Thank you for reaching out. Performance anxiety is a very personal and sensitive matter, so it will require some soul-searching to find the solution that will work for you. But in my experience, shifting the focus off of yourself and your fear to the music you are making in the moment is probably the best strategy I’ve found. I would also recommend recording your performances starting with small, manageable chunks to gradually get more comfortable. Hope this helps!

Do you have any strategies for dealing with performance anxiety?

Many thanks

Davide, thanks for sharing! If you feel stuck, sometimes the best thing to do is to just take a break from the song you’ve been working on and play something else for a little while. When you return to it, you will have a fresh perspective that will help you get further. There’s certainly no need to be hard on yourself. Just enjoy the journey and recognize how far you’ve come!

I was reading this blog for the first time and the amazing story of Toivo Kuparinen.

I agree on all he said about, ways to learn the piano and not to be hard with yourself.

I am a bit stubborn and often go through challenges that are above my skills, and getting stuck in a loop of not being able to complete a song successfully.

I have spent 8 months on playing House of the Rising sun advanced level and in the end never scored above 90% and I think the best way would have been getting back to it at later stage.

Reading this blog today has confirmed what I was already thinking

Thanks