Stagefright?

[Unhorizon]

It is true Steve Vai used to have massive stage fright and threw up before every show?

[EricV]

AFAIK, yes. And he sure wasnt the only one
Eric

[LarryJ]

Steve Vai used to have a terrible inferiority complex. You can read all about it on his website.

[Carvinite]

He did? I have that too.....that is kinda weird.....I have been all over that site and never found that....

[RayenD]

Yes, he had it :)
Another story like this. I used to play with great bass player/singer here. He is really great guy, top musican in my country, incredible artist. He used to fall asleep because of stage fright. Sometimes in the middle of the song, for 3-4 seconds. It was extremelly funny watching him standing asleep :). As far as I know he still does it from time to time.

[TheOneOfLight]

Whoa thats crazy...The only thing that I have is that I have to pee like 5 times before I play..it sucks

[October Flower]

Wow I thought I had stage fright...I havent been up on stage playing guitar yet...but when I had a bunch of people judging me once I know my hands were shaky and stuff...thats it though...

[hairballxavier]

Wow I thought I had stage fright...I havent been up on stage playing guitar yet...but when I had a bunch of people judging me once I know my hands were shaky and stuff...thats it though...

Those shakey hands should help with your vibrato, picking speed, trills etc,etc. Seriously.

Stage fright, (I preferr to call it getting psyched up) is an adrenaline rush, the fight or flight response. You have to make it work for you instead of against you. Adrenaline makes all the senses more acute including hearing and sense of touch. It also decreases reaction times, increases heart and respiratory rates and makes you stronger and quicker. It makes those fast runs and quick chord changes and improvising easier because it quickens the mind and makes you think faster. It's like a performance enhancing drug.

Especially vocal performance. I can't sing worth a damn if I'm by myself recording, but in front of an audience everything is 1000% easier. Having an audience is like having an unlimited supply of energy to feed off of. Even if it's a small audience. You have to realize that they want you to perform for them and they want you to sound great.

But before you go onstage it sucks. I don't think I've ever actually vomited
before a performance but I've sure felt like I was going to. I've heard that alot of pro sports players vomit or at least get butterflies before games too.

I think it's best to try to relax and not think about it too much beforehand. Keep your mind in the here and now instead of worrying about screwing up later. Just think about getting everything set up right.

A couple beers and a shot of wiskey helps keep the jitters down. I don't play in a band anymore but I like to go to open stage jams alot and stand in for a song or two when I go see guys that I know jam. I can fool myself that I don't have to get up and perform even though I know I'm probably going to 90% of the time. So I can enjoy myself more beforehand, I don't get the jitters until they call me up to the stage and I grab the mic.

It's a little different if I bring my guitar and amp, then the jitters start as soon as you bring your stuff in. You can't back down once you pull out your axe, you have to play no matter what.

[tara_bara]

i kinda have stage fright....but not really...

at home when im just doing what i want i let loose and usually play at my best.... (suckky because no one hears it!! also somewhat funny seeing someone 'let loose' on a violin!! ;) )

but when i get on stage i play ok....but not as good as when i was practicing and so i get really angry.... then i go home and play it again for myself to try and prove that im not crapola!

and i always seem to play better when im in a biatch of a mood!! grr!:rolleyes:

[Madaxeman]

I've only played live twice, and you betcha I was nervous. But, if you watch live performances of famous artists, the tempo is almost always much faster than the CD because of the energy and I am guessing, the nerves too.
There are lots of life situations I've been in where the butterflies were just part of the job because I was being evaluated in stressful situations. The nervousness was good, I figured if I ever got so relaxed (or complacent) that I lost that feeling, I probably wasn't performing as well as I could be.
So I guess just learn to embrace it, and enjoy the little "rush" it brings!

[Diabolet]

Its worse when you take your grades and you know the guys watching know there stuff unlike some guys sitting in a club. You got to remember most people dont or cant play guitar well so you can mess up alot and still be respected for just standing on stage. If you go up playing a piece you already know then stage fright can be avoided abit. If theres a solo piece you have to play like Canon in D by Pachebel then you should learn the 5th capriece which is in a different league. You wouldnt be able to pull of the 5th but canon will seem a whole lot easier to do.

5th is by Paganini if you go to Yngwie's official website he has images taken from guitar world's 'wild stringdom' where he shows you how to play it.

