# Technique, Theory, Playing Tips and Tricks > Theory, Technique, Tips and Tricks >  Stage nerves... how do you deal with it?

## terzinator

I have no problem singing in front of a crowd, but there are certainly times when I can't calm my hands down enough to execute a proper solo or break on the mando. 

We all play fine when we're alone, but what techniques do you all have to get to a calm place when you're on stage?

A few beers help, yeah. (Seriously, they do... but it's not the answer I'm looking for!) And after a few songs, I settle down... it's the faster tunes that are the kicker. Goes  with the work I'm trying to do with my right hand/wrist and loosen it up. But man, it's hard to do when the adrenaline and cortisol are flowing.

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## Schlegel

One rocker I know recommended wearing sunglasses.

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## blauserk

Put the easy songs first in the set to give yourself an opportunity to settle down.

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## mandolirius

> I have no problem singing in front of a crowd, but there are certainly times when I can't calm my hands down enough to execute a proper solo or break on the mando. 
> 
> We all play fine when we're alone, but what techniques do you all have to get to a calm place when you're on stage?
> 
> A few beers help, yeah. (Seriously, they do... but it's not the answer I'm looking for!) And after a few songs, I settle down... it's the faster tunes that are the kicker. Goes  with the work I'm trying to do with my right hand/wrist and loosen it up. But man, it's hard to do when the adrenaline and cortisol are flowing.


If it's a general type of nervousness, I'd answer one way but if it's really just the fast tunes my anwer would be to slow right down - super slow - concentrating on playing them with as much fluidity and smoothness as you can. Focus on the flow from one note to the next. 

My opinion is that you can't really play fast by practicing playing fast. Maybe it sounds counter-intuitive or just plain nuts but I really believe that. By trying to play faster than you're comfortable playing a tune you wind up with a lot of flailing and stumbly bits that come simply from trying to maintain the pace. In effect, you're practicing your mistakes.

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## Beanzy

Depends how you perceive the people you're playing for.
By which I mean maybe think more of what you think of them, rather than what they think of you. Do you get a buzz from people when you play for them? 

Also think how they all want you to succeed before you ever play, they want to have a good time, they've even paid for it to work out. If you get the peeps on your side early then you can get away with some awful high-energy cock-ups. So you don't need to worry about any fluffs, that's for consideration during practice time not playing time. So look like it's a blast, in fact convince yourself you're already flying before you even get on stage, then you will be beyond nerves before you even play a note. It won't stop you feeling nervous energy and anticipation, but they'll be a bonus not a handicap.

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## capokid

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

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## Fretbear

You need to be able to still play alright even when your hands won't stop shaking uncontrollably. 
It makes playing when they aren't that much easier...

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## banjoboy

I've been performing in bluegrass bands for over the past thirty years, and I still get stage fright. A mandolin playing medical doctor friend of mine prescribed me a low dose
beta blocker. The medication works like a charm. I used to freak out, worrying about certain breaks and whether or not I'd get through them without any difficulty. If I blew a break early in the gig, it would affect the rest of the gig. After I started taking beta blockers, I found that I wasn't as nevous and performing has become more enjoyable.  I'm not necessarily recommending better living through drugs, but beta blockers work for me.

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## Ivan Kelsall

The only way to deal with it is to accept it as a fact of performing & get on with it. I used to shake like a tree in a high wind when i first began playing with a band - but usually only for the first 3 or 4 tunes,then i'd settle down.We used to play 2 x 20 minute or 30 minute spots,but by the time of our second spot,i could have played in front of the world !. You seem to be exactly the same.I think that accepting the fact can actually help,sometimes you get frightened of being frightened - don't ! - one helping of fright is enough for anybody. One thing not to do,is to become dependent on 'substances' to help you along,that's the road down (IMHO). More than one Bluegrass artist has succumbed to 'substance' dependence. Realistically,you're just the same as 90 % of us when playing in front of an audience,so don't think it's 'just you' - IT AIN'T !!!, :Grin: 
                                                                                      Ivan :Wink:

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## neil argonaut

It can be a vicious circle, where you mess up a bit and that makes you more nervous, which makes you mess up more, so I find it helps to try (hard as it may be) not to be too concerned about making mistakes, just try and laugh them off and you'll probably recover without most folk noticing.

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## Bertram Henze

There are a number of remedies that all work together, which I am using. Some of these have been mentioned above:




> You need to be able to still play alright even when your hands won't stop shaking uncontrollably. 
> It makes playing when they aren't that much easier...


Nothing like an emergency exit and/or a parachute - knowing there is some way to play through a song without a trainwreck even while your hands are dancing to a different tune takes away half of the panic. Practise emergency versions of those songs you have problems with, and practise them with thick leather goves on.




> I've been performing in bluegrass bands for over the past thirty years, and I still get stage fright. A mandolin playing medical doctor friend of mine prescribed me a low dose
> beta blocker. The medication works like a charm.


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.




> It can be a vicious circle, where you mess up a bit and that makes you more nervous, which makes you mess up more...


There is one of the main keys to what is going wrong.
1. you notice the different situation (i.e. lots of people watching you instead of yourself woodshedding). Playing a song means to become the song and forget everything around you. Practise with closed eyes and try to play with closed eyes on stage as well if that is helping concentration.
2. you start thinking about what those people think about your playing. Thinking while playing is a no-no. Thinking is a distraction of what your body learnt to do to play the song. Thinking about how to calm your hands down while your hands are shaking is like converting Fahrenheit to Celsius while your house is burning down: it keeps you from just doing what you were trained to do without thinking. Practise cerebral emptiness while playing (step A: no words, silence in your head. step B: no pictures, darkness in your head). I have found this to be the second best help: no thoughts.

