Stage fright

Conrad

We have a gig on Sat that is quite important to us. Our repertoire had to be extended to fill the set and I had to work so much overtime this week that we couldn't practice.

Now there is a lot of pressure. How on earth to stay calm on stage... I dunno. I can't seem to shake stage fright. Even at the last Tjs open mic, I was very nervuos and noticeably so on the video recording.

Ray

Ag you'll be fine. But I also get stressed at such occasions so I cant tell you not to be poep scared.

Squonk

Conrad

You are a great player, the clips I have seen and heard are very good. No need to be nervous!

The secret is to channel these nerves into a positive energy when performing live.

Not that I can give you much advice after only 3 times at TJ's, but I felt nervous every time, so much so that I felt sick the day before the gig.

What helps my nerves and seems to calm me down is to engage with the audience.

Explain the origin of the song, tell them what you are doing e.g. We are now doing a waltz in the alternate tuning of DADGAD.....

Experience - I am sure the more you play, the less nervous you will get.

I think a lot of us will admit it is a nerve wracking thing to stand up and do your thing.

singemonkey

Pure exposure therapy is the only real cure. You can have a persona that you put on on stage, that helps a little. You can make sure, as I finally learned from Keira, that you don't struggle to play anything you'll be performing when practising it - it should be like falling off a log.

But ultimately, to stop your heartbeat pounding in your ears, all you can do is play live regularly.

But for critically important gigs which you think may be ruined by stage fright, your doctor can prescribe beta-blockers which simply retard the production of adrenaline - they don't "drug you up." Since, if you didn't have the stage fright, you wouldn't produce all that adrenaline, all they do is take you down from that amped up state into more of a sitting in your living room sort of vibe.

I think they can be useful when you haven't got into the swing of live gigs yet. Ultimately, you want to retain a little bit of nervousness to add an edge to your performance. So you'd want to give them up once you really playing a lot - you don't want to be so unconcerned as to be boring. But the overwhelming jitters are not really beneficial.

Check out the thread called Performance anxiety that goes into this stuff a lot.

Also, if Squonk says you're playing great, it's important to realise that a lot of this stuff could be your perception of the performance, not that of the audience. I recently watched an old video of a gig which - watching it shortly afterward with the memory fresh - seemed appalling. Watching it now though, with some distance from the actual experience of the night, I'm like, "Wow. I was actually rocking. I would have enjoyed watching me that night." You know?

Conrad

singemonkey wrote Pure exposure therapy is the only real cure. You can have a persona that you put on on stage, that helps a little. You can make sure, as I finally learned from Keira, that you don't struggle to play anything you'll be performing when practising it - it should be like falling off a log.

But ultimately, to stop your heartbeat pounding in your ears, all you can do is play live regularly.

But for critically important gigs which you think may be ruined by stage fright, your doctor can prescribe beta-blockers which simply retard the production of adrenaline - they don't "drug you up." Since, if you didn't have the stage fright, you wouldn't produce all that adrenaline, all they do is take you down from that amped up state into more of a sitting in your living room sort of vibe.

I think they can be useful when you haven't got into the swing of live gigs yet. Ultimately, you want to retain a little bit of nervousness to add an edge to your performance. So you'd want to give them up once you really playing a lot - you don't want to be so unconcerned as to be boring. But the overwhelming jitters are not really beneficial.

Check out the thread called Performance anxiety that goes into this stuff a lot.

Also, if Squonk says you're playing great, it's important to realise that a lot of this stuff could be your perception of the performance, not that of the audience. I recently watched an old video of a gig which - watching it shortly afterward with the memory fresh - seemed appalling. Watching it now though, with some distance from the actual experience of the night, I'm like, "Wow. I was actually rocking. I would have enjoyed watching me that night." You know?

@Singe: Yes see there was a time where I had no stage fright. Just a helthy secretion of adrenalin during performance. But that was because I was doing about 100 gigs a year at that stage but now I spend more time studying new pieces and I have tot adjust to performing. I don't like my stage persona. That doesn't help. I think I will try the beta blockers.

@Squonk: Thank you so much for the encouraging words.