[JailHouseRock]

I always had stage fright before I perform. Usually, it will fade away when I start to play with my band. When there are more crowd enjoying the show, the nervousness seems to fade away quickly. Usually, the crowd response will somehow affect me too. Last time I performed, there were only 8 or 9 guys standing in front of the stage enjoying my band's show while the others just sit at the corner.. :eek:

Hey, Elvis got stage fright too and his shaking body/legs has become part of his style. ;)

[October Flower]

Those shakey hands should help with your vibrato, picking speed, trills etc,etc. Seriously.

Stage fright, (I preferr to call it getting psyched up) is an adrenaline rush, the fight or flight response. You have to make it work for you instead of against you. Adrenaline makes all the senses more acute including hearing and sense of touch. It also decreases reaction times, increases heart and respiratory rates and makes you stronger and quicker. It makes those fast runs and quick chord changes and improvising easier because it quickens the mind and makes you think faster. It's like a performance enhancing drug.

Especially vocal performance. I can't sing worth a damn if I'm by myself recording, but in front of an audience everything is 1000% easier. Having an audience is like having an unlimited supply of energy to feed off of. Even if it's a small audience. You have to realize that they want you to perform for them and they want you to sound great.

But before you go onstage it sucks. I don't think I've ever actually vomited
before a performance but I've sure felt like I was going to. I've heard that alot of pro sports players vomit or at least get butterflies before games too.

I think it's best to try to relax and not think about it too much beforehand. Keep your mind in the here and now instead of worrying about screwing up later. Just think about getting everything set up right.

A couple beers and a shot of wiskey helps keep the jitters down. I don't play in a band anymore but I like to go to open stage jams alot and stand in for a song or two when I go see guys that I know jam. I can fool myself that I don't have to get up and perform even though I know I'm probably going to 90% of the time. So I can enjoy myself more beforehand, I don't get the jitters until they call me up to the stage and I grab the mic.

It's a little different if I bring my guitar and amp, then the jitters start as soon as you bring your stuff in. You can't back down once you pull out your axe, you have to play no matter what.

It does most certainly not improve my vibrato! It kills everything. My fingers are weak and frequently slow down or hit the wrong frets. Maybe I dont push down hard enough on a fret or my reaction is delayed. Its horrible!

[tara_bara]

on violin nerves absolutley kill my vibrato....luckily there are few people who notice this, coz they dont really know many people who play....and i hate it when your nervous and under hot lights so ur hand gets sweaty and you cant shift properly....that really sucks!!!

at school id always choose my solo assessments not even two nights before...something that looked difficult but wasnt...and coz all of my friends didnt kno much about violin they thought they were rad (even when i was playing a piece that id learnt 12 months ago!!!) whoops- still got the grades tho!!

before big hockey games i often feel sick-grand final and important games etc....but then i remember how evil that chick from the other team is and it all goes away....im just out to stop her from gettin a goal (and if she trips up in the mean time...well thats not my problem!!- please note evil-ness is a necessity in the game!)

but it wouldnt be the same if there wasnt stage fright/adrenalin/the big rush of oh my gawd what if i do it wrong/heelp...i dont know my solo that well.... or whatever ya wanna call it!!

[Stratosaurus]

Stagefright kills my focus, accuracy, and especially vibrato.

When I was first getting into playing in front of people, I had a really hard time getting it right like I had done so many times before during practice -- much like tara_bara's explanation.

My hands would get all sweaty and jittery, my knees would get weak, I couldn't take my eyes off of my fretting hand because I thought if I didn't look I'd be all over the place, and my picking accuracy was just shot. People thought I couldn't play!

One night at a kegger I had about a dozen beers or so, and I borrowed someone's acoustic (never played one before) and just owned it. Even people that were sober (yeah, there were sober people at a kegger -- responsible drivers ;) ) thought I was good. It's a good thing I've had a lot of practice with alcohol tolerance.

Now I can play in front of anyone, anywhere, without alcohol, and do just fine. It just took a few public performances and lots of honest feedback. And recently reading Jamey Andreas' article on the subject (http://www.ibreathemusic.com/article/93) helped too.

Now I just need to stop getting nervous when I record -- what's that all about?

[PhrygianX]

I think I probably have had stage fright worse than anyone I've ever known. When they would say "you're up next" I got this feeling of extreme impending doom and think "there's no way out now, man." and I always wanted to flee the place in horror. It sounds melodramatic, but it's simply just dramatic in the reality of it. I'd feel like I was in a cage with a large tiger and the doors'd just been locked on me.

