Stage fright??????????

  • Thread starter Thread starter rpe
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I was kinda in the same boat years ago....I'd get nervous playing in front of people (at Church also, where most of the people know you...yikes!) I just came to the conclusion that instead of not being nervous and not making mistakes, I'd have to learn how to play while I was nervous and assume I would make mistakes (that I wouldn't make in practice)

Two things happened immediately....

1. I stopped getting hung up on playing my absolute best, which in turn

2. caused me to stop being nervous and making stupid mistakes.
 
Scottgman said:
Just keep at it and relax. You aren't a robot... so don't expect to play like one.

Right! you can only use robots if you lip synch or if you're in Wyld Stallyns and you have the "good robot uses" dancing.
 
I don't know it this will work for anyone else, but when I was playing out, it helped me: I started off by stating that in my life, I was destined to make a certain number of mistakes. Every time I made another one, that just meant the tally had gone down and I had fewer to go. If nothing else, it kept me from dwelling on them, and let me get back to playing. Gradually, I began to think less and less about the mistakes.

It also helped that my band hosted an open-mic blues/rock jam once per week (I play bass guitar). I got a lot of experience winging it with all variety of players, most of whom I'd just met, playing songs I'd never practiced. The setting is kind of neat, though, because people have a relaxed expectation and as stated above, really want you to succeed. It's a very nurturing setting to work out those mistakes. ;)
 
INTP said:
I don't know it this will work for anyone else, but when I was playing out, it helped me: I started off by stating that in my life, I was destined to make a certain number of mistakes. Every time I made another one, that just meant the tally had gone down and I had fewer to go. If nothing else, it kept me from dwelling on them, and let me get back to playing. Gradually, I began to think less and less about the mistakes.
I studied a bit of sports psychology (specifically golf) at college and that's straight out of the textbook.

I'm sure it could be very effective with live performance too, good tip.
 
I used to suffer from terrible stage fright, being sick before almost every gig - and still do very occasionaly.

The more you play live the easier it gets. Try and fill the time while you're waiting to play with something. Also try eating a bannana - the potassium helps.

Some people use beta blockers - but I wouldn't advocate that personally.

After a recent week's worth of touring I'm pretty blase to playing live - so facing up to it and putting myself through the gigs really was the best medicine for me.
 
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Everyone here is right, perform as much as possible. The higher pressure situation the better. I played my masters recital (classical guitar) in front of a jury of 3 professors, 20 guitarist grad students, and 150 people-most of them music majors, at Florida State University. It helps to play in higher pressure situations because then the lower pressure situations don't even register.

Obviously, you didn't make mistakes because of lack of practice but you should examine the way you practice. After all, practice does NOT make perfect. PERFECT PRACTICE makes perfect. Are you practicing your pieces as whole? Do you just play through them over and over? That is not the best way to practice. The best way to practice is to break the piece down and practice in segments, the smaller the better. 1 measure at a time. This way you can focus on the smallest of details, and get plenty of reps in of the hardest passage and you can correct your mistakes while they are still fresh in your mind rather than waiting to play the entire piece again. The hardest passage in a piece deserves special attention, not merely the same attention as the rest of the piece.

Also, don't rely on muscle memory too much. You need to be able to think your way through the piece. You can practice without even touching your guitar. Muscle memory is good to have, just don't rely on it too much. Try singing your part.

Lastly, practice with a metronome. Go very slow. VERY slow. Don't allow yourself to increase the speed of that metronome until you've played the passage absolutely perfectly. No buzzes, no loud finger scrapes on the strings, no uncertainty in your fingers. This will help your consistency and reduce mistakes. If you perform faster than you practice (and most people do) you will increase the likelyhood of making a mistake. Practice playing 10% faster than you intend to perform but only after you have mastered the piece at slower speeds.

Good luck!
 
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Codmate said:
I used to suffer from terrible stage fright, being sick before almost every gig - and still do very occasionaly.

The more you play live the easier it gets. Try and fill the time while you're waiting to play with something. Also try eating a bannana - the potassium helps.

Some people use beta blockers - but I wouldn't advocate that personally.

After a recent week's worth of touring I'm pretty blase to playing live - so facing up to it and putting myself through the gigs really was the best medicine for me.


I never suffered from stage fright, I think its the way that I look at it that prevents me from getting scared. You just have to think that everybody has come to watch you, all you have to do is be confident in your playing abilitys, and confident that your band sounds tight. If you become confident in yourself and the ability to rock out to a crowd, a lot of the time, the fear will go away.

I believe it was steve vai that said on his first gig ever in high school, he was nervous as hell, and throwing up before the show. Once he got on stage, a few minutes into his set he was doing his thing (shredding) and even throwing some rock poses into effect. It all boils down to confidence in yourself as a musician.
 
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ibleedburgundy said:
Everyone here is right, perform as much as possible. The higher pressure situation the better. I played my masters recital (classical guitar) in front of a jury of 3 professors, 20 guitarist grad students, and 150 people-most of them music majors, at Florida State University. It helps to play in higher pressure situations because then the lower pressure situations don't even register.

Obviously, you didn't make mistakes because of lack of practice but you should examine the way you practice. After all, practice does NOT make perfect. PERFECT PRACTICE makes perfect. Are you practicing your pieces as whole? Do you just play through them over and over? That is not the best way to practice. The best way to practice is to break the piece down and practice in segments, the smaller the better. 1 measure at a time. This way you can focus on the smallest of details, and get plenty of reps in of the hardest passage and you can correct your mistakes while they are still fresh in your mind rather than waiting to play the entire piece again. The hardest passage in a piece deserves special attention, not merely the same attention as the rest of the piece.

Also, don't rely on muscle memory too much. You need to be able to think your way through the piece. You can practice without even touching your guitar. Muscle memory is good to have, just don't rely on it too much. Try singing your part.

Lastly, practice with a metronome. Go very slow. VERY slow. Don't allow yourself to increase the speed of that metronome until you've played the passage absolutely perfectly. No buzzes, no loud finger scrapes on the strings, no uncertainty in your fingers. This will help your consistency and reduce mistakes. If you perform faster than you practice (and most people do) you will increase the likelyhood of making a mistake. Practice playing 10% faster than you intend to perform but only after you have mastered the piece at slower speeds.

Good luck!

Great ideas. Makes sense to me.

thanks,

rpe
 
ibleedburgundy said:
Everyone here is right, perform as much as possible. The higher pressure situation the better. I played my masters recital (classical guitar) in front of a jury of 3 professors, 20 guitarist grad students, and 150 people-most of them music majors, at Florida State University. It helps to play in higher pressure situations because then the lower pressure situations don't even register.

I think you definitely win hands down in the "most nerve-racking" category.

Thanks for the good tips, too
 
Frequency sure helps. Back when I was gigging full time I basically had no fear - unless I was sick or having finger problems. I just got used to it. Now that I rarely gig it's much more of a big deal - major anxiety. Even pros who do big shows (famous musicians) get stagefright. 1 guy I know said he learned to take that fear and enjoy it - turn it into something positive and thrive off of it.

One thing I can't do before a gig is eat, which is bad. But my stomach closes right up...
 
IronFlippy said:
Zaphod's advice is some of the best on this subject. If you screw up and stop, then everyone's going to know you made a mistake, and it makes for a really embarassing moment.

Performing is just like driving on ice or in sand - if you stop, you are dead.
 
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