[tacon]

>A concert pianist doesn't just walk up on stage and wing it.

Well, sometimes they have to. There is the famous example where a professional concert pianist realizes when the orchestra starts that she practiced the wrong piece. They happen to have been making a documentary, so we get to see her face as she realizes what is happening. And then she "wings it", and manages to play very well anyway.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJXnYMl_SuA

[zcw100]

I was going to add something about improvisation and jazz. While it’s not planned out you wouldn’t describe them as “not knowing what they’re doing” nor are they just blindly mashing the keys.

They’re feeling their way through a dynamic situation guided by skill, experience and luck.

[idontwantthis]

Really the complete opposite of winging it. Only possible after immense study. And what your seeing is what they are most comfortable playing. They’ll push themselves out of their comfort zone offstage when they aren’t being paid.

[SilasX]

That’s not what is normally meant by “winging it” though. That’s applying deep, rigorous expertise, just faster than normal.

[grujicd]

This is trully amazing!