I was really calm and cool on the way to the shows, but once the band after whom we were to play played their 3rd or 4th song and people started coming up to me with things like "it's/you're gonna be great!" I felt sick and dizzy.

One of my friends who was a new addition to the band and an experienced player told me to smoke some ganja before I went on (I'd been an experienced smoker) so we toked up in the van and then went on. I f*cking passed out half way through the gig. I started to feel faint and got so scared that I would tip at any moment, and, ofcourse, as Murphy's law shall pretty much always prevail, I did and fell face first onto a monitor. Waking up a few moments later was one of the worst moments of my life, but no one else seemed to think it too extreme. I remember thinking of Spinal Tap a few second after I woke up and thinking that this was probably going to be the first of many Spinal Tap moments in my life as a guitarist. The other being getting my hair caught in one of the tuning posts. Not cool. That whole thing wasn't what made me stop smoking reefer, but it did make me hate that bassist for a long while! :D

I've since gotten myself relatively stable before shows. Coffee was the key, not ganj, as it turns out. heh Coffee (I've since stopped drinking coffee) and meditation. I like to go hang out in the crowd before a show now. I no longer loathe the complimentary remarks before a show. They don't instill in me great fear anymore, they just make me happy and refreshed. The energy of a show that you're playing is the single greatest thing in the world. Drugs and sex will never compare to rock n' roll.

[jade_bodhi]

Stagefright kills my focus, accuracy, and especially vibrato.


Interesting how everyone reacts differently to this stimulus. I don't get nervous but I do lose my focus and accuracy too. Usually, I settle down after the first tune, but when the spotlight falls the effect increases, and solos suffer.

Also, I was surprised to find that recording makes me nervous even if I'm just recording myself, and I lose accuracy; or perhaps I am hyper critical and end up doing a number of takes just because I can stop tape.

Bentz

[thesander]

i have it too. and i am all like classical. so its always me and a piano. i think. that if you perform alot. then you will loose it. hmm.. but i also find watching some of the audience. and smile to them and get a smile back being a real cooler.

[joeyd929]

I always just focus on the parts I have to play and have this ability to tune out everything else. No Ganj though because then I get paranoid and forget parts. Gotta play sober, no booze either....

[snufeldin]

Especially vocal performance. I can't sing worth a damn if I'm by myself recording, but in front of an audience everything is 1000% easier.

I'm sure you'd be unpleasantly surprised if you heard a recording of the live performance.

[hairballxavier]

I'm sure you'd be unpleasantly surprised if you heard a recording of the live performance.

How so?

I'd say the here and now is when it sounds best.

A recording captures maybe 1 millionth of a percent of what's really goin on.

if that

[snufeldin]

Those moments when you record yourself are what you actually sound like. I guess the quality depends how you're recording yourself.

I disagree with your calculation.

[Hubert]

We did an audition before a small public of other musicians recently and the other guitarist in our band, who is actually slightly better than I am, was so nervous he forgot to solo. Of course, when my spot came, I dug in with fierce relish :D Apart from clammy hands, I'm always ok when it comes to performing before an audience. I'm usually quite nervous beforehand, that is to say an hour or so before the 'ordeal', but as soon as I start playing, I relax.

[ashc]

How so?

I'd say the here and now is when it sounds best.

A recording captures maybe 1 millionth of a percent of what's really goin on.

if that

I would say that's 100% delusional from an objective point of view. Subjectively live is very different - and yes there is something extra from dynamics etc, but if the recording says it sucks it sucks.

[smallbusrider]

First of all, I would venture to say that the majority of players have serious inferiority complexes. Most great artists of all mediums have inferiority complexes. I truly believe that the love of our art is love that is misdirected from ourselves.
When you truly define it, we all have some sort of inferiority complex. If we didn't, we would not be human. We all feel inferior in some ways.If you have stage fright, you feel that you are inferior,period. If you didn't feel that, you would not have stage fright would you? Its just a question of what degree it is and how it affects your life. It will never be fully cured, but its a matter of trying to defeat your perceived "inferiorities" a little at a time. But progress truly is an asymptote. You will never be totally rid of them.

