Dear Friends,
In a recent lesson, one of my students and I had a conversation about the distinction between energetic playing and frantic playing.
Both types of playing are high-energy and feel intense. And it can be easy to mistake one for the other. But from the audience’s perspective, energetic playing is exhilarating, while frantic playing is nerve-wracking!
As we were talking in that lesson, it became clear to me that my student had been assuming that “frantic” playing was simply a sign of under-preparation. She told me that if she could just practice more (more repetitions, more drilling), she was sure that the frantic quality of her playing would go away on its own.
But that’s not quite how it works.
I’ve heard plenty of pianists who have clearly practiced a piece hundreds of times and can rattle it off at full speed, yet the performance still sounds frantic.
Frantic playing is a result of your fingers playing faster than you are thinking. You’ve practiced the passage so much that it's in your muscle memory, but it hasn’t been internalized. Your hands know what to do and where to go, but your mind isn’t fully present.
The result is that the music tumbles out with a breathless, almost panicked-sounding quality. This isn’t necessarily because you’re nervous, but because you're playing on autopilot.
One of the telltale signs of frantic playing is that it doesn’t breathe. Music, like speech, needs natural pauses. When we listen to somebody talk, we breathe right along with them. (Just imagine hearing somebody speak in a monotone or with no pauses between sentences - it's actually quite unsettling.)
The same is true when we listen to music. Like sentences, phrases need to have a beginning and an end. There need to be moments where the performer and the listener can take a breath, both literally and figuratively.
Frantic playing barrels through the music. It’s relentless in a way that feels tiring rather than exciting.
By contrast, energetic playing has a feeling of spaciousness, even when it’s very fast. The performer is in control, mentally ahead of their fingers and anticipating what’s coming next. And, significantly, there are moments to breathe.
The most exciting performances I’ve ever heard have a degree of spontaneity to them. The performer is taking a risk in the moment, responding to what’s happening in real time. That spontaneity comes from being so thoroughly prepared that your mind is actually ahead of your fingers, rather than trying to keep up.
So how do you practice for "energetic" playing instead of "frantic" playing?
Here are a few strategies I teach my students that you can do too!
Study the score away from the piano. Understand the structure, the phrases, the harmonic direction. When you really understand the music, you have more control over it.
Practice slowly, paying special attention to tone quality. Every note should speak clearly and have what I like to call a "robust" tone. If your fast playing sounds muddy or unclear, it’s often because you haven’t spent enough time at a slower tempo making sure each note has a good sound. Then, when you play faster, you’ll be hearing a sped-up version of the very clean and clear way you practiced slowly.
Notice where phrases begin and end. Deliberately give the music time to breathe at those moments. Mark them in your score if it helps. And then actually practice breathing in those moments. If you don’t want to add extra time while you breathe, inhale on the last note of the phrase, as you start the next one.
Never play faster than you can think. This is the most important one! Practice becoming aware of where your mind is while you play. Are you able to listen slightly ahead of the notes your fingers are playing? If not, slow down.
The goal is to have your fast playing feel exciting, rather than frantic. Try some of these strategies and let me know how it goes for you!
👋 Happy practicing,
Kate