If "no thoughts" is the second best remedy, what is the best? Not trying to get calm at all. Accept the gig to be an exceptional situation you cannot get out of and learn to enjoy it. Adrenaline is your friend, ride it, don't fight it. The shaking hands are a combined result of your body mustering all nervous power to deal with the situation and some rational part of your brain not wanting the situation - a blockade. Your body reaction is the evolutionary older one, can't switch that off, but accepting the situation is a choice you can make.

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## neil argonaut

Another thing that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't for me: What Bertram said about not thinking is good, but can be tough; sometimes, instead of trying to think of nothing and ending up thinking about what i'm doing, if you put your concentration elsewhere, like listen to what the fiddle/banjo/etc player is playing, or concentrate on hearing the chords or the rhythm and not on the solo your playing, then your fingers automatically do what they need to do, and this has the added advantage of making you aware of the music around you at the same time.

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## MikeEdgerton

It's been so many years since I've been nervous on stage that I sometimes forget what it was like. My turning point came years ago when I just simply decided that if I made a mistake I made a mistake and oh well. You have to get to the point where you just let the mistakes run off and you play through them. Most say not to acknowlege them. At times I'll make a joke out of them but most of the time you just keep on playing.

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## Steve Ostrander

Experience helps. I used to get nervous when I first started out, but after 30+ years it's much easier. I still get excited, maybe anxious is a btter word: anxious to go up there and have fun!. A little bit of anxiousness helps you play better, IMO. Gives you a little bit of an edge. Anybody who isn't excited to get up there shouldn't be doing it, again IMO.

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## Randi Gormley

If you can't close your eyes, you might consider looking at one of the other band members to distract you from the audience. I used to watch my husband's hands on the guitar when we would practice, so when my brain went into panic mode, looking at his hands brought me back to practice mode and it helped a bit. fwiw

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## terzinator

Thanks for the responses; very helpful!

Part of it is that I'm still just starting out on this little Mandolin thing. (Ok, been playing it for two years now, but still feel like a novice.) So, there's this real desire to sound better than I am up there! I can play pretty well on my own, but when that first blush of adrenaline hits, I seem to forget the practiced paths, and I go into panic mode and my brain starts to fire like the fourth of july and I might as well be up there with an accordion.

We played what should have been a pretty easy, low-key thing last night... really a holiday party at a coffeehouse with lots of other folks I know from the jamming world, and everyone got up and played a couple of tunes. Most folks were playing fairly singer-songwritery things, but we were going to get up and do a few bluegrassier tunes. 

First tune was Catfish John, which we've played a hundred times. I sing it, and was fine, but instead of doing a break in my normal spot, starting off with some tremolo like Grisman does in the Old & In The Way version, and then some first-position open stuff, I had to go mucking around up right away on frets 9-12 and it was like, "Oh crap, what the heck am I doing up here?!!!"  I can normally run through a few scales and stuff up there when practicing at home, but it was like, totally uncharted waters. And the vicious circle continued. Played Dry My Tears next, and I have a predetermined bit on that one, and I could barely find the notes. We must have sounded OK as a group (they said, "play one more!") and we played a much slower tune, "The Apples Are Just Turning Ripe," and that went MUUUCH better. 

I think starting out with slower tunes at first is a great idea, or at least have a really well-defined/rehearsed break for a faster one that I know I can do. I'm not trying to break a speed record (which I won't), and I'm not trying to dazzle with virtuosity (which I can't), so just make music, right?

On the Beta-Blocker thing: I have no real issue with using some medication (heck, a beer is medication, right?) for some anxiety issues. The problem I see with is that if it works, and if I start to rely on it, there's a presumption that I CAN'T perform unless I have my medication, and then the cycle gets worse and we haven't solved the problem.

Most places we play serve drinks, so I'll usually have an ale or whatever, but this place only serves coffee. I guess I just need to carry a flask around all the time. 

Kidding.

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## Jim Broyles

Lot of good stuff here. I'll just add - know your material down cold. Have enough confidence that you know the songs before you take the stage that on stage it just flows. I only get nervous now when I only half know something. As to making mistakes- I'm with Mike Edgerton - oh well.

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## Polecat

If you're not nervous, you may play perfectly, but the audience probably won't react particularly (and, in my book, that's what it's about, making other people experience something emotionally, otherwise I could stay at home and play for my own listening pleasure). A technically perfect performance lacking in emotional energy may be very impressive on a mechanical level, but I'd rather go to see a group who place more emphasis on the "why" than the "what" they're playing (hope that makes sense).
I get very wound up before gigs, but as I've said, I try to regard that fact in a positive light. What helps for me is, after setting up and sound-checking, I leave the venue and don't come back till 5 minutes before we're due to play - I'll go to a different bar, or just walk around. In a folk-club or jam-session setting, if I notice that the atmosphere is more of a "who can outplay who" rather than what Duke Ellington described as a "mutual exchange of compliments", I won't come back a second time. In my opinion, music is not (or should not be) a competitive sport.

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## kkmm

I remembered the first time I play guitar on stage, my fingers got stiffened, I can't hold the chord nor pick the strings at all.
My friends in the band simply covered for me and said that I will do fine the next time. Indeed, I made it on subsequent times.
For some reasons, the first time on stage always seems to be like that (stage fright !!!).

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## Bertram Henze

> If you're not nervous, you may play perfectly, but the audience probably won't react particularly...