On a personal note, the fight always hits me like this: Every thing tightens up and my right hand feels like hamburger, with no control. I usually always suck on the first two songs. then i chill out.

Two beers and a shot usually do the trick before my first set :)

[Dushan S]

From a psychological point stagefright itself is not a problem, as a usual adrenaline rush that comes in situations when we feel "on test" or like we could fail etc. It is all about what our subconsious mind is telling us about that state of the body. Are we a hunter or a game? Does that state is translated as a moment of fear, loss, humiliation or it comes as overture for triumph and glory? So if someone does have problem in other parts of life, does not feel competent enough, is unsure about itself, has lost some "life games" in past, before he goes onstage, state of his body and mind means "I am about to go thru something terrible" for him. On the other hand some people just love it, they know this energy is on their side, and that what comes will be great.

What I was usually doing is to work my *** off, so I am sure I am prepared to play right... But there is one other important thing that happened to me when I was young. It was in music shool, when I was about 12. It was a small concert for parents, and dozen of pupils were about to play pieces on classical guitar. I was terrified naturally. Guy before me was out of his mind... He was in a higher grade than me, he was a better player, but he started making mistakes, that made him go nuts even more, make more mistakes...I also noticed how people were reacting, and noticed his body position that was not quite proper. When he finished, people were applauding because of pitty, he obviously was very ashamed...
Then came my turn. something came into me and I got it. I came to position for playing in a very calm and confident manner even if I was not feeling like that. I somehow got understanding that people will react based on image I project on them, and in turn that same image is projected on me so I am becoming more confident and calm. I paid attention whan I sit down to look like I am going to play great. At that moment I have noticed in a first row that one woman says to her husband something about that this boy will probably play good. piece I was about to play was not that hard but It sounded like it is hard and very melodic at the same time, while piece that guy before me played was really hard but was not sounding like that...that also came into my mind, and affected my choices latter in life.
I started playing, and at that point I knew that people that were listening were already bought and at my side, and were listening carefully, and in turn I was playing great and perfect, knowing that they think I am great and their attention was supporting me. When I ended, I got a big applause, and I think at that moment everything clicked on its place.

After that, even if I can't say that I love adrenaline in any other aspect of my life (except naturally before making love with a beautifull woman), I really enjoy getting on stage, and my mind become trained to translate that "stagefright" state as a good thing, as an adrenaline injection that makes me full of energy, and eager to get on stage and do my stuff...

So, that was my 50 cents on subject, hope someone that is "stagefrightened" can get something from this short story :)

[joeyd929]

Did you ever watch a stand up comedian have a bad night? The good ones know how to "project" as you say, that positive image and even though the joke may have been bad, they emit this positive energy and get through it.

All musicians need to go through that screwing up in front of alot of people experience to really appreciate what it is like. At least once..

[Unhorizon]

Wow. I haven't posted here in probably a year, but this thread is still alive. I can't believe it. Well since I posted this, I played a few live shows. I played 4 for a talent show where me and my friends played a medley of LTE songs. The link is here http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5990045832333482779&q=Liquid+Tension+Experience

I also played a battle of the bands in which we played progressive metal/funk/ and "Glasgow Kiss" by JOhn Petrucci. I was really nervous for that show because it was just me, bass, and a drummer, and I wrote the first 2 songs. THe spotlight was basically on me all night. We went last after 5 emo/rock bands. We were the oddballs of the show. Oh yeah, and we followed the band that got straight 10s. Well anyway, we did great. Even Glasgow Kiss, I was really worried about, went terrific. I wish I had a video, but I can't upload it. For me, the key to stopping stage fright is practice. I practiced so much for those shows that I knew I would not mess up. I knew the songs cold. I actually messed up a little in each show, but you have to remain cool. Even if it means stopping for a measure. If you lose your cool, its over. During the chorus of the first song at battle of the bands (oh yeah, ALL Instrumental, haha) I came in a measure early, so I just played that measure twice, no one in the audience knew what happened.

