Reflections, mistakes, and lessons from recording — then and now.
Every time I’m about to record a piece, I feel a mix of anxiety and excitement.
On one hand, there’s the pressure of the perfect recording: proving to the world who I am, how much I’m worth, and the fear of not living up to the many great recordings already out there.
On the other hand, there’s the desire to test myself — to understand how much I’ve grown, to see who I really am, musically speaking.
It’s somewhere between a scientific test and a trial by fire.
Recording a piece is a key moment in the preparation process. It’s the litmus test of how mature a piece really is.
When you record, you are yourself.
You can’t pretend — and you shouldn’t.
If you record something to publish it, you are communicating with the world.
So let me ask you:
What do you want to communicate?
Do you want to appear perfect?
Do you want to be admired for your precision?
Or do you want to capture a snapshot of your journey and say:
“This is where I am right now — and you can go even further.”
We’ll come back to this later.
A Note on This Article
This article was originally published in 2022.
I decided to keep the original text unchanged and add reflections from who I am today.
When you read “Update 2026”, you’re reading a more recent perspective.
Who knows how I’ll think about this in 10 years.
1. When Is a Good Time to Record?
In my experience, when you are able to play a piece several times without mistakes, from beginning to end, with the right timing and the desired expression — you are ready to record it.
If you can’t do that, don’t expect the recording to fix your mistakes.
On the contrary, it will amplify every inaccuracy and confusion.
Recording is a kind of litmus test: it reveals how well you actually know the piece.
Update 2026
The more time passes and the more the piece matures, the better the recording will be.
Am I saying you should wait until the last day of your life to record everything? Of course not.
But if you can, give it a little more time than you think.
When a piece feels ready, don’t rush because of anxiety.
If your preparation is solid, it will only benefit from aging a little longer — like a good wine.
2. How Much Should You Insist?
In my opinion, it’s useless to insist all day on recording a piece if you fail after the first few attempts.
Yes, maybe after spending an entire day in your room or in the studio you will get something.
But at what cost?
Most likely: a poor recording, made with low energy.
If, after several attempts, things are not working, it simply means the piece is not ready yet.
Update 2026
I fully agree with this. Nothing to add.
3. Warming Up
Warming up is essential for a good recording.
A useful approach is to split the process into two phases:
- first, a warm-up where you play the piece several times at different speeds
- then, after a short break, the actual recording
Update 2026
Today I place more emphasis on targeted warming up.
When I wrote this article, I was mainly thinking of a physical warm-up — like stretching before a run.
Now I think more in terms of an acoustic warm-up:
How do you want the piece to sound in the recording?
During your pre-recording warm-up, focus especially on shaping that sound.
4. Do Not Give In to Frustration
It has happened to me countless times: recording 99.9% of a piece perfectly, and then making a tiny mistake that ruins everything.
In those moments, frustration can be overwhelming.
Fixing small details can require an enormous amount of time and effort — sometimes comparable to what it took to learn the entire piece.
We need to accept that this is part of the process.
Once you’re aware of it, you can decide:
- whether to improve the piece further and postpone the recording
- or accept the imperfection (see point 8)
Update 2026
What we often call a “small mistake” is not small at all.
There is usually a precise cause behind it.
This is where the Pareto principle comes in:
80% of the results depend on 20% of the causes.
In this case, 99.99% of the quality of your recording may depend on just 0.01% of the details.
Find that 0.01% and fix it — at any cost.
In this sense, you should feel lucky:
the recording process has revealed exactly what was not ready.
That said, I still agree with what I wrote years ago:
Always ask yourself: is it worth it?
Is this detail essential or negligible?
Is perfection necessary in this case?
5. When You Record, You’re Playing for Someone
The recorder (or camera) is a kind of audience.
It generates anxiety and pressure similar to a real performance.
This is why recording is so useful: it tests you.
The mistakes that appear during recording are usually the parts you haven’t fully internalized.
Recording shows you clearly:
- what flows
- and what still needs work
6. Breathe
Performing a piece means managing a huge number of variables.
One of them is breathing.
During recording, tension often leads to apnea — and that negatively affects your performance.
A good practice is to do test recordings and observe where you tend to stop breathing, then correct it.
Recording also helps you identify which passages generate more tension, so you can consciously relax during those moments.
Update 2026
Yes, breathe. But more importantly:
Integrate breathing into your practice process.
Make it part of the piece itself, so that when you record, you don’t have to think about it.
7. Focus, When Needed
You don’t need to maintain maximum concentration at all times.
Some parts require intense focus.
Others can be entrusted to a kind of autopilot.
However, your mind should always remain present as an observer.
Training this autopilot is part of practicing the piece.
Learning when to intervene is part of preparing the recording.
Update 2026
I would summarize everything like this:
Focus obsessively before — so you can forget about it while recording.
8. Be Self-Demanding, but Not Too Much
Striving for perfection is good.
But don’t forget to be tolerant with yourself and accept certain mistakes — most of them are minor.
Sometimes it’s better to accept small imperfections, finish the recording, and move on to the next project.
Update 2026
There have been times when I thought a recording was terrible.
Then I listened back — and realized the problem was my expectation, not the performance.
A neutral listening perspective often reveals that things are not as bad as you thought.
Conclusion
Recording is a powerful moment for musical and artistic growth.
It stands somewhere between practicing alone and performing for an audience.
It prepares you for the emotional pressure of performing, while also testing your real understanding of the piece.
Update 2026 — A Final Question
At the beginning of this article, I asked you a question.
Now I’ll ask it more directly:
Why are you recording this piece?
- To build your portfolio?
- To complete an album?
- Because of professional obligations?
- To prove something — to yourself or to others?
- For personal satisfaction?
- To close one chapter and begin another?
- To communicate something to the world?
Just as I told you not to rush into recording…
Don’t rush into answering this either.
Take your time.
And while you’re thinking about it, let me leave you with one more question:
What do you truly admire in a great musician?