That sounds funny but it's true. Whenever I had the worst fits of shaking hand syndrome (my weak point is finger picking accompaniment) people were most delighted, telling me how artistically intricate my picking was and making me ashamed like I had cheated them. OTOH, often when everything runs smooth and undisturbed, the audience is rather indifferent as well because they rightfully feel locked out. Pleasing yourself and pleasing the audience seem to exclude each other unless you accept their presence and include them into your experience.




> In my opinion, music is not (or should not be) a competitive sport.


I am with you there, but tell that to the CCE!  :Laughing:

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## JeffD

stage fright and excitement are opposite sides of the same feeling. In the first case you envision and expect to screw up, in the second case you envision and expect a standing "O".  

So envision the positive and get excited.

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## Tom C

I hate getting that jello feeling in the hands or sometimes the legs. But you cannot tighten up. It makes it worse and I have to think of this often. Playing in front of people really teaches you that you don't know the tune as well as you thought  :Smile:

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## JeffD

I just saw this from the juggling website. (Sort of the Juggling Cafe.)

http://www.jugglingdb.com/compendium...agefright.html

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## SincereCorgi

> I've been performing in bluegrass bands for over the past thirty years, and I still get stage fright. A mandolin playing medical doctor friend of mine prescribed me a low dose
> beta blocker. The medication works like a charm. I used to freak out, worrying about certain breaks and whether or not I'd get through them without any difficulty. If I blew a break early in the gig, it would affect the rest of the gig. After I started taking beta blockers, I found that I wasn't as nevous and performing has become more enjoyable.  I'm not necessarily recommending better living through drugs, but beta blockers work for me.


I'm glad somebody else said this before I did! Some people will always accuse you of being a 'druggy', but beta blockers are extremely good for this. My friend's mom's a psychiatric nurse, and she's the one who suggested them. She said that it's not that we're psychologically 'scared' onstage or worried about our abilities, it's just that our bodies are generating adrenaline in an exciting situation and some people's bodies are faster than others at absorbing it- if you're 'fast' at absorbing it, you'll have a tendency to shake a little more in your fine motor areas. Beta blockers slow it down, and suddenly you're still happy and excited and a little nervous, but your hands aren't fighting you.

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## ilovemyF9

I find one person in the audience and I only play to them.  I know it may sound odd, but it works for me.  I am playing to 1 person & that's cool but hundreds-aaawwwhhhggg!!!!

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Marc Ferry

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## 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...    :Wink:

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## billhay4

I stay off anything resembling a stage.
Bill

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## 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!

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## 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.

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## mandocrucian

I really think someone should ask *Branford Marsalis*!

 :Laughing:

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## 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.

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## 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

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## 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."

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## 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.

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## stetson

The solution is simple.

Practice in front of 200 people.  :Smile: 

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.

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## 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!

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## 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.

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## 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!

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## 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.

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## 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!

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## 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!_  :Cool:  :Laughing:

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## 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?

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## Psyberbilly

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


That's how Cornell taught me to do it !

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## 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!

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## 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.

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## 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. :Redface:

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## 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

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## 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.

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## 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.  :Smile:

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## 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  :Confused:

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## Paul Kotapish

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


Worth noting again: Before you consider taking any prescription medicine, confer with your doctor!

Beta blockers do help many cope with stage fright, but they are no substitute for sufficient practice--alone and with the group--and mental preparation, relaxation techniques, and all the other disciplines that comprise professional stagecraft. 

That said, the anecdotal consensus seems to be that a low dose (10-40 MG, depending on body mass, individual response, etc.) take 30 minutes before the show should do the trick. The effective time frame is typically three hours.

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## SincereCorgi

> 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.


What's funny about the beta blockers is that they don't actually feel like anything you're not hazy or relaxed, you just find that you're not getting the shakes and you can execute onstage about as well as you can in the practice room. I suspect this is what most people with more typical physiology feel like on stage all the time. Medical science hasn't provided us yet with a talent steroid.  :Smile:

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## terzinator

Thanks for the info on the timeframes and such, and I'd definitely talk to my doc before doing anything... 

Practice doesn't always matter, unfortunately. I'll be at a lesson, and I'll play something I've played 1000 times at home, and the fact that I'm now "performing" instead of "practicing" is the stress-maker. I feel it in my right hand, mostly, where what was a nice, fluid motion becomes halting and jerky and overthought. And the tone sucks because my fretting hand is clueless and unsure about what the picking hand is doing.

Even last night, just getting together with my bandmates... was just running through a few fiddle tunes at the beginning, and I could feel the nerves, because there was a sense of "performing" or maybe "proving something." Like, "I woodshedded this at home, let me show you!" By mid-rehearsal, after a couple of beers, it was all happy happy. But the first 30-45 minutes, yuck.

The parallels between playing mandolin and playing golf... I have lost count, there are so many!

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## Dan Hulse

Live the gig, don't just survive it.[/QUOTE]

I like that one Bertram.
I'm going to write that one down and share it.
It would make a great case sticker.
Thanks!

