The issue is that I can’t even finish a recording that isnt embarrassingly bad. The best I’ve got so far is the one where I lost my pick halfway through so I may upload that one.
Is this topic the correct place to upload it or should I give it its own post? It isn’t my “real” upload since I want to upload a better one, but it’s just to get over the fear of posting/uploading things so giving it an own post feels like spam more than anything else.
You could start your own Learning Log to keep track of your progress Just open up a new topic using your username
Not embarrassing at all! I had the same exact problem. Now I’ve posted like 20 videos? Maybe more I haven’t counted. The best way to conquer stage fright is to confront it. Also don’t worry about it being perfect, it’s not going to be as good as it is without the cameras/mics on. It still isn’t for me, but it’ll get better little by little.
Just keep at it Gertjan 
It does get easier with repetition.
I would start a thread for it here
There are some community guidelines here
(Or indeed as as learning log as stitch suggested)
I have always had anxiety with public speaking. Though recording was not quite as bad, it is still pretty tough for me. Take a look at my first AVOP that I only recently posted and you can see I am very stiff. Last Kiss by Pearl Jam, Grade 1 AVOYP . I expect this nervousness will subside (or at least become more controllable) as I become more confident in my playing.
Looks like you and I are at close to the same place in our guitar journey. This is a great community and I hope we can watch each other grow as we progress through the courses.
I have trouble keeping my pick in place as well. Mine tend to rotate under my thumb. I’ve found these work really well as they have little bumps to help grip them. I’m still using the supper light .38 ones for strumming.
Hi there, just watched your video on your LL and I would say you are doing very good! As Rick said solid strumming and good technique overall, you clearly feel the music which is great. As to your question:
It does get better with time. I had the same thing, now I think it’s a lot better to what it used to be. There is still some stress but I think definitely a minor one. Obvious advice is to record often and try until you make it, the more you do this the better you will become with Red Light Syndrome and easier it will become to make next recordings.
I am not sure how do you record but in case you stop and hit record every time you fail I would say stop that, just record for longer period of time and whenever you do a mistake pause for 2 seconds and start all over again. Clicking stop record puts you out of your groove and you are loosing your focus, phones and laptops have such a big memory nowadays you can easy push it to 40 mins+ recording If you want.
It’s also a mindset thing - think of this that you are just recording yourself, this is like practice, no one looks at you live, you don’t have to publish it unless you feel it will do. Don’t stress about it too much as it is really not worth it 
I hope this helps a bit at least! For a beginner you definitely don’t have anything to worry about 
That was actually the exact pick you can see flying out of my hand in my video
They’re really nice indeed! During the recorded attempt it went from being solidly in my hand to being catapulted away out of nowhere. I think the realization that “this was the good take” made me loose focus and loosen my grip for a split second, which ended up ruining the attempt.
If it’s that much of a problem for you then don’t record. Just be happy that you can play the song. I’ve not recorded anything yet, not even for my own use, and I’m OK with that.
Life can be a struggle so no point making it worse by doing something that is a problem for you.
Well you should Stuart. It will show you your strengths and weaknesses. You can learn a lot from seeing yourself play. It will make you a better player. You don’t need to show it to anyone.
Don’t worry, it’s totally normal! Good news is, the more you record… the better you’ll become at it.
Here is a thing you can try - if it’s possible for you on a practical level (enough HD space, tape time etc…)… try to reverse the thinking to this; By default you’ll record when you play something. The intention, in your mind, is NOT to post it anywhere… you actually expect to delete it all. But then, in such a relaxed environment, when you’re just practicing and suddenly get a good/perfect take. Then you can go back and revisit that, analyze it… and perhaps post it at a AVOYP 
With enough practice it’ll turn around. I have the opposite problem - I’ll be practicing something with the intention of recording it eventually for a project… and can’t get it just right. But when I then decide to finally go for it and hit the record button, in 2 or 3 takes I have something better than I never played it before. It’s like I have to have that pressure before I can perform my best…
I feel your pain. Have certainly been there and struggled many a time in the same way. Several things helped me. First is perseverance. It does get better. The other is to slow it down and play the simplest song that I know, the simplest strum or fingerstyle, whichever applies to you. And if that’s still to hard, just record the intro until you can get through that.
Instead of stopping at each mistake and breaking the flow, why don’t you just hit the record button and play until you feel the performance is good? You can edit the mistakes out later on.
To be honest I’m not sure about that, as I don’t have the knowledge & experience to make a real assessment of my playing. OK I know when I fluff a chord change but I can hear that so don’t need a video of it.
Hey Stuart, you can assess your performances based on what you have learned from the course so far to see what your doing well and what you need to work on. Check out this lesson and the supporting text
I’ve seen that one before but that is talking about audio recordings whereas this thread is a about video recordings, not that matters much I guess. I did actually try an audio recording in the first few weeks of starting JG’s lessons but the results where so bad that it’s really put me off.
@Stuartw good feedback for Justin. I’m sure he’d agree that in addition to hearing yourself, being able to see yourself play is equally valuable.
In what sense, quality of your play or the recorded sound quality? If the former, I guess that is pretty much to be expected, and I expect it would be different today as I know from posts you have made that you have improved. If the latter then I would suggest try making a video recording with your phone. In my experience, and I can’t explain it, the audio quality of a video made with my phone has always been better than the quality of an audio-only recording made with some kind of audio recording app.
Anyhow, up to you. I support the benefits to be gained as others have said, and believe you get additional benefits in sharing, either in a Learning Log or in AVOYP. As a minimum, I have found the encouragement valuable and the confirmation of my own self-assessment of my play. As an extra bonus I have sometimes received an improvement suggestion that is pitched at just the right level and time to be useful, but that I view as a bonus.
@Cingen
Gertjan, lots of good comment and suggestions already made. To add to all of that …
One thing I became aware of and have worked to eliminate is that inner voice saying something like “so far so good, you’re almost there, now don’t mess up”. And sure as nuts, within moments of hearing that in my head, I mess up.
It is almost like “don’t mess up” is a command to self to mess up. So over the years (yup, a long duration journey for me) I have worked hard to try and silence the inner dialogue and stay focused on the playing, just concentrating on the song, the chords and lyrics.
My mind is prone to wandering off and getting distracted, so still a work in progress for me. But as others have said, record frequently and slowly it improves.
I’d also suggest that if you make a small mistake then keep playing rather than stopping and re-starting. It is a skill to learn to be able to play through mistakes. Learn not to telegraph that you made a mistake through a facial expression. Just try to keep going. So maybe you start record and play through Mad World with the App on loop (can it loop? No idea as not an App user). Having played it through a few times stop and if you want to share, share the best take. Or if you play one through and no it is as good as can be, then stop and share the final take.
Once you become more comfortable than you can try the process of recording with intention to share the first and only take. I found that this change in mindset did mess with my mind at first, less so but still so now. And of course, you always no that despite the intention, nothing forces you to share that one take.
Note that this is about recording performances, rather than a comment about practice. In practice if you make a mistake it is better to stop and start again. And when learning a song, you would be focusing more time on the bits where you are more prone to making a mistake. For example, if the mistake often comes when transitioning from verse to chorus. Then don’t go back to the start when you make a mistake, rather start again from a natural point a few bars before the chorus. This ensures that you practice that transition as much as possible in a practice time slot.
ABR = Always Be Recording.
Flip on an audio or cellphone recorder every time you play or practice.: