Right hand encased in concrete

[Joe F]

Last summer, I was invited to join a band for the first time. #We play mostly old-time, but with enough vocal tunes (Charlie Poole, Doc Boggs, etc.) so that there are plenty of opportunities for lead breaks. #So far, we have played 3 gigs – 2 last July, and one this past weekend. #All of them have been “showcase” events with several bands, so our sets have run 30-40 minutes long.

One thing I’ve noticed in all cases is that, once on stage, my right hand seems to freeze up to the point where it’s hard to play or even hit the proper strings. #About half way through the set, it loosens up somewhat, but is still nowhere near as fluid as the rehearsals or when I play at local jam sessions.

Is this a form of stage fright that is manifesting itself in my right hand? #I do have a few butterflies before going on stage, but I don’t really feel a lot of anxiety or nervousness. #I know the material well, and we have always played in smaller venues with friendly, appreciative audiences.

Has anyone else experienced this? #Are there specific techniques to help overcome it, or is it something that will gradually go away as I gain more performing experience? #One contributing factor may be the fact that I am strongly left-handed, but play the mandolin right handed (which is the ONLY thing I do right-handed). #A weaker right hand may be more susceptible to this sort of problem. Another factor may be that my mandolin is fairly quiet, and I have to hit the strings pretty hard to be heard (a problem that should go away when I get my new Clark next summer).

[billhay4]

You also may be holding the pick and and picking in a way that tightens up your wrist and arm muscles. I'd get an instructor to look at your ergonomics.
I took one lesson from Peter Martin in Seattle and he honed right in on my right hand technique. My playing has been vastly more relaxed since I started using his technique.
Hope this helps.
Bill Hay

[AlanN]

Sounds like jitters to me. Just relax.

[Brian Fortier]

Last summer, I was invited to join a band for the first time. #We play mostly old-time, but with enough vocal tunes (Charlie Poole, Doc Boggs, etc.) so that there are plenty of opportunities for lead breaks. #So far, we have played 3 gigs – 2 last July, and one this past weekend. #All of them have been “showcase” events with several bands, so our sets have run 30-40 minutes long.

One thing I’ve noticed in all cases is that, once on stage, my right hand seems to freeze up to the point where it’s hard to play or even hit the proper strings. #About half way through the set, it loosens up somewhat, but is still nowhere near as fluid as the rehearsals or when I play at local jam sessions.

Is this a form of stage fright that is manifesting itself in my right hand? #I do have a few butterflies before going on stage, but I don’t really feel a lot of anxiety or nervousness. #I know the material well, and we have always played in smaller venues with friendly, appreciative audiences.

Has anyone else experienced this? #Are there specific techniques to help overcome it, or is it something that will gradually go away as I gain more performing experience? #One contributing factor may be the fact that I am strongly left-handed, but play the mandolin right handed (which is the ONLY thing I do right-handed). #A weaker right hand may be more susceptible to this sort of problem. Another factor may be that my mandolin is fairly quiet, and I have to hit the strings pretty hard to be heard (a problem that should go away when I get my new Clark next summer).
I believe you're on target. #It might well stem from difficulty in hearing yourself when you play a break. #You then try to hit the strings harder, and your hand tightens up. #A couple of tips; arrange a monitor so that you hear your own instrument above the others. #Concentrate on yourself and on the mando, and let the others take care of themselves. #In other words, play as if you were alone in your own room, relaxed and not too loud. #The amp should take care of the volume.

Remember, there probably isn't a single person in the audience who can play the mandolin as well as you do.

[Jim Kasperson]

This may not be the whole solution but it has certainly helped me in preventing the sudden bouts of slow co ordination that I used to experience. After the set up I would find a quiet place to sit and I would place both feet on the floor comfortably, close my eyes and breath very slowly, expanding my entire diaphragm. It often helps to breath in through the nowe and out through the mouth . The goal was about 8-12 breaths per minute. It helps to breath so slow that one can hardly dicern the switch from inhale to exhale. This oxegenates the whole body and relaxes and calms the muscles. It takes a while to learn the process so practice it at other times too. This could be done both before and after you warm up (which is also very important}

Another thing that may help are some simple endurance exercises for the shoulders. The muscles used in our hands are connected to the shoulders and the health of the entire network contributes to total functionality. The excercises may be as simple as holding your arms outstreched several times a day until they start to burn. No need to be heroic here. I sometimes turn one palm up then the other and sometime face both palms in the same direction. You will feel the different parts of the muscles engage.as you change palm direction. I have found this excercise to be very effective in protecting my wrists and adding fluidity to my hands and fingers.

These methods are safe, simple and cheap. Might be worth a try.

[Santiago]

Also, warm up. Get the blood flowing in your hand. It' helps.

[picksnbits]

You've pretty much described exactly what I go through when I play in public. I think it is a combination of nerves and the fact that I tense up while trying to play loud enough to be heard. I haven't totally licked this yet either. Let us know if you come up with a complete answer.

Here's a couple of things that I think help:

Try and get the group together and jam a bit before going on stage, or go off by yourself and loosen up.

At home practice with the mandolin muted so that you get used to pulling max tone from the instrument without tensing up.

[woodwizard]

I think you will get better the more you perform. Nervous jitters will do that to you. The more you play out live the more relaxed you will become and then before you know it ... you will be pickin'like you do at home only you'll be standing on stage. Hang in there

[earthsave]

Picture the crowd in their underwear.

Seriously tho, just try to learn and not sweat it. Everybody messes up and most of the time the crowd will not notice unless they see you cringe or make a face, which I am notorious for doing. Both messing up and making faces.

We are our worst critics and working through stuff that challenges is the best way to grow.