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## Justus True Waldron

Lots of good advice in this thread, but I didn't see the one thing that helps me the most.... hearing myself!!! I've played a lot of different gigs on a lot of different instruments, but this seems particularly important on mandolin. I also tend to play mandolin with a lot of the delicate hammer-on/pull off doo dads, which tend to be quieter. If I am having to struggle to hear what I'm doing, it all starts to fall apart. I am first and foremost a jazz clarinet player, and I've been playing long enough to be comfortable on that no matter where or what I'm playing. However, a clarinet is also a lot louder comparatively, especially to acoustic instruments, and I never have to worry about hearing myself. On mandolin it's a whole other story, and I went through a few fairly torturous gigs before I started to figure this out. Once the fear starts to kick in, it's a cyclical problem: Fear makes the fingers lock up and sweat which makes the strings sticky which makes you play worse which brings more fear. I've learned to just break the cycle by smiling and forcing myself not to care... it's not always easy but it does start to make a difference. I've learned now though that if I make sure I can hear myself really well, I'll often never start getting into that fear pattern in the first place and the whole thing is so much more enjoyable. I don't know what your PA system is like or if you use a mic or pickup, but what I started doing was micing for the PA but using a pickup into a little personal amp on stage, pointed at my face. I soon retired this and started using in ear monitors... for me, that made all the difference. Now I can hear all my little twinkly bits at full volume, the audience hears nothing different, and I don't have to stress out. Another thing I've done that helped me get over my fear was seeking out and jamming with all the pro musicians I can. It kind of started by accident, but after a couple of times jamming at fests with musicians I've grown up listening too, I realized they didn't look like they wanted to punch me after! Now I'm rarely intimidated jamming with people (or at least I'm better at controlling it when I am). Also, things got a lot better once I got my new hand made mando... it's louder, and easier to play, and helped give me just that little extra bit of confidence. In the end, it's a whole combination of things that add up... but just remember it's supposed to be fun, so have fun, don't take things too seriously, and look around at your band mates on stage, smile and be comfortable and it will translate to your audience! Good luck

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## sidewinder

Neat thread , and a lot of good stuff. Basically it's like playing a ball game. Practice the way you will play, and have more than one play in the playbook. I find the predetermined breaks are harder than just winging it, however know where you need to start from a position perspective.  Nerves are good, they mean you care, they mean you are plugged in to the situation, however a lot of this will go away with experience. Allow yourself to make mistakes like everyone does ! Half the time the audience is clueless, and what you consider a disaster was nothing to them. Never let them see you sweat. When you walk out there, own it, and then sell it. Any of the techniques mentioned here can work, it depends on you. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance then baffle them with bull. One day you'll look back at these early days and reflect on how great it was to be nervous ! Kind of like a first date !

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## Steve Davis

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...3922825_n.jpg]

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## Bertram Henze

> Lots of good advice in this thread, but I didn't see the one thing that helps me the most.... hearing myself!!!


I guess that's a requirement that's so taken for granted that nobody mentioned it. Nobody can play without hearing himself, and yes, trying to do the impossible is cordless bungee jumping.

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## Paul Kotapish

I actually think that a lot of problems derive from too much emphasis on hearing oneself on stage. Certainly you need to have a basic level of your own instrument/voice in the mix, but during the course of the performance, you really should be focusing on listening to the other members of the band more than yourself. 

If you listen too intently to yourself and focus exclusively on what you are playing, there will be a tendency to get out of synch with the band, which will lead to a cycle of adjustments and distraction that can lead to a downward spiral of confidence. 

You should know your parts--or be able to improvise--so well that you play under the the worst and most distracting conditions, and then put your real energy at the gig into play WITH the band and staying as tight with the groove as possible. If you are in that mindset, it will be a lot easier to stay calm and relaxed when it's time to solo than if you are turning inward when the spotlight is on you.

Whenever I start to worry that I might be getting in over my head during a solo on stage, I just focus on the rhythm section and listen to what they are doing and simplify my own stuff to fit in. It usually works.

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## Paul Kotapish

I'm not sure this has been addressed already in any detail, but a big challenge that can lead to nerves is making that transition from playing rhythm--chopping chords on the offbeat, for example--to playing lead. 

You need a whole different set of small-motor skills to play solos than you do for chopping chords, and making that leap can also throw you off.

Develop some transitional rhythm parts that you can play as you work your way into your solo spot, so that when the top of the solo comes around you are already in position and ready to play single-string lines or double stops or however you want to start your part. 

One trick I use is to just go to a double-time drone on the tonic of whatever chords are happening in the bar or two before I have to make the switch. That keeps a sound going so there isn't an obvious drop out, and if I start two measures out, I can turn that into a lead-in line during the cadence preceding the start of my solo. 

You wouldn't want to do that every single time you take a lead, but it might help get you over some particularly rough spots.

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## JonZ

Imagine that you are only wearing your underwear.

One small thing that has helped me to be more relaxed at jam sessions is to practice as loudly at home as I want to perform in public. Since I often practice at night and early morning, I was holding back, and not really practicing as I intended to perform. Making a volume adjustment at jams, that I had not practiced, caused tension. 

Now I close a few more doors and practice at performance volume.

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## jsphrdvs

Man, I can really empathize with this post.  I'm 41 and started playing mandolin about 3 years ago.  I practice weekly, but not as much as I should.  My neighbor and her co-workers formed jug band a while back and they were glad to welcome me aboard a few months ago.  I had my first gig in December and was very nervous.  I let my mandolin stay turned down pretty low, so that I did not offend the audience with my mistakes, but that in itself was a mistake.  I couldn't hear myself very well and that led to more mistakes in my playing.  I had my second gig this past weekend and it went much better.  For one, I had the first gig under my belt and that helped.  Secondly, I turned up my mandolin and it really helped me to hear myself along with the rest of my band.  And thirdly, I just tried to have more fun with it.  I got in the groove, played along and let the chips fall where they may.  