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote What helps my nerves and seems to calm me down is to engage with the audience.

Explain the origin of the song, tell them what you are doing e.g. We are now doing a waltz in the alternate tuning of DADGAD.....

Ja. You do that well. It helps to engage with the audience a little, gets them on your side (unless, of course, you're at the annual DeathStock and you start telling THEM about waltzes in DADGAD, that might not go down so well).

I talk lots of bollocks between songs. It seems to go down OK. I am not yet in the same league as British folk singer John Tams. I once saw him do an hour set that consisted of about 4 actual songs and a rather greater number of long shaggy dog stories.

I do find it helps to relax me as well. Partly because it gives me time to find the capo, change tuning etc.

One thing you can do if you're not playing solo is every time YOU make a mistake you give somebody else on stage a vuil look. However Conrad is married to the other person he is going to be on stage with so this might not be a good tactic in this particular case.

Experience - I am sure the more you play, the less nervous you will get.

There's a mundane aspect to this. The first time I played to an audience was a total mess. Not because I hadn't practiced the songs I was going to play, but because of silly things like "oops! where did I put that capo?" I think you can learn to have things at hand and in the same place (easily accessible) every time and that takes away things that can get you flustered. I usually use two capos and I like to play sitting down, so one of the little things I do is to wear a shirt with a pocket - the pocket being a good place for the capos. Taking care of little details like this reduces the number of things that can go wrong, thus eliminates some sources of nerves, and it also breeds an attitude of taking care of small but important details.

I agree with Squonk btw Conrad. If I could play as well as you I'd be a lot less nervous getting up on stage.

singemonkey

What often works for me too is having an opportunity to get away from the stage, relax a bit, and then go back. Unfortunately, that was a bit rare as we usually did one 50min set.

But if you can break for 10mins after 5 or six tunes. You'll yourself feeling much more comfortable when you get back up.

Conrad

X-rated Bob wrote One thing you can do if you're not playing solo is every time YOU make a mistake you give somebody else on stage a vuil look. However Conrad is married to the other person he is going to be on stage with so this might not be a good tactic in this particular case.

Yes see this way lies madness... ?

X-rated Bob wrote There's a mundane aspect to this. The first time I played to an audience was a total mess. Not because I hadn't practiced the songs I was going to play, but because of silly things like "oops! where did I put that capo?" I think you can learn to have things at hand and in the same place (easily accessible) every time and that takes away things that can get you flustered. I usually use two capos and I like to play sitting down, so one of the little things I do is to wear a shirt with a pocket - the pocket being a good place for the capos. Taking care of little details like this reduces the number of things that can go wrong, thus eliminates some sources of nerves, and it also breeds an attitude of taking care of small but important details.

+1 and Amen to that. I have those sorted well though

X-rated Bob wrote I agree with Squonk btw Conrad. If I could play as well as you I'd be a lot less nervous getting up on stage.

You play extremely well Bob. I don't think I play better than you. I think what adds to the pressure here is probably because there is an actual stage and 5 flamenco dancers. The venue is also owned by Spaniards. I think I would have been a lot less nervous if I had the time to practice our set this week but suddenly all software is super urgent.

DonovanB

Sorry okes, I really dislike random speeches between songs.
Sorry but I want to see you play not hear a joke/social commentary/why the song was written. I guess some people might but not me.

Does anyone else feel nervous until after the first song? That used to happen to me.

Nowadays I don't feel even the slightest bit of nerves, I get very pumped and excited. I do play a hell of a lot though and even after a long break the high is better.

My nerves went away when I played with a band who were quite bad, but still pulled it off. It doesn't make you feel invincible but if the whole band can wreck a song in unison and still not be boo'd off stage missing a note isn't that bad.

Bob-Dubery

Donovan Banks wrote Sorry okes, I really dislike random speeches between songs.
Sorry but I want to see you play not hear a joke/social commentary/why the song was written. I guess some people might but not me.

I think it works in some contexts, not in others. Might work well in a folk club, but not in a disco. I think it might be more acceptable with a solo performer. I do think you have to be good and witty with what you say, if you just ramble then you'll cheese the audience off (or cheese off the audience). So maybe you need to do the Winston Churchill bit and rehearse off the cuff remarks.

