It’s bound to happen. Nobody is perfect. We all have flaws and we all make flubs. Every musician makes a flub the key is how do you come out of it?
Piano mistakes when you are the sole musician who is playing for a congregation seem to be a bit more noticeable (to me) than at any other time. At any other time you really can just flub your way around it but when you are playing for a congregation who is singing along to your playing and then you a) get lost and don’t remember for several moments where you are within in the music b)forget what the song sounds like entirely c)give an intro with the wrong tempo. Then you know because of piano mistakes…
It’s one of the reasons you practice.
One of the reasons you may want to learn about chord patterns or progressions in music, which ones are most likely and which ones are in the songs you are playing.
It’s one of the reasons you may want to learn to play by ear.
It’s one of the reasons that even though you play fabulously by ear, just as the musicians I’ve spotted on the numerous Gaither
It’s the reason it’s a good idea to make notations on your lead sheets…in red.
Flub ups are likely. It’s how you come out of them that matters.
More tips to avoid mistakes:
- Practice. This of course you already know.
- Practice and pay particular attention to the sections where you seem to have a bit of difficulty. When you have mastered them then play through the whole song again.
- Practice the song with hands apart.
- Use a metronome and practice the song at tempo.
- Practice again
