I have a session booked in (one of) the RCM recording studio this evening. I've never done anything like this before -although I do have some idea of how the process works -, indeed before a couple of weeks ago I had never ever visited the facility.
Even though I know that it'll just be me in the room, the thought of playing to a red light is making me nervous somehow, I suspect I'll be making a fool of myself and wasting time and money.

But everyone has to start somewhere, don't they?  And if you had no nerves, I bet you would be lousy.  (I have absolutely no first hand experience of musical performance, I am just drawing parallels with my own experience elsewhere.)

At any rate, best of luck.

Eru this is great!

Even if you decide ultimately that you don't want to use the recording, it'll be fantastic for you to learn from listening to yourself. We're building self-assessment by recording into the performance course here next year because every single performance class is videoed. (You may well already do this at the RCM in which case ignore that last para).

Would it help to think about this as an investment in yourself? Who do you think is judging you? Even if you just look at it as a document of your playing at this current moment it's a great investment. And don't expect everything to go perfectly first time. Allow yourself to cock up from time to time and just do what you can do. In my experience, once you get used to having a microphone recording you, it suddenly stops being a big deal. So try not to think about the red light or the money or the time. Because the more you think about them, the less you will make of the money or time! It might help you to have a schedule of what you want to cover. Allow time for re-takes, for shuffling around, for loo breaks and make sure that you've warmed up before you begin.

Enjoy it.

Good luck, eru.      I'm not a musical performer but am fully aware of the fear factor before you are given a manual cue, or await a red light.    Engage with the unlit light, or the camera and technicians in a TV studio.   Breathe gently but deeply and look forward to releasing your pent-up energy on cue.  It will always be a testing moment but it will get easier, believe me.  It's the craft of performance itself which gets more difficult.   Hamlet defied augury; take the same stance with your cue light - it is no different to the rise of the curtain in a theatre.

I did my first TV stint in Z Cars, circa 1964.    The programme went-out "Live" at the time:  I had an anxious 20 minute wait before a scene with Brian Blessed and Colin Welland; they saw my anxiety and as the camera approached, Colin nudged me and said, "If you "dry", twenty million people are watching."   The mind focussed instanta!

I'll be thinking of you.

That sounds completely normal to me! This is all a learning curve and you shouldn't expect it to be easy. Remember that there aren't all that many commercial recordings that are totally error-free, and that part of the excitement of a true performance isn't dependent upon 100% correct notes.

Do you have the opportunity to get back in there and record again? I'd really recommend it in about a week's time. Record the same repertoire (spend less time on it though so that you can record the things that you didn't get time to record this time).

The opportunity perhaps, if I was lucky, but not the cash.




I'll see what I can offer without too much embarrassment.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant that the studios are really popular, and are most likely booked up. I only got last night's slot as it was through a cancellation.


'Fraid not

'My dear boy, there's nothing to worry about! Believe me!'