Make it a point to play the tape when you begin your piano practice session. Most pianists have this fear but a prolonged avoidance of taping your music will affect you in the long run. If you avoid recording your run-throughs because you don’t feel sure of what you can and are playing, know that you are not alone in doing this. Rather, it often happens that the portions you thought didn’t go so well while playing turn out to be exceptionally good when you listen to them on tape. There will be parts where you have played out of key, or that just didn’t come out as it was supposed to, but not all of what you record will be unappealing. You will be able to identify minute glitches you may have glossed over, edgy transitions, and poorly played portions. When you listen to it on tape you realize that not all of it is as good as it sounded. When playing under pressure and listen to yourself as you do so, your ears most often do not give you a correct idea of what you’re playing really sounds like.
