Watch it!

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – if you have the opportunity to videotape yourself at a practice or performance, do it!

The reason I’m bringing this back up is because of a video taken during last weekend’s San Jose Obon.  In one of my solos, I did a move that didn’t feel very clean.  The tempo was fast and I delivered the notes where I wanted, but it didn’t feel like it looked good.

Then I saw it on video and I was pleasantly surprised; it looked good!  Go figure.

There were other songs that day where I got to watch myself and again was happy to see that what didn’t necessarily feel as strong at the time looked better on review.  Mind you, I can certainly pick out things that need improvement, but that’s a given when watching a recording.

Recording yourself takes the variable of interpretation away (or at least most of it).  What you thought was a major mistake might actually have been barely noticeable.  What you thought was an epic solo might actually have looked awkward.  What you thought was a badly-executed pattern might have been really in the pocket.

This post isn’t a revelation, just a reminder that what we see in our heads is often a lot different than what really happened.  Most people would be well-served to watch themselves recorded and see the truth!