimes twice.......I think it is more a superstition that the length of the nails getting in my way.

It is deep enough that if I have a performance....I plan my finger nail cutting day so that it is on the day of the performance.

So, what quirks do you have? or am I the only nut in the group?

Eileen

Superstitions about the act of playing ? No, none at all. As a person I'm a seething mass of idiosyncrasies but music is where I am completely at home, where I can be absolutely mad. That is not the same as superstition.

In all honesty, I'm almost the same way about my fingernails Eileen. I find it, I'm not sure, so "refreshing" to play after they are cut, and cut them pretty frequently. Fortunately mine don't grow particularly fast, so I only cut them maybe once every two weeks and that's just fine. One of my habits (not really a quirk, I'm sure it's quite common) before I play is I warm my hands in water that is pretty hot for about 2 minutes. I find it MUCH more comfortable to play after that.
Aside from that, I'm not sure. I have a tedency to drape one leg over the other while playing (at least while practicing, or even while playing at a store or something), and in some instances, I've even spoken outloud while playing about things going on in my mind. Finally, I took a good deal of time in naming my piano (I'm curious to know how many of you have done this?). It's Apollo if you're interested, but it has several nicknames (the "runner's up").

I have to cut my nails 2 days before.

Oh, and I also really like to have the piano line up with the boards in the stage floor. Can't stand a crooked piano...

You named your piano ? That's interesting. I've never thought of doing that. Better not give it a female name or I'd be in dead lumber. I don't think I could comfortably cross my legs under mine, can't remember trying; we'll see when I go home. Posturally I'm not bad; it's probably why I don't get all these horrible muscular problems people talk about. I don't talk while playing but I grunt every so often, especially during improvisation. It sounds terrible on recordings and I've reduced it in recent years. I don't like playing when I'm hungry. Even if I just have a snack it helps.

Gee, I'm just happy the piano doesn't fall through the stage floor! (If you saw my church's stage, you'd understand...)

-- Chris

Ted, when I'm NOT crossing my legs (my teacher discourages it so I've been trying to stop...I'll probably need to get some sort of patch or something) my posture can get pretty bad. I tend to hunch far over, SOMEtimes (usually when ending a slow or emotional piece) far enough as to touch my hand with my forehead, as I do. But I feel it in my back later, and the heavy backpack I carry each day doesn't do much to help matters.
I'm sure quite a few of you are familiar with "desk-playing", or "lap-playing" as well. It used to be a habit for me, and after a few friends mentioned it to me I've tried to stop...it's worked pretty well so far.

When the cat is around, play with the lid closed.

I can't practice without water. I always have a huge glass - far away from the piano, mind you - in the music room while I play. And performing, you'll never see me not clutching my water bottle. I swear I get up every 5 minutes sometimes to drink while practicing!

Yes, I do a similar sort of thing with other drinks.

Ha... :rolleyes:

About crossing my legs at my piano - as I suspected, not a dog's show. They barely squeeze under the keyboard to play normally. I can do it if I stretch them out but then I couldn't sit upright properly. We must be built very differently as I can't imagine keyboard height varies too much.

This is partly superstition, but I always practice a piece about half tempo the day before a concert and I try not to think about it at all the day of which means I never practice before a concert other than a few scales on the piano I'm about to play.

Mike

I am really glad to here that I am not the only one who crosses my legs under the piano. Well I don't truly cross my legs I just cross them at the ankle so my right ankle sits on top of the left ankle and my knees point outwards a bit.

My teacher has begun to discourage this, so the habit changed into putting my left foot on the wall or back of the piano. I think that both are caused by me having really long legs and wanting to sit closer to the keyboard than I technically should.

No other real quirks.....

Just so no one feels too bad about what they do with their legs under the piano. I point the toe of my left foot and plant it firmly into the floor. I kind of dance my body from this foot. I have always done this. (too much extra energy I guess) That's how I "become" the music I guess. I know that's wrong. When I play publicly I often forget to sit correctly and still. The only way I can not do this consistently, is to wrap my left leg around the piano bench and hold it tight.

I do the same thing with the water too! It seems to really limber them up.

Well, in order to make sure that I do my hour of practicing every day, without getting distracted by household tasks and other things, I set the kitchen timer for an hour and put it on the piano.

And then I HAVE to have the face of it turned away where I can't see it, or else I can't play.

My quirk: I wear plastic surgeons gloves around the house to do chores so I don't have to wash my hands 50 times a day. Outside, I wear gardner gloves when I drive and go shopping, which drives my wife nuts! But it appears to be a good conversation starter. The other day in Burger King I was sitting reading the newspaper and sipping coffee w/ my gloves on and a little old lady about 90 sittng in the next booth said to me, "Why do wear those gloves? Are you afraid of germs?" I replied, "No, mame, mahm, ma'me, mammy, (heck with it!) No, lady, I'm a classical pianist." Now if only she had been Naida Cole, (sigh). But, of course, that wouldn't sit too well with my wife!
http://www.JoeTownley.com Some so-so videos.

I frequently use a kitchen timer to remind me of when I need to stop and get my work done (I can easily get lost in my practice and spend hours at the piano). However, I found I need to leave the timer in another room - it ticks too loudly and clashes with the rythm of the music.

I have another quirk that I've not yet learned to control. My metronome seems to act as a biofeedback mechanisms for me. After a while, my heart begins to beat in time with the metronome. I'm keeping very good time, however my pacemaker is working overtime!