The reason(s) and remedy for this problem is as varied as the people who suffer from this affliction.
I know folks who have played for many years and can't play on stage or off. Others have no problem at all.
If you keep doing what you're doing ... nothing will change.
BTW, if you are above average intelligence, you've got one strike against you. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[mandolirius]

I think it's pretty normal. The breathing/relaxation techniques are always a good idea, stage or no stage. Also, the comment about not being able to hear yourself is very pertinent. If you're playing with stage monitors, make sure you're able to hear yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for more volume. I think being able to hear yourself helps tremendously, in terms of relaxation.

[Joe F]

Lots of good suggestions here -- thank you, everybody. I figure it must be a performance-related thing, since we usually run through our set an hour or two before the gig, and everything is working fine then.

I attend several local old-time jams, and even though the mandolin isn't a big player in old-time music, I am occasionally asked to start a tune or two. Except for a noticeable rise in body temperature when that happens, I usually can pull it off OK. You would think that an "audience" of other musicians would be a tougher crowd than those at a public gig, but I don't seem to have any problem in that situation.

[jim_n_virginia]

Do you sit when you play at jams and practice and stand when you perform?

If you do start practicing standing up. This was my problem a long time ago. When I practiced I playing with the mandolin in my lap. When I stood the mandolin was in a different place from where I was used to.

I have found for me anyways, it's better to practice just like I am going to perform.

I always sit at jams because they are generally longer.

[Roydw3]

dude, that is exactly what I faced when I first took the mandolin out in public. I posted something very similar last year. It has gone away for the most part as I am more comfortable playing it. Never had the trouble with my guitar, drums, bass, or singing...and I am a preacher and can stand in front of just about any crowd, I write articles in the paper each week, and work the press box for football games...but put that mandolin in my hand and all of a sudden I get a case of stage fright. Again, it is much better and will continue to improve as time goes along. Hang in there

[Joe F]

jim-n-virginia,

So far, we have been sitting at all the practices and performances. #We're talking about trying to play standing, and if we do, we'll rehearse it that way as well.

Went to a smaller (6-8 people) old-time jam last night, and my fingers were cooperating unusually well. #My playing was smooth and fluid right from the start.

We have another showcase gig a week from tomorrow, so I'll try some of the techniques that have been suggested here beforehand.

[earthsave]

Standing and playing is way different that sitting and playing. Practice like you will be performing. Your brain might make the comfort connection of sitting play good, standing play bad.

My vocal chords were enased in conrete on Monday. For the life of me I could not get the melody of Little Cabin Home to come out of my vocal chords. Sang the chorus fine, but the lead I was clueless. I tried all three verses with the same results. Talk about embarASSing.

[woodwizard]

Although I practice sitting and standing about half & half. In my case I don't think it matters either way that much because my strap holds the mandolin in the same place as when I'm standing. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Greg H.]

Another thought (this may have already been said and I missed it but. . .) try looking down at the fretboard when playing. If I'm nervous I've found that to help rather than looking at the audience.



Picture the crowd in their underwear.

Hmmm, seems to me that could be either too distracting or too horrifying depending on the audience (if I'm in the audience decidedly the latter).

[swampy]

I experience the same thing, and I don't think it's all nerves. I'm much more relaxed playing out now than I used to be, but it still happens to me occasionally. Most often it seems to occur at large jams or outdoor events with the common link being an inability to hear myself or my instrument. Better acoustics or better monitoring make a huge difference.

Another important thing to consider is how loud you play at home. I really have to focus on playing loud even when I'm by myself so that there is not that much difference when I get out and play.

[Tom F]

Many great suggestions. Most of us have gone through the same thing.

I still go through this and it usually starts with me trying to pick too hard to get volume, which causes tension, which causes excess range of motion, and then you are out of your element and out of control. This can be very difficult to back out of.

Practicing like you will be gigging can really help (i.e. with sound equip set up). Also, I found that just before the solo, I'll take a micro pause and think to myself "ok take it easy, pick lightly, minimal motion". Most of the time it works reasonably well.

It is also important to practice how to get out of crashes; being able to slide into a simpler version of the break can be a life saver. Learn to forget about mistakes; usually no one notices. Gig and play out a lot.

[Kevin Briggs]

This happens to me sometimes, and used to happen a lot. In my case, it has to do with the monitors, I've found. When I can hear myself, I play like I do when I'm alone, and it feels great. When I can't, I don't hit any notes and it's pathetic. I resort to just playing lots of single string tremolo, and it's frankly embarassing. Lately, I've been playing light no matter what, and leaving it up to our sound gurus to fix it.

[Joe F]

From all the great comments here, I'm beginning to suspect that the problem stems from trying to pick too hard in order to be heard. #We have another showcase gig this coming Thursday, so I'll try to back off a bit, sit closer to the mic, and make sure the monitors have adequate volume.

("Coffee Grounds" in St. Paul, MN, 7 PM, just in case anybody happens to be in the area #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif )

[Joe F]

Well, tonight's gig seemed to go a lot better than the last one. #My right hand was a bit stiff at times, but not nearly as bad as before. #This may be attributable to several factors: #(1) It was at a venue we've played before, so the stage, sound system and atmosphere were familiar, (2) It had a much better sound system that the last place, along with a sound guy who knew what he was doing, and (3) decent volume in the monitors, although it was still a bit hard to hear when we really got going (our band has been described more than once as "high energy").

We also tried standing for the first time, which seemed to make playing easier than when sitting. #We tried running through the set a couple hours before the gig, and standing seemed to work pretty well, so we went with that.

Bottom line is that the stiffness will probably ease up the more I play out and the more comfortable I get with performing. #It's still very new to me, but I'm liking it more and more each time we play.