Part of the problem is that I am my own worst critic by far.  My wife tells me that the audience doesn't notice the mistakes that I notice and I believe that to be true except for maybe the other players in the crowd and I'm hoping they understand more than anyone.

I recently got turned on the Colorado Bluegrass Society and I am going to get more involved in their bluegrass jams and hope I get more comfortable with playing with multiple people and in front of multiple people.  I'm also going to try to practice more.  There is no substitute for knowing the material inside out like many people suggested.  I might explore the beta-blockers.  I have nothing against them, although I would  rather just be more confident in my playing.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

J.D.

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## Markus

> Practice doesn't always matter, unfortunately. I'll be at a lesson, and I'll play something I've played 1000 times at home, and the fact that I'm now "performing" instead of "practicing" is the stress-maker. I feel it in my right hand, mostly, where what was a nice, fluid motion becomes halting and jerky and overthought. And the tone sucks because my fretting hand is clueless and unsure about what the picking hand is doing.
> --snip--
> But the first 30-45 minutes, yuck.


I know exactly what you're talking about here, my issues are either with a jerky right hand or poor right-left synching.

When I talked to a bandmate about it, his wise question was `What are you doing to warm up?' ... making me realize that I didn't do anything to warm up that way ... and my practice earlier in the day normally focuses on our newer songs or soloing. If this is a problem you ID regularly ... it should be the focus of your warmup.

Since then, I've taken to trying to wedge in some metronome practice early in the day before a gig - as well as arriving early to gigs and spending an extra 5 minutes getting my picking both precise and loose.

Now I'm just frustrated by that the first 15 minutes, not 30-45. 

FWIW, I've found replicating my performance situation when practicing quite helpful. My regular gig is sitting, and experience has taught me if I don't practice standing up in the next weeks I'm not going to play my best [be as nerve-free, focus as well] at next months stand-up gig. 

I am uncertain if shining lights in your eyes while standing in a cramped space is something I'm going to replicate at home ... but practicing as I perform means all I need to do is close my eyes and listen and it's exactly like home.

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## mandolinlee

Here's some things to consider: The group I helped form w/ three other players were able to set aside one night a week to practice and play. After several months of this, we got asked to play for a public function. Quite frankly, it was a disaster. We were all nervous, couldn't hear ourselves or the others, made mistakes, had stage fright, you all know what I'm saying. The next week at practice we decided where everybody would stand, that we would stand to practice, that we would get a well rehearsed song set, decide who would MC, etc. After that whether practicing, playing a house party or "on stage" we always took the same positions. That was over 35 years ago and we still play every Thursday night, somewhere, and always in the same positions, although we now have 3 guys on chairs w/ 3 guys in a second row.

Some other things that help overcome stage fright: Toastmasters, Dale Carnegie Courses (NFI), taking offices in Churches, Lodges, Local Governments, school boards, etc. that require you to get up and express yourself. There is no better teacher than experience!

Good luck, keep trying, it becomes easier.
Lee

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## Markus

> If you listen too intently to yourself and focus exclusively on what you are playing, there will be a tendency to get out of synch with the band, which will lead to a cycle of adjustments and distraction that can lead to a downward spiral of confidence.


This rings really true after my experience a week ago when we had a drummer sit in with my regular group [which lacks one]. Even with my amp turned up 40% louder than usual I couldn't hear myself very well and found it harder to hear my bandmates. So I had to listen harder to hear everyone ... better listening = very good.

I also feel like hearing not as well [while frustrating] also moved me out of self-analysis-mode - I was playing, not listening-while-playing. I have no doubt I played as many wrong notes as usual - but I didn't hear them all standing out in stark relief. Instead of hearing the clunkers, my confidence was high and I 'went for it'.

I got more compliments on my playing that night than I have in the course of months, and it's changed my impression of whether I need the perfect sound I previously felt necessary. Sometimes hearing perfectly allows us to hear our mistakes just as well as we do at home practicing ... I'm not sure performance is best suited with the `critique while playing mode' l fall into during practice.

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## Bertram Henze

> I also feel like hearing not as well [while frustrating] also moved me out of self-analysis-mode - I was playing, not listening-while-playing. I have no doubt I played as many wrong notes as usual - but I didn't hear them all standing out in stark relief. Instead of hearing the clunkers, my confidence was high and I 'went for it'.


This strongly resembles the Joo Janta 2000 Peril-sensitive Sunglasses decribed in _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_: The glasses are normally clear, but in danger they turn utterly black to prevent you from seeing anything that might alarm you...

The question remains: if you didn't hear much of your playing, did the audience hear it? and what were their compliments based on? maybe not hearing it was what they liked?  :Grin:

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## Markus

Bertram, they could hear .... Drums were not amplified so I just plain couldn't hear myself. I am using piezos, so sitting directly in front my amp can lead to howls at volume like that.

As I have had 6 months, weekly, of your average uninvolved bar crowd, 5 compliments in a night might have have used all of they plan to give in 2012 [based on experience].

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## Bertram Henze

> 5 compliments in a night might have have used all of they plan to give in 2012 [based on experience].


 :Cool:  
I don't know about a fixed budget of compliments. Musical performance works like an addictive drug: you get compliments only while your playing improves (i.e. by increasing the dose on the same crowd). Being constantly good on any level wears down the effect and you have to improve again or change the crowd. 

And there's a positive feedback cycle: getting better earns you the chance of changing the crowd more often, until in the end you wake up in a hotel room in Sydney, searching the fridge for a bottle of orange juice you put there the other night in a different room in Tokyo...

