Stage nerves... how do you deal with it?

[Spruce]

If you can't close your eyes...

I go in the opposite direction...
I scan the crowd and pick out a person or two and mentally prod them with "you get up here and do this....!"
Works well, but didn't work when I spotted Ronnie McCoury once...

[billhay4]

I stay off anything resembling a stage.
Bill

[Paul Kotapish]

Chris, as noted above, many seasoned vets still get the butterflies before--and during--a show, and plenty of serious top-flight players regularly use beta blockers to calm their nerves so that they can play at the level they are capable of achieving when not distracted by anxiety.

You'll have to follow your heart on the drugs--but I don't think you are risking much by trying them a few times.

One trick that I use when I suddenly find myself overwhelmed by the speed of a tune or song and don't think I can pull off a proper break up to speed is to go 180° the other way and play at half speed--just pick out the bare framework of the melody as simply as possible with maybe a few accents and ornaments. If you keep the notes in time, play as lyrically as possible, and throw in a few interesting rhythmic or harmonic twists, you will get through your break with ease and it might even be memorable.

Playing something unexpected can have as much impact as playing something with a lot of flash, and simple-but-musical will always beat flailing away to play something you can't pull off.

I generally improvise most of my breaks--to the best of my many limits, anyway--but if there are pieces in the repertoire that always make me stumble regardless of how much woodshedding I put in, I work out some lines that I know I can play under heat and stick with them.

I'd also suggest that your group tries practicing as if you were actually performing--in the same formation you would use on stage and facing an (imaginary) audience rather than each other.

There's a world of difference between a practice session where you are sitting or standing in a circle facing one another and being spread out on stage. You should devote some time on a regular basis for doing mock performances so that you have a more familiar sense of how it's going to feel on stage. It's a little awkward at first, but you will learn a lot.

Better yet, if you can get access to a venue with an actual stage and sound system, hold a few rehearsals there during off hours. That kind of rehearsal can work wonders for bands that sound great in the living room but stumble a bit on stage.

Good luck!

[Bertram Henze]

I stay off anything resembling a stage.
Bill

Jams or sessions in an informal setting (circle of chairs, tables with drinks, whatever) are no better. Your peers are audience, too, and an expert audience at that. I had my shakiest moments with a pint of Guinness in front of me. Face it, there's no getting away.

[mandocrucian]

I really think someone should ask Branford Marsalis!

[banjoboy]

This is the one thing I don't recommend at all. It may work at first, then you need some more to make it work and so on. Needing medication is a signal that something is wrong. You have got to deactivate the source of the problem, not switch off the warning lights.

Well beta blockers are not like booze or narcotic drugs. I don't crave them...I don't take larger and larger dozes everytime, I don't use them any other time than when I perform, and I don't always use them before a performance. Your right, there is a signal that something is wrong....I HAVE STAGEFRIGHT!!!! The beta blockers that I take don't make me feel different in any way other than not having that fight or flight nervousness, which is what stagefright really is. The beta blockers don't make me slur my speech, stumble around, make me use terms like "far-out man" or "groovy". I feel pretty sure that they are safe as I've now had two physicians who have prescribed them to me. I've also been informed that many people take them for public speaking and other such scenarios. Are they right for everyone? Probably not. But they work for me.

[Barry Wilson]

I used to get nervous. You just have to have one meltdown on stage and realize the crowd is still with you for the next song. then you realize it's no different playing up there as at home...

playing a pub in grand forks was one embarrassing time in life. I'd eaten home made beans, bowls and bowls, before going on. well you can imagine what happened first song in. guitar player on my right sniffs and runs across the stage, then the lead vocalist, then the lead guitarist... beforethe song was over the whole band other than drummer had move to the other side and the dance floor cleared. we had to stop playing and open the doors... people started dancing first song back. people laughed and pointed and it passed. if one can make it through times like that, the odd mistake really can slide by easy.

just have fun and treat it like a jam. you are your own worst critic

[R. Kane]

This might be the right time to relate that Bob Brozman, the undisputed expert of all things bronze and steel bodied guitars, used to say, " you just have to turn down your Give A Sh*tter dial a bit, and you'll do fine."

[Gerard Dick]

I dumb down the break until only the bare essentials are left. If I survive that time around and my turn comes up again I may put in a little ornamentation, trills and turnarounds etc. depending on how close to the edge I felt I was the first time.