[aeln2011]

don't take this too seriously,
i suck cause i've only played guitar for 18 months, but i've played clarinet for 8 years through school so i have some performance experience

what helps me is to remember the difference between practicing and performing

when i practice i focus on improvement and getting everything as fast, expressive, etc... as possible

but when i get to performing, you can't do that so much, you have to realize that your job is to entertain the people, so you have to put on a show.
you don't have to do cartwheels, but try and be as expressive as possible, worry more about tempo and musicality than minute technique, and realize that NO PERFORMANCE WILL EVER BE PERFECT, no matter what, and that worrying about it just makes you seem less confident and might make you mess up

i try and practice till i am almost completely sick of the music i'm playing, so that i can focus on performance when the time comes. don't let practice ever become a mechanical routine without your full attention devoted, though, because if it does it'll be way too easy to let your performances reflect that

hope this helps,
neal

[Blutwulf]

I never really had stage fright when playing music. But then, growing up I was in debate programs, public speaking classes, and that sort of scholastic pursuit. I spent a lot of time on a stage at a lectern, being a model nerd.

By the time I was actively gigging, I had already adapted the arrogance model to music. Basically, at any given instant, only a small percentage of the crowd is actually focusing on you in particular. Of that small percentage at that instance, only a small percentage would even know that you screwed up. Of that tiny percentage, an even smaller percentage would care or remember the screwup one instant later. And of them all, every one of them paid to hear you. You are on the stage - they are among the herd. (Mind you, this only works if your screwups are minor. If you majorly blow it, the arrogance breaks down.)

I do experience "stage fright" in small settings, though, to a degree. Put me in front of 1,000 people and hand me a guitar, and I can only treat them as one audience. Put me in front of 8 people, and I have to treat them as eight. Strange, really.

[CaptainCaveman]

I rarely have a lot of stage fright. I sometimes get nervous before going on stage, but before we begin I get so stressed out trying to tune up and getting a good sound, that i forget all about the audience. I recently played live unplugged in a radio studio, and there was a lot of noise all the time. I was placed on a couch with the band (I was a guest mandolin player, the band were some old buddies of mine) and we were to sit there while waiting for the signal from the producer. The others were sitting and waiting excitedly, not saying a word, but I was walking around pressing the mandolin to my ear trying to tune up. I was in a really bad mood, and I walked out of the studio several times to search for a quiet place. In the end, I gave up and said "Ah, what the heck, let's play the damn song!" Luckily, my tuning frenzy had paid off, and besides, I had forgotten all about the thousands of people listening to the festival radio.

[Steinberg]

I have only played in front of a crowed three times.
The time I got nervous was two of them, and therefor I played really horrible. We played those standard pop song, at my high school, and I had to improvise(which I'm not good at).
The other time, when I didn't become nervous, was in front of 800 people. We played a Dream Theater song, and at all the rehearsal and sound check we sucked big time. But since we where so used to the scene, we weren't nervous at all. And we where really tight, when It came to the final show.

Therefor my conclusion; Walk around on the stages, with you instrument in you hand for as much as possible before you have to perform. Picture yourself being on stage and with the band.

Next time I just want to look at the crowed, not my guitar :)

Good luck everyone, let's hope we all become seriously performers.

[RockinRocky]

When I was in my late teens, early twenties, I was a wildman on stage. Was known for jumpping over bartender's from the stage onto the bar, and pushing folks drinks towards them with my boot as I was in the middle of a lead break. Now, after 3 brain surgeries, I get the quezies in my pit when I play in front of just a couple of people. I don't understand why now I have developed 'stage-fright'. Doesn't make sense, I to need to overcome this nasty fear!!

[Spino]

Half a bottle of Jack Daniels and you'll all be fine . Dr S

[RockinRocky]

Ahhhh... If only I could TRUST myself to just one, or two!! But havin' sweared of da hooch for the past 17 or so years, I'd rather find another method of nerve control. And illegal substances are not the answer, since I'm on legal items for mutiple reasons, so I'd rather not add anything else. Maybe a nice young beaUtiful nurse that knows 'calming techniques'?? Now THAT I think I could handle..... Oops!! Was that bad to say?
Oh well.. :D

[dmsstudios]

Stagefright sucks! I definitely experience it every time I perform.

Substances make it worse. PARANOIA!!! They're all watching you.......

I'm trying to get more into showoff mode. Show it off. The energy is up x1000.

Before I perform, I visualize myself after the performance enjoying the good job that I did.

[Antagonist]

alright dude, nervous feeling happen to the best. You just need to focus, I know this doesn't work most of the time. But if you truly love the music you playing, fosus on that, erase everything, its music.

As long as your practiced up, and the band can keep up, just go up there with the attitude that your going to kill it. Think about it like that.

thats all i can say.
peace