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## Markus

> And there's a positive feedback cycle: getting better earns you the chance of changing the crowd more often, until in the end you wake up in a hotel room in Sydney, searching the fridge for a bottle of orange juice you put there the other night in a different room in Tokyo...


If the whole world had some brandy and a couple beers like my crowd did, we would all seem more charming, better looking, and enjoyable musicians.

If the band and the bartender are the only sober people in the room, the music tends to get a whole lot better. Or so the crowd thinks.

While I like a strong IPA to sip on stage, I've come to rely on a large glass of water right next to that beer. A little alcohol seems to help, and if I drink water at the same rate as beer then limited bathroom breaks keep my beer consumption moderate at most.

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## Paul Kotapish

I was backstage at one of those great Stephane Grappelli/David Grisman shows decades back, and Grappelli downed a half tumbler of good scotch just before walking on stage--"to calm ze nerves."

I wouldn't recommend that "liquid-courage" approach, though, until you can play as well as Grappelli did.

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## Bertram Henze

> I wouldn't recommend that "liquid-courage" approach, though...


Ms Winehouse could say something on this matter - oops.

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## yankees1

Stay off of it! Don't want the audience to waste good tomatoes !

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## carojester

I get wicked stomach cramps when I'm nervous! what do you do about that??

One thing that helps me on stage is to focus on my breathing. Anytime I tighten up or start to struggle I'm usually holding my breath so I refocus on breathing nice and deep and slow. I also focus on just enjoying the song, and choosing a tempo that is perhaps slightly slower than I would normally choose. 

I'm very new to performing on a stage. I get scared but I also really get a boost from it. The audience at our local folk clubs is always supportive. 

cheers
Caroline :Mandosmiley:

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## terzinator

UPDATE (if you care!)

Well, as luck would have it, it was time for my annual physical, so I asked my doc about Beta Blockers... told him we play once or twice a month, that I get stage nerves, etc... He's not one to prescribe fun stuff (I've tried! [insert winky emoticon here]), so I wouldn't have been surprised if he would have just said "deal with it."

But he was really supportive, and didn't think it unreasonable at all to give them a try.

Well, I went to a fiddle-tune jam last night, where I normally would have jitters. It's not a gig, per se, but it's performing in front of others, so it's similar. And I figured it would be a good place to, um, "experiment." (As opposed to trying them for the first time before a gig, and getting a bad reaction or whatever.)

Well, I can say that the Beta Blocker worked for me. Normally tight and halting and thinking too much, I just played. Smooth and clean as if I were in my basement office practicing on my own. Didn't feel any different at all; it was how it SHOULD feel. Just normal and not nervous. Sure, I made mistakes, but they didn't compound into more and more stress. I just moved on and kept playing and had fun. 

So, anyway, thanks to those who suggested I look into it. I'm not recommending this approach, nor am I saying it will work for everyone... just sharing my experience.

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## Bertram Henze

> I'm not recommending this approach, nor am I saying it will work for everyone... just sharing my experience.


It would have been most interesting to have a blind test, say, your doctor phoned you the next day to say "sorry I prescribed the wrong stuff, it's just a placebo but did it work anyway?"

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## DamonIRB

> Part of it is that I'm still just starting out on this little Mandolin thing. (Ok, been playing it for two years now, but still feel like a novice.) So, there's this real desire to sound better than I am up there!


A diamond wouldn't be a diamond without all the pressure on it...

One of, if not THE best course I took during my tour in college was a sightreading class.  It was a 400 level class only available to juniors and seniors, so all of the folks that thought they wanted to be a music major had been weeded out long ago.  We all thought we would be playing our main insturment, but the professor had different plans.  The first day of class, she announced that the learning portion of the class would be 35 minutes, with the last 10 minutes reserved for 'enlightenment'.  Didn't have a clue what that meant until she pulled out a hat, put everyones name in it and had someone draw from the hat.  The person selected had to stand in front of the class and sing the song provided.  The class was 'sightreading', so obviously we had never seen the music before - it was always some obscure Italian piece no one had ever heard of.  The instructions were simple - "sing at the top of your lunch and screw it up the best you can while we all laugh at you".  The problem was that only 1 person in the class was actually a voice major - we weren't singers!  Scared the crap out of me the first day, but by the end of the semester, everyone WANTED to be the person up there.  We learned really fast that making a total ass of yourself can be a lot of fun, relieves stress, and builds character.  And, it had a nice sideaffect - I don't get nervous when I get up in front of an audience, whether it's 2 or 2,000 people.  I learned that it's OK to screw up, and that folks weren't judging me nearly as much as I thought they were.

My suggestion would be to have an 'open mic night' with your friends.  Let them know that everyone will have to get up and play, and that the goal is to "screw it up the best you can".  The sessions quickly turn into a support group - a lot of trust and respect is built, and you become a much better musician.

Sounds crazy, but it works.  I think that sightreading class taught me more about life than any other class I ever took at any level.  Give it a try and have some fun with it... if nothing else, the laughter will do you some good.  :Smile: 

Damon

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## greg_tsam

> I guess that's a requirement that's so taken for granted that nobody mentioned it. Nobody can play without hearing himself, and yes, trying to do the impossible is cordless bungee jumping.


I was on stage performing and during sound check I could hear just fine but when we started I got swallowed by the rest of the band something fierce.  Instead of throwing down my mando and run off stage sobbing I sucked it up and played my set using my inner ear ala Beethoven.  I just imagined the notes but couldn't hear for nothing.  Had some in the crowd come up and compliment my playing so it was obviously a stage monitor thing and not front speaker thing.  I was pretty worried about it at the time but did my best.  Now I'm confident I can play without hearing myself but I don't suggest it.