[stetson]

The solution is simple.

Practice in front of 200 people.

Seriously, I think that is the solution. The more I play in front of people the less I notice they are there. It's gotten to where It's just me and the band. We talk back and forth during the music like we're just in a practice session. We help each other through the rough spots with the little "are you ready?" or "you're doing great" whispered.

Still that first 30 seconds of the first solo can be nerve racking.

[almeriastrings]

Experience helps. I help run a local open mic, and I see quite a few people who are seriously terrified.... with encouragement and familiarity, that improves a lot. Now, for myself... the main thing is knowing the material well. So well I can almost play it in my sleep. Also good recovery skills, so that even if you do mess up a bit, you can cover your tracks (hopefully!!). Finally, not getting too stressed even if you miss a few notes. Heck, even Bill and Doc Watson messed up on some of those live recordings, so if they can, why not me? The less I worry about, the fewer mistakes I make, anyway. ENJOYING playing helps a lot too. It is a good feeling to know that you CAN do it!

[Bertram Henze]

The solution is simple.

Practice in front of 200 people.

It is important to note that "practising" stands for allowing yourself to make mistakes; mistakes are a mandatory part of reality and giving in to reality is a big relaxant.
It should, however, not mean to exclude the audience, or else you'll be just like this slot machine that used to stand in an old department store in my home town:



Live the gig, don't just survive it.

[Cheryl Watson]

Everyone is giving a lot of good advice. I just to bring up the being prepared angle. I tend to get less nervous if I (and my band members) are prepared for a performance. And this is quite the challenge. If you are the band leader and you have high standards for your band and they buck you and fail to practice as often as they should on their own, then big problems arise. You must be prepared, in other words, "practice before band practice" or else a band practice can be very unproductive. And without each band member practicing on their own (with detailed lead sheets and mp3s) between band practices, you forget what you learned last time (lead order, who plays fills and where, harmony parts) and things get even worse.

The leader of the band cannot babysit during a performance and tell everyone when to come in and where. If you are in a jam on stage, someone often cues players when to take their lead break, but for a regular band it is different. I often sing right up to the first lead break and I cannot stop singing in order to turn my head and yell out, "banjo!" Everyone has to be responsible for their part and to make it work with all the other parts; it is a lot like being on a sports team and executing plays.

One more thing: It is very hard to practice sitting around in a living room looking at each other and then find yourself up on stage at a festival lined up with very little eye contact so it is usually best to practice in the same configuration and positions that you will be in on stage. Practice standing up, not sitting down if you are going to stand up on stage or you will fail big time!

[terzinator]

Love all the insight!

I think the preparedness angle is huge.

Part of our problem is that when we have free time (usually Wednesday night is music night) we'll jam with others, and we don't often give ourselves the necessary time to REHEARSE. So, when we do a gig, it's sometimes just "a jam with fewer participants!" (And in a jam, we don't get as many opportunities to do OUR tunes, so when we have a gig, the beginnings, endings, breaks are sometimes catch as catch can.)

I really think there's a lot, too, to keeping it simple. At least for me, on this instrument. When we're entertaining, I don't need to "impress." I think what goes through my head and hands during a gig is similar to when I'm at a lesson, trying to play for my teacher. I really start to think too much, and I'm not letting it flow.

A jam is different. Our band hosts many of them, and I'm kind of the de-facto leader. I don't feel that same jittery thing at all. There seems to be much less pressure to execute a break when it's a tune someone else introduces, and then I'm generally focused on the melody, so I'm not trying to burn it up or anything. I keep it simple. (And we're usually at a place where we can have a beer or two, and I'm not all caffeinated up!)

Our gigs aren't every week or anything... Probably once a month, with jams and the OCCASIONAL rehearsal tossed in there. So, I think the Beta-Blocker thing might have some merit, since I'd be using them that infrequently. Can't hurt to chat with my doc about them, at any rate.

[Pete Counter]

It is important to note that "practising" stands for allowing yourself to make mistakes; mistakes are a mandatory part of reality and giving in to reality is a big relaxant.
It should, however, not mean to exclude the audience, or else you'll be just like this slot machine that used to stand in an old department store in my home town:


Live the gig, don't just survive it.