Conrad

Maybe if I arrive in a chicken suit, the ice will be broken.

DonovanB

X-rated Bob wrote I think it works in some contexts, not in others. Might work well in a folk club, but not in a disco. I think it might be more acceptable with a solo performer. I do think you have to be good and witty with what you say, if you just ramble then you'll cheese the audience off (or cheese off the audience). So maybe you need to do the Winston Churchill bit and rehearse off the cuff remarks.

You have to make very relevant statements, AND be very clear vocally. There is nothing worse than trying to decipher what someone is mumbling into the mic.

Riaan

I think I will try the beta blockers.

Don't if you have asthma or heart problems...best to get your doc to check you out beforehand. Also, it reduces the palpitations and adrenaline induced symptoms, but won't make you feel less anxious. It certainly will make you feel very tired, so if you were planning on going for a jol afterwards, forget it. I would rather go for non-pharmacological measures like the other guys suggested.

Ray

half a bottle of rescue drops

Bob-Dubery

Donovan Banks wrote
X-rated Bob wrote I think it works in some contexts, not in others. Might work well in a folk club, but not in a disco. I think it might be more acceptable with a solo performer. I do think you have to be good and witty with what you say, if you just ramble then you'll cheese the audience off (or cheese off the audience). So maybe you need to do the Winston Churchill bit and rehearse off the cuff remarks.
You have to make very relevant statements, AND be very clear vocally. There is nothing worse than trying to decipher what someone is mumbling into the mic.

It worked for Elvis

The defence rests, Your Honour.

Warren

Gonna be presumptuous here, I hope you don't mind too much.

Conrad, you've made a few posts lately around work/music/life balance and issues around securing this gig, as well as posts about frustrations during a recent TJ's performance etc.

So it sounds to me like there's a lot going on that's stressing you out and bringing you to a "boiling point" of sorts, most especially the fact that you had less time to practice the new additions to the repertoire than you would have liked. Maybe also the fact that you used to gig more often than you currently do and you're not living up to your own high expectations. I could be wrong...

My suggestion then: just accept it dude. You aren't going to grab more practice out of what little thin air remains before Saturday. Your best chance for a strong performance is to be relaxed and not tighten up over every mistake you make, and to enjoy yourself. You can't change much about the situation other than how you're feeling about it, so try and just accept that however good your set is right now is how good it will be on the night, (minor) warts and all. I'm pretty sure people will still get a big kick out of it.

I could be entirely off the mark here, but part of being prepared is actually FEELING prepared, even if you didn't manage to sort every little detail you would have liked. At some point you have to just let go of the things you can't control and trust in the talents that got you the gig in the first place.

[deleted]

So it sounds to me like there's a lot going on that's stressing you out and bringing you to a "boiling point" of sorts

Very observant Warren, I'm not Conrad, but if I were I would imagine that's how he would be feeling.

I've also had that experience of trying to meet too many expectations. All that I can think of is to have a back up plan. If you give these new songs a go, and after a few of the songs you see it's not working, switch to playing longer versions of the songs you're more comfortable with. Perhaps knowing that you have a plan B in place will make you more comfortable and it won't be such a "do or die" situation.

And no need to be so modest Conrad, we all know you play really well.

Conrad

I feel quite exposed about the boiling point comment.

Maybe I should be a little less overt in my posts LOL I might even get moderated.

Warren

Conrad wrote I feel quite exposed about the boiling point comment.

Maybe I should be a little less overt in my posts LOL I might even get moderated.

nonononono!

Not my intention at all, sorry. ?

Just pointing out the apparent build-up and how I think it might be affecting your mind for Saturday. Don't think there's anything wrong with your posts at all.

In short: I know that, for me, when I'm feeling a bit shaky, I take the Nike approach:

F@#$ it. Just Do It.

[deleted]

I feel quite exposed about the boiling point comment.

No need to feel exposed Conrad. Any interaction on a forum is a shot in the dark really. We all just go on assumptions, and half the time we're probably just talking to figments of our imaginations.