In order to understand the needs and the specific concerns of the different professional categories, today we talk with M° Ermanno Brignolo, an Italian guitarist professionally involved in classical music.
Interpreter internationally appreciated, Ermanno has just released two records for the worldwide market: "Platero and I" and "Andrés Segovia Archive"
1. Ermanno, do you think that there are any differences between the approach to a performance of a student and that of a professional? If yes, why?
Yes, sure! Both of them can be scared of negative judgements in case of a bad performance, but the student is usually afraid of all the audience, while the professional can distinguish the “normal” audience, the one that he has to thrill, and the professionals like critics and eminent colleagues. The professional guitarist doesn’t fear the audience anymore because he is more confident than the student. Confidence can be either something that you already have or something you can learn, with time and method.
2. Let’s speak about visualization, a kind of mental skill. Do you think that it is useful to visualize the performance during the rehearsals? If you were a student would you like to have someone to teach you how to visualize?
Yes, it is really important. Experience gave me the chance to learn how to visualize many things like decisive moments and things that I have to keep in mind while performing. But sometimes I learned it thanks to mistakes, doing wrong. If I could have had a teacher I’m sure I would have been able to avoid many mistakes.
3. Talking about goal setting, do you think that it is important to set goals and priorities in a consistent way? Does it happen to you to have a bad management of long term and short term goals?
It does! Sometimes it happens that I focus too much on long term goals, forgetting the short term ones. I still need to improve my goal setting, my order of priorities and the plan to reach them.
4. Do you think there is just one way to prepare for a competition?
No, it depends on different factors and conditions. First of all everyone is different: there are people that become very anxious, others that remain calm and enjoy the competition. Moreover it depends on the type of the competition: the more you have expectations the more you get anxious and nervous…
5. Guitarists often have to present their recital, to introduce every piece of music. Would you suggest a specific training for this kind of professionals, in order to improve their communication skills?
Absolutely! Sometimes guitarists talk too much and sometimes they don’t talk enough. They are used to prepare their music, not their approach to the audience, and this brings to mistakes and, eventually, embarrassment.
[article published on 26th April 2014. All rights reserved]