What is the most important thing that judges look for when judging piano competitions?

Question

What is the biggest mistake made in piano competitions?

Answer 1

Depending on your level of technical facility and the group you're being judged with, judges will look for different levels of interpretational depth. The first thing that will get you kicked out is inaccuracies; practise with a metrenome every day with your hands seperate and then together, working each up to the marked tempo and faster so that you have complete mastery and confidence on each passage. The next level of achievement is tempo- are your tempos close to those marked, and do they allow you to properly express each phrase?

Next is phrasing, which is the art of making each line of notes into a musical idea. This has to do with changing dynamics and the use of rubato. There are many ways in which you can shape a phrase;

-Directionally- crescendo to the top notes of a phrase or, conversely, if the line moves downward, to the bottom notes.

-Rhythmically- crescendo to points where many shorter notes are followed by a longer one.

-Harmonically- crensendo to the point of greatest dissonance and decrescendo where the dissonance resolves.

-There are a few others that are used in more specific circumstances; if you continue to train your ear, you may find that these others have obvious places in certain spots.

Getting deeper into the realms of specifics, judges will look for good voicing. When playing material where there is more than one note in each hand, the melody must be heard above all else. In contrapuntal music such as that written by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff, beware that the melody may not always be in the right hand, or that there may be more than one melody going at the same time. Look for notes whose stems point the opposite direction of those around it; this often denotes melody notes in a body of harmony. See the Intermezzo in Schumann's 'Faschingsschwank aus Wien' for a good example of how to voice things well.

Now, at the deepest level of performance technique, we come to artistry. This category can be divided into two sections; how well the piece is played according to the standards of the period in which it was written, and how well your interpretation conveys the mood and spirit of the piece. In the first section; pieces by Bach or Telmann are not to be played with extreme changes of tempo or sudden dynamic changes, especially pieces intended for more than one musician, such as a concerto. While a Bach well-tempered Klavier piece can have some rubato, a concerto with orchestra should be strictly in tempo expect for the final cadence. Music of later composers such as Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Grieg, Dvořák or Liszt, however, are intended to be much more liberal and rubato is therefore at the performer's discretion to a certain extent.

As for personal expression, the judges will be looking for the quality that you bring to the piece through your interpretation. The biggest mistake you speak of is most definately the lack of expression that some people manifest. When you've practised for so long that you know the piece well enough to look around the room while you're playing, this tells the judges that you're not interested in what you're doing, that you're not involved. A good performance would be spellbinding in its involvement; the performer looks confident, sits at the piano for a moment before lifting his hand to the keys, perhaps gives a downbeat with his body to show that he's been considering the tempo before starting. Then the performer stays focused and passionate throughout the entire piece, never looking like what he's doing is boring routine to him. If you can convince the judges that you enjoy what you're doing and are motivated and involved (while still being accurate and precise), you will have beaten out the vast majority of your competition already.

Answer 2

My husband and I are both piano judges for the New York State School Music Association ( NYSSMA). All students and teachers are familiar ahead of time with what will be asked of them in their adjudication. Students have between 10 and 15 minutes (depending on level - from 1 to 6 in difficulty of music). We hear 3 scales, played in certain tempi and octaves - we judge on accuracy and correct fingerings. We hear the solo, which is chosen from a specified lists (book!) that is purchased every few years, when revised. If a student does not play from that list, they get a Festival rating - no numerical rating, but comments only. If a student deviates substantially from the listing - they do not play all of the work, or they leave out sections, or something else *off-road* - they also get a Festival rating. And we hear sight-reading. They are given an 8-bar selection, composed according to specific pre-determined rubrics, and are given one minute ot look it over - as we judges are writing on their sheet, about their solo. We give them the tempo. Then then play as accurately as possible.



I have had student some in who do not know their scales. Come on - that's a *gimme*! You are in total control there! I have had student come in who do not follow all the markings in the piece - dynamics, tempo changes, etc. - even if they DO make all the right pitch and rhythm. I have had people play things that defy description - pedal to the floor, messy, clueless. One girl this past year played the Rach Prelude in c# minor, and when it goes to 4 staves (double octaves, interspersed with double chords) she played one TWO staves. I asked her why when she finished. She said her teacher told her that when it gets HARD, just play what you want!!!! So sometimes the teachers give bad instruction or bad advice!



Other true *competitions* are run differently, with each student playing an entire program over several days of escalating eliminations. MTNA is like that, as are the *big* competitions. But the same fundamentals apply - know you work inside out (not all require memorization - I LIKE memorization, because it frees you to concentrate, and LOOK at the keyboard if needed). For Heaven's sake, know your SCALES!!!!! And arpegggios, too, if required. And learn HOW to sightread. If is not a *voice from Heaven* moment - you learn attack skills that help you decode an excerpt systematically, and then play through it with great accuracy.

Answer 3

I don't play the piano myself. I love Piano Concertos, I am not classically trained, but I can distinguish between excellence and mediocre playing. The judges probably look for the technique and fluency in playing well. Talent counts, but without practicing and very hard work, talent alone is not enough.

Answer 4

That depends on who is adjudicating the competition.

Different judges listen for different things. I sit on judging panels for many different types of instruments throughout the year. One thing I've noticed is that no two judges are listening for the exact same things in the music.

I personally focus on things like: Technique, style, interpretation, articulation, tempo, consistency, intonation (non-keyboards), fluency, expressiveness, and emotion.

Answer 5

Invent some new phenomenal high tech device, patent it, get some VC funding and form a start up, market it and get some big money clients, then do an IPO on the Nasdaq, I heard kids that can do that tend to impress their schools a lot.