@mundeli i did not know about the āgrimace therapyā.
Also the externall stressors seem something that can be applied.
The complete self analysis is indeed, quite light on the items i did well, because i felt that i didnāt do all that well overall.
@tony my setup at home, differs from the one i use at school. So, invariably, i have a different sound there. Now that i think of it, the thing that really threw me off was this: i like the line6 amp they have. Really like it.
But when it came time to play, my teacher said, āno, no, plug into this oneā. Which was a boss katana. (and i donāt like that one at all).
So there went part of my sound from the start. No reverb (at least, not that i liked), no delay (again, not that i liked) and the stress levels started risingā¦
So, next time, itāll be the line6 or iām not playing. (might seem a bit foolish, but i have a good feeling with that amp and i like the sound it creates with my pedals a lot).
@AJSki2fly thatās what iām thinking/hoping too. Itāll get better with time and playing.
Because, like i said, playing in a band setup, no problem. Letās go. In fact, iām looking forward to it.
But solo, with everybody looking at you, listening to every note you play (or donāt), thatās still scary.
Thereās comfort in knowing that not everybody in the room knows the song(s) youāre going to play, so if you miss a thing or two, nobody knows. But i know, and that adds to the stressā¦
Sounds reasonable, do whatever it takes to get you through your performances.
Rest assured, once you gain confidence on stage, those things wonāt matter nearly as much. Iāve done 130+ open mics (one of the few things I diariase) and now I can get up on stage and play very relaxed, feels a lot like when Iām playing at home.
Itās very well possible it wouldnāt have been so bad if you had known beforehand you would have to plug into the katana - you would have known what to expect. But I agree, go for the line6 next time, just to take that one stressor out of the mix and get comfortable.
Itās funny though, how these things work.
Iāve given the katana a year of playing, thinking iāll get to like/know it.
But the moment (by accident really) i plugged into the line6, it was a whole new expirience.
It felt and sounded (personal issue, your mileage may vary), a lot better.
If there is something like āfeelingā an amp, i felt it.
Same with my HB tube amp. From the getgo i was likeā¦ Wow!!
Absolutely. This is totally normal. A year ago was the first time Iād played in public (at a jam) but I got put on the spot and had to sing as well. Happened so fast I didnāt have time to be nervous, but I know I played way too fast and was all over the place.
Then did my first open mic about a week later, I was a nervous wreck.
Since then, Iāve done 12 Open Mics and many jams.
It really does get easier.
One off the wall suggestion, which helped me, is, if you or family members have young children, get into the habit of playing in front of them. Theyāll love it and youāll begin to feel a lot more confident.
Hi, you have had lots of good advice in the replies but perhaps I can add a few more thoughts. I have been playing in public for about 65 years so I know a bit about nerves. Nerves are not necessarily a bad thing. I think most performers experience nerves and it is simply a sign that they care about the performance they want to give. That said, we do need ways to bring nerves under control. It is no good if nerves are making your hands shake.
Performing is different from practising. When performing, there are usually a lot of things that are different from our practice sessions apart from the music we are going to play and the fact that we have an audience eg we are playing in a different place, probably wearing different clothes etc etc. It is possible to practise performing and you donāt have to have an audience to make this work. Try taking a practice session and making it as much like a real performance as you can. You could wear the outfit you are going to perform in, visualise your practice place as your public performance place etc. When you play the piece, think of it as playing in public. You canāt stop, you canāt go back and start again, you just need to play the piece through as you would in your public performance.
As part of this sort of practice, you need to work on ways to cover any mistakes you make. Most of us at some time will make some mistakes when we play in public but those listening do not necessarily know if we understand how to make a mistake sound intentional. Obviously better not to make mistakes but they are going to creep in, no matter how much we practice beforehand. Someone once said to me that I made a lot of mistakes when playing but I recovered from them well. A bit of a back-handed compliment but probably good advice, even if I privately disagreed with what he thought were my mistakes.
My other suggestion follows from this and it is to realise that what you think is a glaring mistake in your playing is probably not going to be picked up by the majority of your listeners, so why worry about it when it happens, provided you know how to cover it up if you. However, the one thing that your audience will always pick up is mistakes with rhythm.
Having said all that, I agree with the common theme in most of the replies which is that the best cure for nerves is experience. The more you play in public, the better you will get at handling the nerves and covering up the mistakes when they do occur.
Yep, again, a very big thank you to all who have contributed with advice and wisdom.
This summer, weāre going to have some friends and family over and guess whoāll be there, guitar in hand, nerves (hopefully) in check, songs to play ready.