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## terzinator

> It would have been most interesting to have a blind test, say, your doctor phoned you the next day to say "sorry I prescribed the wrong stuff, it's just a placebo but did it work anyway?"


Heh! He's just the kind of joker that would do that!

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## banjoboy

Has anybody ever tried hypnosis? The only experience I've had with hypnosis is to watch a professional showman hypnotize people at the local state fair. He has them thinking that they can do all sorts of things...for instance, convince someone that they're Elvis, and then have that person start grinding away with curled lip and all. Is it possible to have a post-hypnotic suggestion that would help with nerves. Or better yet, could a hypnotist plant that thought that whenever you pick up the mando, you can play like Sam Bush or Chris Thile?

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## Bertram Henze

> ...Now I'm confident I can play without hearing myself but I don't suggest it.


If I tried to do that it would end like this...


...can't go without sensory feedback.




> Has anybody ever tried hypnosis? The only experience I've had with hypnosis is to watch a professional showman hypnotize people at the local state fair. He has them thinking that they can do all sorts of things...for instance, convince someone that they're Elvis, and then have that person start grinding away with curled lip and all. Is it possible to have a post-hypnotic suggestion that would help with nerves. Or better yet, could a hypnotist plant that thought that whenever you pick up the mando, you can play like Sam Bush or Chris Thile?


Now it's getting downright dangerous: Hypnosis...
- means letting the hypnotist chaining your soul to 4 bed posts and have his way with it.
- unhinges your will, but cannot give you abilities you don't already have.

Anyone who lacks full control of his own personality should train himself to get it; he should never give it to somebody else.

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## LA Mando

I certainly haven't mastered overcoming stage nerves, but many of the suggested strategies have helped. Know the material well; have an emergency version; play often with conditions similar to the gig; breathing techniques; watch/listen to another band member--all have helped. Another thing that took me 2 years to figure out was that I wasn't letting the mic do its job. For some reason, I had the feeling that I had to project to all those audience members and then my right hand tightened up, which sent everything else crashing. Maybe this is due to the monitors or just inexperience, but when I finally played at my practice volume and let the mic take care of the volume, my typical "crash and burn" on stage problem went away. I'm still shaky, but it's far more controllable. 

Thanks for all of the great suggestions; I've learned a lot by reading how others handle this same problem.

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## OldSausage

> ...I wasn't letting the mic do its job. For some reason, I had the feeling that I had to project to all those audience members and then my right hand tightened up, which sent everything else crashing.


I've certainly had this problem too, and have found myself shifting into unnatural positions when just about to take a break, with inevitable poor consequences for my right hand control. I have found I need to watch myself, try to be disciplined, and perhaps most importantly, practice this moment of stepping into the mic for a break.

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## Appalachia

I just thought I would chime in here with my strange case. I have absolutely terrible stage fright. I inherited panic disorder with agoraphobia from my mother, and preforming is what sets it off for me (for her it's driving on the interstate). I talked to my doctor about it, and he prescribed beta-blockers for the short term, but suggested I go to a psychotherapist for the long term (which is a much better option than medication), and so I tried them and found them to make no difference. He upped the dosage, and I still found there to be no difference. I haven't tried using them again, as I don't like taking medication in the first place; let alone medication that doesn't even seem to be fulfilling its purpose. 

Is it really strange that the beta-blockers had no effect on me?

As for a solution: play in front of people as much as you can. I'd say that although I'd still rate my normal stage fright among what most would find extreme, I do get more comfortable every time I play in front of people. It doesn't even need to be shows; play in front friends and family, go out and play in public spaces (busking or otherwise), go to an open mic. The more you do it, the more comfortable it will get. Focusing on your breathing really helps aswell; even if you're not a singer, start to breath through your musical phrases as if you were singing them, inhaling before you start a phrase and exhaling through it. You'll find that this will help to smoothen out your playing in general, but also those ridged movements that weren't there during practice.

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## Bertram Henze

> Is it really strange that the beta-blockers had no effect on me?
> ...
> As for a solution: play in front of people as much as you can.
> ...
> Focusing on your breathing really helps as well;


AFAIK beta blockers are just supposed to calm down shaking hands and other bodily jitters, they don't take away the fear as such.

Just playing and doing it again and again is the common approach of desensitization: face your fears and they will go away (e.g. people with arachnophobia are encouraged to let spiders crawl across their hands).

Breathing is a good idea - can't live without it  :Grin:  - but seriously, I think our breath is constantly demonstrating that life goes on, whatever happens around us.

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## Appalachia

> AFAIK beta blockers are just supposed to calm down shaking hands and other bodily jitters, they don't take away the fear as such.


Yes, but they didn't do anything for me; I had just as rigid and shaky of hands as ever, still the ever present sensation of being about to faint, being on the verge of hyperventilation if I didn't keep my breathing in check, tensed vocal chords, etcetera. The beta-blockers didn't help ANYTHING; they seemed to have done nothing at all. On a side note, I had to look up what "AFAIK" stood for; I'm not too big on initialisms, which are usually associated more with my generation (I'm 21), but on this board seem to be used more by older generations than mine. Just an interesting aside.

