Left Hand Fingers Stiffness and Relaxing Techniques

[yankees1]

What methods did you use or now using to reduce anxiety and stiffness with left hand fingers while playing in front of an audience ? Drinking wine before playing does help but I don't want to become an alcoholic from mandolin playing !

[Mandoplumb]

Fingers don't know if you're playing in your living room alone or in an auditorium with 10 thousand people. Your warm up should be the same. It takes expereance to get over the jitters when performing, if you ever do.

[lorrainehornig]

I feel your pain. I suffer major performance anxiety myself and started a tread several weeks ago with regard to it on the general forum. I got lots of great suggestions and after reading a lot of the comments I looked back at my issues with generalized anxiety (which I don't suffer from any more) and concluded my performance anxiety is in some way related to my former issue. There were several suggestions to speak with my doctor about beta blockers, which apparently helps a lot of people. I have an appointment in September, so I'll see how he feels. Good luck.

[Eric C.]

Screw up a few dozen times in front of a bunch of people and the anxiety lessens!

[Pete Martin]

One thing to always keep in mind. 5 seconds after your solo the only one who remembers it is YOU.

Research has shown the body can not tell the difference between a real event and a very vividly imagined event. Pro athletes use visual techniques for training. We musicians can do the same thing. Imagine yourself in front of an audience playing very relaxed.

Do this regularly and you'd be surprised what it can do (but just like practice, you have to do it regularly and keep doing it).

[Ivan Kelsall]

I think Pete Martin nailed it. My old PE Teacher at school was a consumate athlete & a great PE teacher / coach. He used to tell us :- ''Imagine doing it / practice doing it & then do it''. I think that about sums up all we can do when learning anything new.
The only other thing i'd add to the mix -is to have self belief. If you don't have that to begin with,you're on a long road to failure (IMHO),
Ivan

[Beanzy]

Specifically with the left hand I try to practice with the minimum force needed ,just the right side of a buzz.
Then another help has been when working up the proper feel and flow of a piece I purposely think of how I release the notes from the minimum pressure, it has to be exact or it will buzz.
Thinking of this realease moment has made the two knuckles nearest the hand more important to relax than before and given me a much more relaxed and controlled hand overall. I'm still working on improving the left ring finger which is my first to tense up, especially in reels for some reason I havern't got to the bottom of yet. Possibly due to using it for the ornaments which are very quick.

But I think the general principle of controlling the bigger parts of the fingers in practice has helped a lot with the tension.

[Lou Giordano]

I'm in agreement with Pete and Ivan. I'm a newbie with mandolins, but have participated in a number of competitive games. I know if you don't believe you can do it you might as well go home. In archery and billiards you really have to be in charge of your thoughts.

One the other hand, at my age, I have to stretch religiously before and after or else. I also get acupuncture treatments. I don't know your age, but I would make sure you do the stretching.

[Bertram Henze]

One thing to always keep in mind. 5 seconds after your solo the only one who remembers it is YOU.

...if you played it badly. If you played it well enough to produce a lasting memory you're a superstar.

Imagine yourself in front of an audience playing very relaxed.

I have always done that, but then the real audience looks completely different from the ones I imagined. Didn't help. Screwing up in front of reality is what helps; don't forget to wipe your adrenaline from the fretboard afterwards. And never look back while you play, don't think "hey that lick went really well in spite of all these people looking on - all those people? Oh dear..."

[Pete Martin]

I have always done that, but then the real audience looks completely different from the ones I imagined. Didn't help.

Biofeedback folks will tell you the "imagined audience" has to have the most detail possible. Believe me it does work if you do it regularly and with all the details possible.

However, lots of self confidence helps as well. As does not worrying too much about the performance. Just do the best you can, have fun, move on, go home and practice.

[Bertram Henze]

I recite here what I have posted in other threads on stage fright: one very effective training is to video yourself playing. The cold eye of the camera, the impending doom of yourself watching that video later (squirming with shame) and your own determination of posting it on youtube - once you can do that in cold blood you can do it in front of 20 Taliban fighters with incendiary devices on their breasts (displays going 00:10, 00:09, ...) and doing it in front of the ghost of Mr Monroe will be no part of nuthin.

[belbein]

will be no part of nuthin.

Damn, Bertram. You're gettin' down wit' da folks!

[yankees1]

Well, I am taking Pete's advice and after performing yesterday my fingers were more relaxed and loose. But, now the bad news ! My wife came home ( I didn't hear her coming in the house ) and she asked who I was talking to ? I explained that I was conversing with the audience and other players in my group ! She said I need a break from playing !

[Pete Martin]

Scott, I know a number of people who like to talk to their instruments as they practice. Mostly about the lack of cooperation on the part of the instrument. (insert mandolin-beer smiley here)

[JonZ]

[To be read in an Austrian accent.]

Zhere are two izzues. One is reduzing anxiety. Zee other is increezing relaxzation.

Reducing Anxiety
Systematic Desensitization is an effective method for reducing performance anxiety. Based on the linked article, you can design a program for yourself.

Increasing Relaxation
You might look into the book Effortless Mastery for information on how to develop an "effortless" technique. The short version is: every time you practice something, make sure you are relaxed. Remind yourself to relax before you attempt to practice something, and evaluate your level of relaxation after you practice something. If necessary, make the practice item easier by reducing the length, speed or complexity. Only increase difficulty after you can play effortlessly. It isn't "right" until it is effortless.

Finally, always--ALWAYS--imagine your audience naked.

[yankees1]

"Finally, always--ALWAYS--imagine your audience naked" Remember, I mainly play at nursing homes ! Some are near naked anyway and the rest--------------well, let's just say that thinking about seeing them naked would create more anxiety on my part !

[Toni Schula]

And then the big question is left without answer so far:

Yes, alcohol DOES make music sound better.

Just make sure that not the artist but the audience is drinking the alohol....

[Ivan Kelsall]

Years ago,when i first got my band together,i had one hell of a time with my nervousness. The first couple of tunes were a real struggle to keep cool & 'do it'. After that,my nerves calmed down & i'd have played in front of the whole world,i couldn't get enough of it. It was so incredibly enjoyable playing to an audience all the tunes/songs that had taken me ages to learn,moreso in fact because most of the audiences we played for hadn't heard much (if any) Bluegrass music before.
Personally, i never suffered from left hand stiffness back then - sweaty fingers like damp sponges - oh yes !. I always had to make sure i had a couple of hankies in my pocket,one for my nose & one to wipe my fingers & the strings. I would imagine that a few finger stretches would get the kinks out as long as the audience don't think that you're struggling - it's never a good thing to watch a musician having problems on stage,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

"Finally, always--ALWAYS--imagine your audience naked" Remember, I mainly play at nursing homes ! Some are near naked anyway and the rest--------------well, let's just say that thinking about seeing them naked would create more anxiety on my part !

Sounds like the right audience for Irish music - I guess that's what Sheela na Gig are for: for practising in front.