Thats not too off from my theory...I say blow it big time in front of decent crowd. After that its cake! With your greatest performance fears realized you will relax quite a bit!

[Bertram Henze]

I say blow it big time in front of decent crowd. After that its cake! With your greatest performance fears realized you will relax quite a bit!

Smeagol did it once, Smeagol can do it again!

[farmerjones]

i find there's a battle line between the "don't give a rats" roll with it, attitude, and the eager to please and strive for perfection sides of my brain. I tend to lean to the easier side so as to be able to function. Trusting that the audience is on your side, pulling for you. I hear awful stuff coming out of me that the audience seems not to hear. So, there is this trust thing, or "letting go" thing.
A band is a better scenario. Sharing the load is way better than the church/wedding solo. Reach for being in a more favored element, like a dance stage, rather than say, a dreaded chior loft. Remember, you've been invited, so be confident you've got the goods, and simply do your best.
Somebody said eat bannanas prior too, though i've never tried it. Could work?

[Psyberbilly]

I cry, then I drink, then I cry..

That's how Cornell taught me to do it !

[Mandolin Mick]

We're our own worst critics. People are not listening as close to our playing as we do. I know I'm prone to facial gestures when I mess up, but 99% of the time nobody else can tell. Just do your best and know even the best make mistakes when performing live!

[Charley wild]

Jams or sessions in an informal setting (circle of chairs, tables with drinks, whatever) are no better. Your peers are audience, too, and an expert audience at that. I had my shakiest moments with a pint of Guinness in front of me. Face it, there's no getting away.

I actually get more nervous in situations like these. I don't like playing in small informal gatherings of any type except for jamming with people I know. I rarely get nervous on stage. A stage represents a separation from the audience to me. It's like I'm isolated so I relax a lot more than in a small group. Especially a small group of people I don't know.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Of course, there's always the old standby; visualize the entire audience being naked. Then again, for some, that image might create other problems.

[Phaserbait]

Hi all!
This thread is a lifesaver! I have been playing the mandolin about two years. Kinda. When I first started I was asked to play with our churchs' bluegrass/gospel guys. These are the sweetest guys you would ever meet. I practiced the living daylights out of the piece we were going to play and thought I was ready. When we got up to play and it came time for me to come in, I clutched. Big time. I looked down at the things at the ends of my arms and could not figure out what to do with them! Luckily I clutched quietly, so I didn't ruin the song for the other guys. I went to a park that afternoon and cried for hours. I thought that I would never play in public again, and just play for my own amusment. Well, these sweet guys must have figured out that out, because they didn't ask for me to play in public, but started having a lot of informal jam sessions. Various people of different layers of talent would be there, and sometimes the songs went great, and sometimes......less than. It was all cool though, the song would go on. Then one day just two days in advance they asked me to play a song for church that we had be doing at almost every session, and next thing I know, I agreed. The song went well, I didn't make any really noticeable boo boos, and no one threw anything at me. I don't claim to be any great player, but I am getting to the point where I can do my part and not mess anyone else up. It's getting to be a lot more fun too!
Thanks for the hints and tips!
JoAnne

[Paul Kotapish]

This is the one thing I don't recommend at all. It may work at first, then you need some more to make it work and so on. Needing medication is a signal that something is wrong. You have got to deactivate the source of the problem, not switch off the warning lights.

With all respect, Bertram, the suggest beta-blocker approach is well documented to work for scores of top-level professional musicians (over a quarter of all U.S. symphony musicians at least occasionally, according to one poll) who have tried all of the other remedies with no relief.

The recommended dose is very low (10–40 mg for propranolol, for example) compared with the dosage when the drug is used for other symptoms (high blood pressure, etc.), and there is no evidence that it is addicting or that an escalated dose is required for effectiveness over time.

I would absolutely agree that it's important to work on all those other confidence-building and stress-reducing tools, too, but taking a beta blocker isn't going to make anyone a junkie.

And just getting through a few performances without the pounding heart and tight chest can have some permanently beneficial results (for some), too.

[terzinator]

On the beta-blocker thing... when do you take it in relation to the performance, and how long does it last?

Sounds like I'm asking about that little diamond-shaped blue pill, but I'm not.

[Bertram Henze]

Sounds like I'm asking about that little diamond-shaped blue pill, but I'm not.

A relaxed attitude can replace both medications. I haven't tried if the reverse is true