Conquering performance nerves.....

[Darkman]

Any advice on controlling bad nerves during performance? I don't just mean playing live to an audience either. I'm currently trying to record a classical piece to video for youtube, and I know I can play it. But once the camera is recording I freeze up. It's hilarious. I liken it to trying to walk dragging a lead weight. Normally it's no problem, but once the nerves kick in the easiest tasks become so difficult.

I probably suffer from it more than most. I just woke up to it fully recently after trying to record a full acoustic piece (3 mins or so) without errors. For my rock stuff I used to record part by part, with overdubs. And that got the job done. When I actually played live for real I was usually under the influence. That's the only way I could do it.

But a piece played all the way through like this is proving stupidly difficult. Or maybe I just don't know the piece well enough? Maybe even with nerves my fingers should go on auto. I don't know. It's frustrating.

Advice?

[MusicMadMax]

Nerves are normal, even when you're recording. I suffer very badly from nerves as well and find it often impedes my playing horribly. I recommend the three-part article here on iBreathe - you'll find them via the link below:

http://www.ibreathemusic.com/subcat/10

[fingerpikingood]

I know, it's kind of like golf. your practice swings are always so good, and then when you adress the ball, it becomes like :"ok, this is the real thing now, for real" and then you screw it all up.

I didn't read that article referenced above, but i fin the best solution really is to just not care, be totally casual, not be afraid to make mistakes, just feel like you're just messing around, which i guess is easier said than done, and maybe i'm just stating the obvious.

i think this gets easier the more you do it also. this still always happens to me. in music and in golf. this is also true for stuff like interviews and things like that. it's kind of like what confidence is in a way. confidence i guess is technically the belief in yourself you will or can succeed, and therefore you act fearlessly, but if you cease to care about the result then you will also act fearlessly. it's kind of the same thing.

in doing a backflip, probably the hardest part is not being tentative. hesitation kills. just care less about results and focus more on what you're doing, just like when you aren't on stage, or aren't recording, and then try to record often and play on stage often.

alot of people get nervous though for performances and stuff all throughout their careers, and that's ok. but once you get into it your mind needs to be into it, and not concerned with mics or people watching and listening.

[Darkman]

I read the article, and it's an interesting take on the subject. Well written. I see the point as being don't focus so much on yourself, and give more attention to the music you're playing. It's a valid viewpoint, though doesn't give any practical advice to keeping calm and not tensing up.

Not caring too much about the audience or the musical result is definately one way to remain calm in the face of pressure. By not giving a damn you free yourself. I can relate to that as a good method.

I think maybe a combination of the two is to not care about how you come across, & whether the audience appreciates it, and also to focus more on enjoying the music you're playing. That is the main reason we play after all, because we enjoy playing.

Anyway I am still recording and got better results this evening by plucking the strings more softly (it's a classical piece) and generally being less tense/aggressive in my playing. I also made a conscious effort to ignore how I might come across in video, and listen to the music I am playing so I can enjoy it. Less ego, more music.

Still some way to go though before I nail this. It's the first classical acoustic number I've ever attempted, so maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself anyway......