My 3 Most Embarrassing Violin Performance Experiences | Violin Lounge TV #509
Stories of my worst violin concerts: something with a wasp, a boat and messing up on national television. Let’s get real:
Hi! I'm Zlata
Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.
Concerts I messed up…
In the video I take you along some funny and embarrassing experiences from the many violin performances I’ve done. One involves a wasp, the other was on a boat and I also messed up playing ‘happy birthday’ on national TV. Let’s get real and enjoy!
More videos on stage fright
There are many things you can do about stage fright or performance anxiety. These resources will help:
On Dutch national TV I was interviewed about stage fright.
My book tip on stage fright by Kato Havas.
My book tip on mastering stage fright by Bohdan Warchal.
Let’s get real!
Share your stories in the comments. I’d love to read them.
A first chair symphony player friend became distracted by his stand partner during an extended rest, came in after the rest with completely wrong music, and disrupted the entire orchestra section. The conductor, who was Dutch, saved the performance by cuing the sections and brought the orchestra together.
Oops!
I had recently joined one of the busiest bands in our area, a five-piece combo, as a bass player and was still very much the newbie. We played anything, from jazz to rock and all points in between, and never turned down a request even if it meant faking our way through it. At a wedding reception, someone requested Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World,” which I had played for years, so I volunteered to sing it. Unfortunately, the key our sheet music was in was definitely not the key I usually sang it, and when I jumped in with the opening line I was a full octave above where I should have been. I wound up singing the entire first verse and chorus in falsetto!
Oops!
I was playing a new song with a jazz band. We carefully laid out who would play which parts, but we did not practice it enough before we played it in public. We arrived at one section and no one played the melody (the rhythm section played on). Two of us knew whose part it was, unfortunately, the person who was supposed to pay it, did not. So I jumped in and played a section that I never rehearsed. It was a bit rough!