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## Bertram Henze

> i'm not too big on initialisms, which are usually associated more with my generation (i'm 21), but on this board seem to be used more by older generations than mine.


older - aha ROFLMAO  :Wink:

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## bratsche

Important to note that we are all different, and therefore medications can affect us quite differently.  In my one and only experience with beta-blockers, I was in my 20s and extremely nervous about a solo performance at a festival. The first night, my heart was pounding so wildly I could barely control my bow, but I got through it.  The second night someone offered me one of these pills prior to the performance, and I took it.  My heart no longer pounded wildly, but I felt nothing whatsoever - just apathy.  The performance had no "spark".  It was technically better, but the first performance, nerves and all, was better and more moving musically, in spite of its numerous technical flaws.   

Usually it takes me several hours to wind down after a performance, even orchestral performances where I'm just part of the group and there's little pressure.  After the beta blocker enhanced performance, I just wanted to go home and sleep.  

In the high tension world of symphony auditions, I have seen these pills being passed out like candy.  But I would never take one again.  I now avoid taking medications in the first place.  I don't even have an MD type doctor to consult, and one should really have a prescription for these drugs.  My blood pressure is on the low side of normal in general, and it's my understanding that beta blockers could put a person like me down to a dangerously low blood pressure, and I wouldn't want that!  

So, YMMV.

bratsche

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## Bertram Henze

Bratsche's story supports what I am thinking - fear and fun are both sides of the same emotion; kill one, and you'll kill the other.

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## barney 59

The old fashioned way----drugs and alcohol---like a surprising large percentage of my musical heroes.

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## Bertram Henze

> The old fashioned way----drugs and alcohol---like a surprising large percentage of my musical heroes.

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## terzinator

> Bratsche's story supports what I am thinking - fear and fun are both sides of the same emotion; kill one, and you'll kill the other.


I agree that everyone is different. For me, I still feel the rush of anticipation and nerves and joy and fun, but what it has helped is the jerky hand movements I have when trying to pick. I'm able to pick smoothly as if I was in my cave, practicing. 

But yes, obviously, BB's are prescription meds. I would never have tried them without consulting my doctor first.

However, I don't want to RELY on them. I don't want to be in the situation of "oh, crap, I didn't take a beta blocker! I can't play!"

So, yes, the best thing is to be free of it, and embrace the fear and be so confident that you know your material well and can play in front of others like it's second nature. Because a mistake on stage will not kill you.

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## John Ritchhart

I took Beta Blockers once but found I couldn't play in the key of B.

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jasona

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## Bertram Henze

> But yes, obviously, BB's are prescription meds. I would never have tried them without consulting my doctor first.
> 
> However, I don't want to RELY on them. I don't want to be in the situation of "oh, crap, I didn't take a beta blocker! I can't play!"


There might be a way to start out with the help of medication and go on without it later. All it takes is confidence and a positive attitude, useful things in life anyway.

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## geeterpicker

I typically don't get nervous at most gigs, because most people aren't paying all that much attention and mistakes fly past them, unless somebody falls off the stage or something. If I play someplace where everyone is dead quiet and hanging on every note, I can find that a bit unnerving. But I usually get over it. Soemone above already mentioned it, but I agree the worst thing to do is think about what you're playing. That takes you out of the blend of music in a band and makes you feel alone. I just try to ride the rhythm and let it take me along. Also stick with what you know. Experiment only if you are feeling it.

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## Markus

Recently I had the opportunity to play a set with one of my bands on one of the larger stages in town [theater holds 800]. It helped that the place was mostly cleared out by the time we went on, but still - it was a textbook setup for a horrible performance. Intimidation factor was huge, as I've seen so many musical heroes on that stage [Grisman, Sam Bush, etc etc + a couple hundred shows in the last 2 decades].

While I was nervous in the morning before, I was shocked at how I didn't really get nervous at gig time.

One thing that helped immensely was the pre-gig prep time [knowing material, practice with group, practicing standing in front of mic].

By far the most helpful was the fact that I've been playing a weekly gig with a different group for 7 months. 

It's a sitting gig at a downtown bar - couldn't be more different conditions or music, yet after going onstage 25+ times in the last year I've got my routine so ingrained that I can relax into it. I'm used to letting the mic do the work [instead of overplaying], I've turned matching string pairs onstage to a form of calming meditation, and have learned to focus on the musicians and somewhat tune the crowd out.

After that regular repetition, I have an ingrained gig routine which really helps. For me, familiarity vastly helps my nerves - I tend not to play as well and suffer more nerves the first time I play a stage than following visits. Despite my first time on this stage, my `gig habits' allowed me to execute the first couple tunes well - and to enjoy the experience. Unlike a year ago, I was well focused and still able to look up, smile some, and play competently.

There's something about the grind of playing out weekly that really helped me get over my nerves. That said, sit a great picker next to me at a jam and I still manage to trainwreck far more often than makes sense [given I can execute at a show]. I've lost my nerves for the random general public at least ...

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## OKMike

Great thread, just had my first gig yesterday at church. I was very nervous to say the least. I tried to use positive thinking (not thinking of bombing but thinking of hitting it just right) We were scheduled to play right after the offering and when the prayer was said they mentioned our gig, that helped immensely. If the lord is with us who can be against us?  I was still nervous but we made it through. Focusing on the tune and listening to my bandmates helped me turn off the jitters a little. My bandmates knew I was nervous and helped me through it. Now I'm hooked and ready to go again. It was a blast.

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## Jon Hall

If I'm not performing,in front of people, on a very regular basis I expect to get nervous. On the occasions that one of my groups performs the same set on a regular basis we all get pretty confident and relaxed through our gigs.

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## smokin

don't practise till you get it right.practise till you can't get it wrong.

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Tom Wright

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