Stage nerves

BluesBop Harry

Brace yourselves, really long post.

Although I have only been playing Gypsy jazz for the last three years I've performed professionally for about ten years on other styles and I've found one of the most difficult things to master is the shakes that can come before a live performance.
They can get adrenaline pumping through your veins and push you to great heights but they can also make you freeze and suddenly become unable to do things you thought you could do in your sleep.

I'd like to share and discuss different ways of dealing with those stage nerves and would welcome and appreciate your ideas.

Here are some things that have worked for me in the past.

Number one: Have fun!
Remember at all times how beautiful music is and how much you enjoy playing.

One thing that has not worked for me is the famous "booze shot before the gig", Instead of relaxing I get sloppy. Since alcohol seems to have a different effect on different people this may work for some, but I don't like the idea of having to have a drink every time I play live, but works for some.

A little warm up alone or preferably with the band, as well as a couple of hours of my daily practice routine the day of the gig has worked great for me, I get up there with my hands feeling good and with a real expectation of what I can and can't do.

Have fun!

Wear bright red socks with your tuxedo or you won't pull off that chromatic run right.

Not having anticipated too much a particular concert helps a lot. The worst gigs for me have been those planned months in advance... I had gone over THE night so many times in my mind that when I finally got up there I had too much stuff and expectations going on inside my head that I wasn't able to perform well and relax, my playing seemed cold and overly thought out too.
A warm up gig with an easy audience the night before an important concert works sometimes.

A light relaxed feeling within the band is great, some jokes, laughing at ourselves and at our mistakes makes it more fun and ultimately helps the music as well.

Stay light, remember this is not brain surgery and you're not an airplane pilot...If you make a mistake what's the worst that can happen???

Do not panic if you make a mistake, don't judge your playing too much while you're performing live.

Start easy but keep taking risks.
I've found that if I nail a tough phrase early in the night the rest becomes much easier, if I don't get it the first time I keep trying until I do. Still sometimes it's just not your night...

If you make a mistake play it twice, make everybody believe you're cool and you just unfolded a big outside-ultra-sophisticated-hard bop-lick on them.

Have fun!

Write a balanced set list.
Begin the night with a strong song that's not too hard. Save your most shredding solos until the end, when your hands are fully warmed up.

"Smile and if you make a mistake smile wider". Tip courtesy of the great Ted Gottsegen.

Drinking a lot of water and having a good night's sleep is good too.
A good meal that includes chicken has legendary powers
A roasted hedgehog could do wonders!

Reliable gear is a must for me, knowing I can trust my guitar and amp is crucial, having the certainty my solos are going to be heard in the last row and my guitar plays good and easy has been all the difference.
I use my good guitar for everyday practice and I have it set up with a higher action, this helps ensure I'll be able to play the tough stuff with my gig guitar (which has much lower action/easier playability).

Have sex the night before the gig and/or the day of, right before the gig and/or if the situation allows it... during the gig!

A quick, no hassle stage setup has proven a great aid in feeling relaxed at gigs.
Spare strings, extra picks at hand, cables, extension chords, screwdrivers, batteries, string winders, etc.

Lastly remember to have fun!

All of these make life easier for me on stage.
What does it for you??

Stackabones

I guess I do most of what you're talking about, but without thinking about it too much. But now that I think about it, yes that's about right -- especially "stay light" -- very good advice.

I gig quite often, so maybe I don't experience stage nerves or performance anxiety in the same way were I to gig less. Often anxiety is just excitement. Once I got my mind around that concept, it all became a matter of perspective.

One thing I've noticed ... the excitement, or more precisely, the awareness of a gig is heightened when I'm at a new venue. The rush of the unknown is invigorating.

spatzo

I should say just imagine the sound you want to have

frater

"Said, you can make it in your disguise,
Just never show the fear that's in your eyes..."

J.R.Robertson, "Stage Fright".

Sigurd

BluesBop Harry wrote:

If you make a mistake play it twice, make everybody believe you're cool and you just unfolded a big outside-ultra-sophisticated-hard bop-lick on them

I like that one 8)

frater

Always thought Django does that at one point in "La Mer" in the Rome sessions...

dapperdan7

i find it always help to know everybody in the audience wants to be moved and blown away by the performance.they are rooting for you.so u need to get out of your own way!

"thought is dead" krishnamurti

djangology

I have the opposite of stage fright. I'm not getting nervous because someone might hear how bad I play. Instead, I am at ease because I don't really care if someone thinks I play bad. I think this comes from busking on the street and realizing, from that, that only the most discerning ears actually care whether you are musical or not and even fewer persons even care if you make a mistake.

I think many people care very much about the musicality of a CD or audio recording that they are listening to BUT I also think that most people are extremely forgiving for a live performance.

If I were to get nervous, it would be concerning selling someone my CD and worrying too much about whether they like it or not.

robertsaunders

With me, I notice something occurring prior to performing that doesn't in practice or jamming: Audience energy focussed my way and the club surroundings steal my core energy, or "chi"...or they borrow it, whatever, but they take it away. They substantially distract from my goal, a situation which first off requires awareness and acceptance. I confront it by warming up (not always possible, or done earlier in the day), sometimes by meditation, but always by lowering expectations and reducing my requirements to hit those dazzling riffs I did alone at home. When I decide to just do a serviceable, professional job without trying to show off, the music inevitably kicks in and carries me aloft without my trying.

Harry, I'll try that technique of not drinking alcohol before playing.

~Rob